Torah says vayera elav and God revealed
Himself to him (Abraham). Usually it says God spoke to Abraham,
God spoke to Moses. Here it says vayera, He revealed. If I meet
a friend and I have to tell him something very important we
are not real true friends yet. If I just want to see you even
if I really have nothing special to tell you, I just love you
and I want to see you. Before Abraham entered into the covenant
with God, God spoke to him when He had something to say. After
the covenant God said, "I really have nothing special to
tell you, let's just look at each other. I want to reveal Myself
to you,"
This is very deep. Some people are in contact with God, but
the only contact is when they have something to tell God,
or God has something to tell them. It is a stock exchange
that is going on. It's the highest, holiest stock there is,
but it is still on the level of business. Being in the covenant
with God means the relationship with God has nothing to do
with anything in the world. It doesn't depend on anything.
Sometimes you meet little people who really know there is
one God They do everything right and good and sweet, but their
knowing of God is only that they know exactly what God wants
of them at four o'clock, at five o'clock at eleven o'clock.
They know everything exactly, but God never revealed Himself
to them. They may know God's will, but not God Wants are just
a manifestation of self. There is something beyond wanting.
If your deepest depths which are beyond wanting are a vessel
for God, then God reveals Himself. If your relationship to
God is only to doing His will, which is very holy, then God
tells you His will. Being in the covenant with God is beyond
will, beyond wanting, beyond everything. If you enter a covenant
with God it means your entire being is turned to God and,
so to speak, God turns to you also.
The Talmud says it was the third day after circumcision and
Abraham, being an old man already, was a little bit sick.
It is really beautiful how the Midrash Commentaries and says,
"Why did God come to see him? God came to visit the sick."
How do friends visit each other? How do people console each
other? People came to visit me when I was sick. They would
say, "You think you have back trouble? I also had back
trouble, and my aunt had back trouble, and you should have
seen ... This is not consolation. It is even worse if more
people are sick. What kind of consolation is that? God said
to the prophet Isaiah "nachamu, nachamu ami" Console,
console my people. Could you please console my people with
consolation - not with other tragedies.When God visits Abraham
to visit the sick He doesn't say anything. He just sits there,
He reveals Himself to Abraham, I am here.
Torah says vayera elav and God revealed
Himself to him (Abraham). Usually it says God spoke to Abraham,
God spoke to Moses. Here it says vayera, He revealed. If I meet
a friend and I have to tell him something very important we
are not real true friends yet. If I just want to see you even
if I really have nothing special to tell you, I just love you
and I want to see you. Before Abraham entered into the covenant
with God, God spoke to him when He had something to say. After
the covenant God said, "I really have nothing special to
tell you, let's just look at each other. I want to reveal Myself
to you,"
