Parashat 4 Portion 15 Vayira – and He appeared – Ber/Gen 18:1-33 Yesh/Is 33:17-34:12 Luke 8:40-56

TRUE FRIENDS
"There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship."~ Saint Thomas Aquinas

OUR FRIENDSHIP
"Friendship without self-interest is one of the rare and beautiful things in life."James Francis Byrnes

"My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, then you've had a great life."
-Lee Iacocca

      Isa 41:8  “But you, Yisra’ĕl, are My servant, Ya’aqoḇ, whom I have chosen, the descendants of Aḇraham My friend,

2Ch 20:7  “Are You not our Elohim? You have driven out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Yisra’ĕl, and gave it to the seed of Aḇraham Your friend forever.

Yahshua who came to elevate the Torah and all those who cling to the Torah said:

Joh 15:10  “If you guard My commands, you shall stay in My love,1 even as I have guarded My Father’s commands and stay in His love. Footnote: 1See 14:15.
Joh 15:11  “These words I have spoken to you, so that My joy might be in you, and that your joy might be complete.
Joh 15:12  “This is My command, that you love one another, as I have loved you.1 Footnote: 1See 13:34, 15:17.
Joh 15:13  “No one has greater love than this: that one should lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14  “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
Joh 15:15  “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, for all teachings which I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
Joh 15:16  “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name He might give you.
Joh 15:17  “These words I command you, so that you love one another.1 Footnote: 1See 13:34, 15:12.
Joh 15:18  “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19  “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for that reason the world hates you.

You cannot legislate love or friendship. Speaking of love Shaul says there is no Torah.

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness,
Gal 5:23  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no Torah.

The best way to learn about love and friendship is to observe and follow those who appear to have these qualities.

Rom 4:12 says we are to walk in the steps of our father Avraham.

Heb 6:12  ….. but imitate those who through belief and patience inherit the promises.
Heb 6:13  For Elohim, having promised Aḇraham, since He could swear by no one greater, swore by Himself,
Heb 6:14  saying, “Truly, blessing I shall bless you, and increasing I shall increase you.”
Heb 6:15  And so, after being patient, he obtained the promise.

Heb 12:1  We too, then, having so great a cloud of witnesses all around us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us,
Heb 12:2  looking to the Princely Leader and Perfecter of our belief, יהושע, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the stake, having despised the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.

Our Torah Portion:

Gen 18:1  And יהוה appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamrĕ, while he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.

This is the beginning of a  new Torah portion – “Vayira” which means “and he appeared.”

“Va Yerah” is a Niphal verb ie a passive verb, meaning that YHVH  allowed Himself to be seen by Avraham.

Terebinth tree comes from a Hebrew word that can mean strength. It is also known as an oak tree. Terebinth trees were a place where one met with YHVH. Mamre comes from a Hebrew word that can mean fatness or abundance. The Terebinth tree was also a place where YHVH imparted instruction and teaching – see also “Terebinth of Moreh”

Gen 12:6  And Aḇram passed through the land to the place of Sheḵem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. At that time the Kena’anites were in the land.

Gen 12:7  And יהוה appeared to Aḇram and said, “To your seed I give this land.” And he built there an altar to יהוה, who had appeared to him.

Gen 13:18  So Aḇram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamrĕ, which are in Ḥeḇron, and built an altar there to יהוה.

Terebinth trees represent a place where one encountered YHVH.

Have you found your Terebinth tree? -  a place where you feel you belong – where YHVH has met with you – a place that you would not have found if YHVH did not radically change the circumstance of your life – if you had not become a Hebrew and crossed over from man- made religion, you would not have found your Terebinth tree - A place where the Torah begins to make sense – where you become to embrace Torah more and more as if it was your very life.

The wood from these Terebinth trees was used to make yokes.

Matthew 11:28-30The Message (MSG) ^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Mat 11:29  “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your beings.¹ Footnote: ¹Jer. 6:16.

Mat 11:30  “For My yoke is gentle and My burden is light.”

The “yoke” was rabbinically known as the burden of the Torah.

Gen 18:2  So he lifted his eyes and looked, and saw three men standing opposite him. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground,

Gen 18:3  and said, “יהוה, if I have now found favour in Your eyes, please do not pass Your servant by.

Gen 18:4  “Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

Gen 18:5  “And let me bring a piece of bread and refresh your hearts, and then go on, for this is why you have come to your servant.” And they said, “Do as you have said.”

