The Talmud teaches: “Welcoming guests is greater than welcoming the presence of the Shechinah” (Shabbos 127).
In Parshas VaYeira, Avraham sat at the opening of his tent in the extreme temperatures, while recovering from his bris milah, to look for guests so that he can do chesed. Avraham Avinu sees three men in the distance, and he ran out to greet them. The Midrash Rabbah explains that these three men were actually angels sent by Hashem to each carry out one mission.
Although they are not named in the Torah, the Talmud in Bava M’tzia tells us that they were Rafael, Michael, and Gavriel. The mission of Rafael that day was to heal Avraham, to free him so that he could perform the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim, greeting of visitors. The mission of the second angel, Michael, was to tell Sarah that she will be healed of her infertility. The mission of Rafael and Gavriel was to heal Lot and to destroy Sodom and Amorah.
The Torah describes Avraham’s hachnasas orchim: “Avraham hastened to the tent to Sarah and said: Hurry! Three se’ahs of meal, fine flour! Knead and make cakes.” (B’reishis 18:6). We find in the Gemara that, many generations later, Avraham Avinu was rewarded for everything he did on this particular day when Hashem gave something corresponding to the Jewish nation in the desert many years later. The Gemara however finds something lacking in one of Avraham’s good deeds. As it states, “Let some water be brought (through someone else)” (B’reishis 18:4). Avraham did not bring the water himself; instead, he brought it through a messenger. Years later, Hashem sent Moshe Rabbeinu to bring the water: “…and you (Moshe) shall strike the rock and water will come forth from it and the people will drink” (Sh’mos 17:6).
Every mitzvah each of us does has immense ramifications. We do not understand the greatness of every Jew – greater than the sun and the moon. “Kol Yisrael areivim zeh ba’zeh – All Jewish people are responsible for one another” (Sh’vuos 39a) – so, every Jew is responsible for all of klal Yisrael. When a Jew moves in the wrong direction, it could be a catastrophe for the entire nation.
List of People Who Need a r’fuah sh’leimah (a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Yitzchak Shlomo ben Gittel
Yosef Chaim ben Ilana
Arkady Avraham ben Mazal
Chaim Shaul ben Esther
Yaakov Yisrael ben Chanah
Yosef Chaim ben Larrisa
Esther Hadassah bas Devorah
Mitali Naomi bas Gilah Farcha
Chayah Sarah Leah bas Brachah
Heleni Orna bas Chein Chanah
Esther Brachah bas Chayah
Sima Frieda bas Chayah Rachel
Miriam bas Basya
Gila Raizel bas Gittel
Sally bas Rozy
Rachel bas Leah
Anna bas Roza
Chayah bas Regina
Angela bas Sarah
Rivkah Hila Hodayah bas Rachel
Ariellah bas Hila
Israeli Soldiers (Please recite Psalms 25, 26, 46, 83, 142.)
Yehoshua ben Aliza Esther
Menachem ben Aliza Esther
Gavriel Efraim ben Chanah Yafah
Netanel Akiva ben Chanah Yafah
Yonatan Ezra ben Chanah Yafah
Chaim Aba Menachem ben Naomi Beila
Daniel Moshe ben Devorah
Gavriel Yehudah ben Yaakov
Shmuel ben Aharon
Moshe ben Shoshanah Esther
Yehoshua ben Tzvi
Dvir Moshe ben Dinah
Oriel ben Dinah
Dor ben Zehavah
Daniel ben Rachel
Shalev David ben Revital Renanah
Daniel ben Orli
Tal ben Ilana Ilanit
Mordechai Daniel ben Leah Rachel
Yotam ben Efrat Michal
Michael ben Naomi Sarah
Moshe Eliyahu ben Dinah Yehudis
Yosef ben Shlomis
Yosef ben Sarit
Yosef Daniel ben Anat
Yosef Chaim ben Hadassah
Ron ben Ahuvah
To add names of individuals who need a r’fuah sh’leimah to next week’s T’hilim column, please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and complete the Google form.
