Our scripture portion is entitled Vayera (aô∂r´¥yÅw - And He
appeared). Genesis 18.1-22.24 Two parts of today’s reading
really impressed me this year, as they both portray our father
Abraham as a man who saw things in a special way. I refer to
chapter 18, particularly verses 1-2, 20-30, and the Akeida,
chapter 22:1-24. In both of these narratives, Abraham saw the
reality of the situation that was not apparent to the naked eye.
He understood what God’s purposes were, and that gave him the
motivation and "chutzpah” (fortitude) to carry out righteous
actions. Seeing from God’s perspective was the key to Abraham’s
life. I would assert that this ability guided him in all of his
journeys in life. When we encounter the Hebrew root ra-a-h in
scripture (resh-alef-he), we most often are given "see” as the
proper translation. In the language of the time, however, this
word was also an idiomatic way to say "understand.” In the
ancient Jewish mind, if one "sees” something, one understands
it. We often say today in English