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Share(א) וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֔ה בְּאֵלֹנֵ֖י מַמְרֵ֑א וְה֛וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב פֶּֽתַח־הָאֹ֖הֶל כְּחֹ֥ם הַיּֽוֹם׃ (ב) וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה֙ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים נִצָּבִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֤רָץ לִקְרָאתָם֙ מִפֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֔הֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ אָֽרְצָה׃ (ג) וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אֲדֹנָ֗י אִם־נָ֨א מָצָ֤אתִי חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ אַל־נָ֥א תַעֲבֹ֖ר מֵעַ֥ל עַבְדֶּֽךָ׃ (ד) יֻקַּֽח־נָ֣א מְעַט־מַ֔יִם וְרַחֲצ֖וּ רַגְלֵיכֶ֑ם וְהִֽשָּׁעֲנ֖וּ תַּ֥חַת הָעֵֽץ׃ (ה) וְאֶקְחָ֨ה פַת־לֶ֜חֶם וְסַעֲד֤וּ לִבְּכֶם֙ אַחַ֣ר תַּעֲבֹ֔רוּ כִּֽי־עַל־כֵּ֥ן עֲבַרְתֶּ֖ם עַֽל־עַבְדְּכֶ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כֵּ֥ן תַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּֽרְתָּ׃
וירא אליו: G-d's presence is everywhere, but not everyone merits to see it. Only one who devotes himself to G-d - as Avraham has just done - merits to see G-d's presence.
כחום היום: The heat of the day normally drives people indoors into the shade; all the more so in the case of one like Avraham, who was still in pain as a result of the brit mila. Avraham, however, does not seek the shade, does not allow himself this relief; rather, he is on the lookout for wayfarers, who are exposed to the burning rays of the sun, and he invites them into the shade of his tent.
(ב) וירא והנה שלשה אנשים נצבים עליו (בראשית יח, ב).
ופירש הזוהר הקדוש והנה שלשה אנשים אלו אברהם יצחק ויעקב.
ויובן דברי מאמר הזוהר.
דידוע דאברהם אבינו עליו השלום עבד תמיד ה' באהבה ובמילה עבד ה' ביראה ויראה היא גבורה ובמילה מכרית הערלה ובזה מכרית כל הקליפות כנזכר בכתבי אריז"ל והוא שמתגבר על כל הקליפות.
אם כן אז במילה היה באברהם אבינו עליו השלום אהבה ויראה אהבה מדריגת אברהם ויראה דהיא גבורה מדריגת יצחק אבינו עליו השלום שבעת שמל עבד השם יתברך במדת גבורה.
וידוע דבכל מקום שיש אהבה ויראה דהוא אש ומים מוכרח שיהיה מדה הממוצע דהיא תפארת בחינת יעקב אבינו דיעקב הוא תפארת לכן אז במילה דהיא אהבה ויראה הוכרח שיהיה התפארת גם כן דהיא הממוצע, אם כן היה אז כל ג' בחינות ומדות של אברהם יצחק ויעקב.
ועל פי זה מובן פירוש הכתוב כפי הזוהר הקדוש וישא עיניו וירא והנה שלשה אנשים נצבים, שראה אז אברהם יצחק ויעקב והבן:
(2) Genesis 18,2. “when he looked out, here three men were standing practically on top of him.” The Zohar I, 98, identifies these three “men” as “Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov.” Clearly, we must try and understand what the Zohar meant by this, since the same “Avraham” is reported in the very same verse as running to meet these three “men”.
We have explained earlier that normally Avraham served the Lord from feelings of love, whereas in submitting to the circumcision, he had switched to serving G’d from feelings of יראה, awe, i.e. by totally negating the interests of his earthbound personality. By destroying his foreskin, a symbol of limitations and hindrance to spiritual development, known generally as קליפה, “husk,” in kabbalistic parlance, (compare writings of Ari z’al) he had attained a new and higher level of spirituality. He had now mastered both the ability to serve the Lord on two levels, אהבה (attribute of חסד) and יראה, attribute of גבורה). The latter attribute is the one that his son Yitzchok would symbolize for us in the future.
It is part of our tradition that whenever the attributes of אהבה and יראה, i.e. אש, and מים, “fire and water,” in terms of our terrestrial part of the universe, are present simultaneously, due to the fact that these two attributes are opposites of one another, we require the presence of a third attribute one that harmonizes between these two opposite attributes. This third attribute is known as תפארת, harmony; the third of our patriarchs, Yaakov, is perceived by our sages as having characterized the attribute “harmony.” It follows that at the time of Avraham’s circumcision this third attribute had been present also, i.e. it had a part to play in the performance of that commandment. When the Torah speaks of what Avraham “saw,” it referred to Avraham’s having become aware at that moment that these three attributes, all of which can be part of מצוה performance, had had a part in his having circumcised himself at the command of G’d. The word: נצבים, describes the “presence” of all these three attributes during Avraham’s recovery from the physical effects of the circumcision.
