Vayeira 18:3 · unit 2

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 18:3

The Complete Passuk

וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֲדֹנָ֗י אִם־נָ֨א מָצָ֤אתִי חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ אַל־נָ֥א תַעֲבֹ֖ר מֵעַ֥ל עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃

He said, “My lords, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass by your servant.”

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Shabbos 127a.

TT lemma: אל נא תעבר.

Sefaria — Shabbos 127a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
אַל נָא תַעֲבֹר. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, בּוֹא וּרְאֵה שֶׁלֹּא כְּמִדַּת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִדַּת בָּשָׂר וָדָם; מִדַּת בָּשָׂר וָדָם אֵין קָטָן יָכוֹל לוֹמַר לְגָדוֹל הַמְתֵּן לִי עַד שֶׁאָבֹא אֶצְלְךָ, וְאִלּוּ בְּהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּתִיב וַיֹּאמַר אֲדֹנָי וגו' אַל נָא תַעֲבֹר.

English: “Please do not pass by.” Rabbi Elazar said: Come and see that the attribute of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like the attribute of flesh and blood. With flesh and blood a lesser person cannot say to a greater one, “Wait for me until I come to you”; yet of the Holy One, blessed be He, it is written, “And he said, ‘My Lord… please do not pass by.’”

On the daf / in context: The same sugya contrasts human hierarchy with Hashem’s willingness to wait for Avraham’s request.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The request itself demonstrates a unique divine attribute of forbearance.

What Is Learned

Unlike human superiors, Hashem allows a human being to ask Him to wait; Avraham’s request illustrates this distinctive divine middah.