{"id":1639,"date":"2017-10-30T12:35:22","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T12:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/batkol.info\/?p=1639"},"modified":"2017-10-30T12:35:22","modified_gmt":"2017-10-30T12:35:22","slug":"parashat-vayera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/2017\/10\/30\/parashat-vayera\/","title":{"rendered":"Parashat Vayera"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Shabbat Table Talk<\/p>\n

Parashat Vayera \u2013 Erev Shabbat 3rd \u00a0November 2017<\/p>\n

Week of 29 October- 4 November 2017<\/p>\n

Torah portion: Genesis 18:1-22:24 Haftarah: 2 Kings 4:1-37<\/p>\n

Download<\/a><\/p>\n

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Central to all these eight stories related in this parashah is Vayera \u2018he (the Lord) appeared\u2019. Fox names the various vignettes as follows: 1) Visit and Promise (18:1-15); 2) The Great Intercession (18:16-33); 3) The end of Sedom and Amora (c. 19); 4) The Wife \u2013 II (c.20); 5) Yitzhak is born (21:1-8); 6) Yishmael banished (21:9-21); 7) Treaty (21:22-34); and 8) The Great Test (c. 22).<\/p>\n

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The first story describes the Lord appearing to Abraham at the hottest time of the day. The Lord is firstly, \u2018three men\u2019 to whom Abraham offers immediate hospitality. The \u2018three men\u2019 bring a message that Sarah will have a child. The \u2018three men\u2019 then become \u2018I\u2019 and the Lord who works wonders \u2013 Sarah in her old age will have a son.<\/p>\n

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\u2018The Great Intercession\u2019 describes \u2018the men\u2019 gazing down on Sodom and Gomorrah. Then \u2018the Lord\u2019 tries to decide whether to share the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah with Abraham, whom the Lord has chosen. The Lord then shares with Abraham concerning the evil in Sodom and Gomorrah. The men turn away and go to Sodom while Abraham is left standing before the Lord. Then follows the wonderful interchange of dialogue between Abraham and the Lord where Abraham pleads for the cities. Sadly, there are not ten just men and the Lord departs and Abraham returns to his place.<\/p>\n

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This section has echoes of God hearing the outcries of the Israelites in Egypt and the trusting open relationship between the Lord and Moses throughout Exodus to Deuteronomy. I have sometimes thought that the Lord and Moses are like a married couple discussing how they will deal with their children (Nm 14: 10b-20). \u2018The End of Sedom and Amora\u2019 presents us with \u2018two divine emissaries\u2019. Lot offers them hospitality. They save Lot from the men of the city and blind them with lighting. The men reveal to Lot that the Lord is about to destroy the cities and that he and his family must escape. The men had to take Lot and his family by the hands to get them out of the city: their home with all their acquired possessions which Lot\u2019s wife had to look back at with longing. When Lot and his two daughters were safely in Zoar, Sodom and Gomorrah were totally destroyed for their sinfulness. The Lord had saved Abraham and his family and Lot and his daughters from disaster.<\/p>\n

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Chapter 20 shows how God\u2019s intervention in a dream prevents Abimelech from taking Sarah to be his wife. Abraham gains land and possessions from Abimelech \u2013 God\u2019s plans will not be thwarted. \u2018Isaac is born\u2019 narrates the long-awaited son of promise. Sarah says: God has brought me to laughter; all who hear will laugh at me (21:6). Now Abraham has two sons whom he loves but he has to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Early the next morning (21:14) Abraham sends Hagar and their son away. In the wilderness Hagar meets God who consoles her and her son and promises that her son will be a great nation. The \u2018Treaty\u2019 is only of interest in this context because of what Abimelech and Pichol say to Abraham: God is with you in all you do (21:22b).<\/p>\n

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Finally we come to the \u2018Great Test\u2019 which alone has been the subject of many commentaries and sermons. Here we see how in yet another experience of impending loss, God is present and guiding along the way: On the mount of the Lord, God will be seen (22:14). It is only when we climb the mountain of the Lord in faith and trust, in whatever circumstance and no matter how painful, that we shall \u2018see\u2019 the Lord and know the Lord\u2019s will. The Lord\u2019s messenger reveals to Abraham the Lord\u2019s continued guidance of and graciousness towards Abraham\u2019s descendants. The last five verses of this Parashah give the descendants of Abraham\u2019s brother, Nahor and his wife, Milcah from whom Rebecca was born. So God has provided for the next generation in a wife for Isaac. Immanuel, God is with us (Is 7:14; Mt 1:23).<\/p>\n

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Reflection: Take note of the Lord God\u2019s constant and varied appearances in your life. Praise, thank our God!<\/p>\n

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Bibliography: Eskenazi, T. C. Weiss, A.L.\u00a0 A Women\u2019s Commentary (New York: 2008); Fox, Everett. The Five Books of Moses (New York: 1997); African Bible (Nairobi: 2004).<\/p>\n

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This week\u2019s teaching commentary is by<\/p>\n

Bernadette Chellew, Durban, South Africa\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Bat Kol alum 2008<\/p>\n

Email: btrnchellew@gmail.com<\/p>\n

\u00a0[Copyright \u00a9 2017]<\/p>\n

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Parashah commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.\u00a0\u00a0 The commentaries, along with all materials published on the Bat Kol website, are copyrighted by the writers, and are made available for personal and group study, and local church purposes. Permission needed for other purposes.\u00a0 Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.<\/p>\n

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Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem<\/p>\n

1983-2017<\/p>\n

\u201cChristians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Website: www.batkol.info; Parashah Admin.: gill@batkol.info<\/p>\n

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Shabbat Table Talk Parashat Vayera \u2013 Erev Shabbat 3rd \u00a0November 2017 Week of 29 October- 4 November 2017 Torah portion: Genesis 18:1-22:24 Haftarah: 2 Kings 4:1-37 Download \u00a0 Central to all these eight stories related in this parashah is Vayera \u2018he (the Lord) appeared\u2019. Fox names the various vignettes as follows: 1) Visit and Promise…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":1640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1639"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ratisbonne.org.il\/bk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}