Gen 18:6  So Aḇraham ran into the tent to Sarah and said, “Hurry, make ready three measures of fine flour, knead it and make cakes.”

Gen 18:7  And Aḇraham ran to the herd, took a tender and good calf, gave it to a young man, and he hurried to prepare it.

Gen 18:8  And he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree as they ate.

Midrash on what your response would be if YHVH sent His Messenger to you?

Note- Avram was not focusing on his own needs or requests. Yahshua describes this as the essence of increasing our faith.

Luk 17:5  And the emissaries said to the Master, “Give us more belief.”

Luk 17:6  And the Master said, “If you have belief as a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Luk 17:7  “But who of you, having a servant ploughing or shepherding, would say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’?

Luk 17:8  “But would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare somewhat for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you shall eat and drink’?

Luk 17:9  “Would he thank that servant because he did what he was commanded? I think not.

Luk 17:10  “So also you, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have done what was our duty to do.’ ”

Gen 18:9  And they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “See, in the tent.”

ט  וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו, אַיֵּה שָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ; וַיֹּאמֶר, הִנֵּה בָאֹהֶל.

“and they said to him” “va yomer elaiv eiya sara ishtecha” Over the word “elaiv” are three “yuts’ over the letter “aleph”; “yud” and “vav” these three letters spell “eiyav” meaning “where is he.”

Is this possibly a veiled question as to when would the Messiah be coming?

Gen 18:10  And He said, “I shall certainly return to you according to the time of life, and see, Sarah your wife is to have a son!” And Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.

Gen 18:11  Now Aḇraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age, and Sarah was past the way of women.

Gen 18:12  And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my master being old too?”

Gen 18:13  And יהוה said to Aḇraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I truly have a child, since I am old?’

Gen 18:14  “Is any matter too hard for יהוה? At the appointed time I am going to return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah is to have a son.”

Gen 18:15  But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”

Gen 18:16  And the men rose up from there and looked toward Seḏom, and Aḇraham went with them to send them away.

Gen 18:17  And יהוה said, “Shall I hide from Aḇraham what I am doing,

Gen 18:18  since Aḇraham is certainly going to become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Gen 18:19  “For I have known him, so that he commands his children and his household after him, to guard the way of יהוה, to do righteousness and right-ruling, so that יהוה brings to Aḇraham what He has spoken to him.”

Gen 18:20  And יהוה said, “Because the outcry against Seḏom and Amorah is great, and because their sin is very heavy,

Gen 18:21  “I am going down now to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me, and if not, I know.”

Gen 18:22  So the men turned away from there and went toward Seḏom, but יהוה still stood before Aḇraham.

Gen 18:23  And Aḇraham drew near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wrong?

Gen 18:24  “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city, would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?

Gen 18:25  “Far be it from You to act in this way, to slay the righteous with the wrong, so that the righteous should be as the wrong. Far be it from You! Does the Judge of all the earth not do right?”

Gen 18:26  And יהוה said, “If I find in Seḏom fifty righteous within the city, then I shall spare all the place for their sakes.”

Gen 18:27  And Aḇraham answered and said, “Look, please, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to יהוה,

Gen 18:28  “Suppose there are five less than the fifty righteous, would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” And He said, “If I find there forty-five, I do not destroy it.”

Gen 18:29  And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there are found forty?” And He said, “I would not do it for the sake of forty.”

Gen 18:30  And he said, “Let not יהוה be displeased, and let me speak: Suppose there are found thirty?” And He said, “I would not do it if I find thirty there.”

Gen 18:31  And he said, “Look, please, I have taken it upon myself to speak to יהוה: Suppose there are found twenty?” And He said, “I would not destroy it for the sake of twenty.”

Gen 18:32  And he said, “Let not יהוה be displeased, and let me speak only this time: Suppose there are found ten?” And He said, “I would not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

Gen 18:33  Then יהוה went away as soon as He had ended speaking to Aḇraham. And Aḇraham returned to his place.

Possibly this refers to a very small remnant that will truly exercise faith when Yahshua returns.

Luk 18:8  “ But when the Son of Aḏam comes, shall He find the belief on the earth?”

Midrash on events and people in scripture who demonstrated great faith:

We need to remind ourselves that these events were unscripted, they were spontaneous responses.

1. Matthew 15:21-28 NASB - The Syrophoenician Woman ...

2. Luke 7:1-10 - The Faith of the Centurion.

3. Ber/Gen 24:11-20 Rivkah and Eliezer at the well.