Vayeira 18:6 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 18:6

The Complete Passuk

וַיְמַהֵ֧ר אַבְרָהָ֛ם הָאֹ֖הֱלָה אֶל־שָׂרָ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר מַהֲרִ֞י שְׁלֹ֤שׁ סְאִים֙ קֶ֣מַח סֹ֔לֶת ל֖וּשִׁי וַעֲשִׂ֥י עֻגֽוֹת׃

Avraham hastened into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead and make cakes!”

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Bava Metzia 87a.

TT lemma: קמח סולת.

Sefaria — Bava Metzia 87a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
קֶמַח סֹלֶת. כְּתִיב קֶמַח וּכְתִיב סֹלֶת; אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק, מִכָּאן שֶׁהָאִשָּׁה עֵינֶיהָ צָרָה בָּאוֹרְחִים יוֹתֵר מִן הָאִישׁ.

English: “Fine flour / choice flour.” It is written “kemach” and it is written “solet.” Rabbi Yitzchak said: From here we learn that a woman’s eye is tighter toward guests than a man’s.

On the daf / in context: The dual terminology (ordinary flour and fine flour) is taken to reflect Sarah’s more sparing attitude toward the quantity or quality offered to guests compared with Avraham’s.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The juxtaposition of two grades of flour yields a character observation about hospitality.

What Is Learned

The mention of both ordinary flour and fine flour teaches that a woman tends to be more sparing toward guests than a man.