Answers to Vayera

Alef

1:   If there is no message that HaShem Wishes to impart to Avraham, why does God Choose to come to him and why on this particular day?

2.    If this was the beginning of a new story, why are the pronouns "Eilav" and "Huh" as well as the ambiguous third person masculine future verb accompanied by a Vav HaHipuch: “VaYera”,   employed without defining the antecedents of these words? Unless one says these verses rely on and therefore constitute the continuation of 17:26, the last time that Avraham's name (17:26) and that of HaShem (17:19) are mentioned, the syntax does not make sense.

3.    In VaYikra 9:23, like in Beraishit 18:1, there is a Divine Revelation without a particular message. It appears that God's Presence is what counts in these two instances.

4.    Whereas usually, when a Divine Message is given, it has to do with something that God Wishes to either happen or not to happen, in these two cases, God is Acknowledging what has already happened, i.e., Avraham's undergoing the Mila and the proper construction of the Tabernacle. In effect these Revelations constitute confirmation that the previous actions were done in accordance with the Divine Will.

5.    In Beraishit 32:2, the encounter with the Divine Angels appears to be a non sequitor, having nothing to do with the story either before or after. From RaMBaN's perspective, these Angels serve as a Divine Confirmation that Yaakov had done well with respect to his final dealings with Lavan, paralleling the Confirmations of the Mila and the Mishkan.

One could wonder whether this is the case for the entire period of Yaakov's stay in Charan? There are aspects of the stay that perhaps would not be so obviously proper: a) Yaakov not loving Leah
appropriately and yet living with her and having children with her; b) when able to return to his parents and Israel, he opts instead to work for another 7 years in order to build up his wealth; c) making a mutual
defense pact with Lavan with regard to future military situations.

6.   a) The Revelation to Avraham was a means by which he would be aggrandized, i.e., he is someone worthy of having God “Come” to him.

b) One would think that the presence of a “Petucha” at the end of Parashat Lech Lecha after Beraishit 17:27 would effectively disconnect v. 27 from v. 28. RaMBaN suggests that Avraham’s complying with the Commandment to undergo Brit Mila is rewarded not only by God’s Revelation, but also by the coming of the Angels to announce the impending birth of Yitzchak as well as the saving of Lot from the destruction of Sodom. Had 17:28 immediately followed 17:27 and the Petucha placed afterwards, then the connection between the Brit Mila and the announcement re Yitzchak as well as the saving of Lot would not have been understood as additional ways by which Avraham’s compliance was being honored.

7.    As opposed to taking the Midrash literally, i.e., that Avraham was infirm and therefore God was modeling what is to be done on behalf of anyone who is recovering from a procedure or an illness, RaMBaN understands the Revelation as a unique response to Avraham’s circumcision, as opposed to any other infirmity that he, or anyone else for that matter, may have experienced or will experience in the future.

8.   From the three sources in the RaMBaN that approach three different Midrashim in a seemingly common fashion, it could be said that God will Intervene in history either directly (Revelation) or indirectly via Angels) in order that His Agenda can be moved forward.

              Therefore, re Avraham, HaShem Wishes to encourage him in the future to carry out what he has been told to do, and therefore Reveals Himself to Avraham following his compliance with the Mitzva of Brit Mila.

              In the case of the Angels that send Yosef in the direction of his brothers, this constitutes an intervention of Hashgacha Pratit to assure that the Divine Plan does not get sidetracked, i.e., that Yosef must find his way to Egypt where he can set the stage for the rest of his family going into exile and the 210 years away from the land of Israel can already begun to be served, resulting in that much earlier a repatriation.

              The interaction between Moshe and Aharon illustrates that a third manner in which God can Make His Plan work, is by relying on prophets, in this case Moshe, to assure that Divine Service is not only done properly, but the right personnel, in this case Aharon, are in place. Whereas Aharon’s humility and guilt could have derailed the Divine Plan, Moshe (under God’s Influence?) rights the ship.

9. RaMBaN, by quoting Tehillim 17:15,  appears to be trying to demonstrate that the ultimate reward for the performance of Commandments is not some sort of extrinsic gift of property, money, land, etc., but rather a defined sense of God’s Personal and direct Presence. Therefore just as Avraham considered himself amply rewarded when God simply Appeared before him in Beraishit 18:1, this is how at least King David feels, as well as others who are truly pious.

       Yet would a person who really does Mitzvot LiShma (for their own sake, pure motivation such as   the love or respect for God) require any type of reward, including Divine direct Revelation? Is the Revelation a “reward” or a demonstration of Relationship, purity of motivation?