Vayeira 18:2 · unit 2

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 18:2

The Complete Passuk

וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה֙ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים נִצָּבִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֤רׇץ לִקְרָאתָם֙ מִפֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֔הֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ אָֽרְצָה׃

He lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing over him; he saw, and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and he bowed to the ground.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Yoma 37a.

TT lemma: נצבים עליו.

Sefaria — Yoma 37a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
נִצָּבִים עָלָיו. שְׁלֹשָׁה שֶׁהָיוּ מְהַלְּכִין בַּדֶּרֶךְ, הָרַב בָּאֶמְצַע, גָּדוֹל בִּימִינוֹ וְקָטָן בִּשְׂמֹאלוֹ; וְכֵן מָצִינוּ בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה מַלְאָכִים שֶׁבָּאוּ לְאַבְרָהָם, מִיכָאֵל בָּאֶמְצַע, גַּבְרִיאֵל לִימִינוֹ, וּרְפָאֵל לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ.

English: “Standing over him.” When three walk along the way, the teacher is in the middle, the greater [disciple] on his right and the lesser on his left. So we find with the three angels who came to Avraham: Michael in the middle, Gabriel on his right, and Raphael on his left.

On the daf / in context: Yoma 37a uses the arrangement of the three angels as a model for the proper order when three walk together: the most important in the center.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The phrase “standing over him” is taken to imply that they stood in a single line, with the greatest in the middle.

What Is Learned

When three walk together, the most important person walks in the middle; the three angels who visited Avraham stood in that order, Michael central.