Shabbos Parashas Vayeira - 5778

Shabbos Parashas Vayeira - 5778 Rabbi Hal Miller And God said, "Shall I conceal from Avraham what I do?" [Bereishis 18:17] We could find here more questions and concerns than in any other single pasuk in the Torah. It

could be a disavowal of the absolute power of God, chas v'shalom. It could mean He doesn't have

full knowledge. It could mean He shares His decision-making power with others. It could mean He

lacks certainty. It could mean many things that are not consistent with our understanding of Divinity.

How should we read it? If we break it down into simpler questions, the answers may help.

- Conceal what? - To whom was He speaking, and why? - Why does He say this about Avraham as opposed to others? - Is this actually a question, or a statement? On "conceal what", Rav Hirsch says, "The decision which I have just told you, should I keep that

back from Avraham", referring to the previous pasuk in which He sent "the men" to destroy the

"five towns" (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Lasha.) Sforno believes it refers to the

possibility that Avraham might be able to reverse the decision, saying, "if indeed there are a

number of righteous men in the midst of the wicked ones...I would tilt the scale toward loving-kindness."

To whom was He speaking, and why? Rav Hirsch says, "to the angels/men when He sent them off."

On the question of why, Ramban explains that this may mean "thought" instead of speech. The thought

relates to the next two verses as reasons for not concealing information from Avraham. Rashi calls it a

rhetorical question, not said to anybody.

Why does God say this only about Avraham? Shem MiShmuel refers to Avraham as "a man of

astonishing spiritual ability, higher even than the angels." Rashi refers to Avraham as "a

father of many nations--shall I destroy the children and not inform the father?" Ramban and Rashi cite

Proverbs, "the mention of a righteous person is for a blessing", and, "would I keep a secret from him?"

Is the verse actually a question or a statement? Did the Creator of the Universe actually ask someone

for permission or advice? Rashi reads this as said "in astonishment", in other words rhetorical.

Midrash Rabbah tells a story:

R. Yehoshua ben Levi said: It is like a king who presented an estate to his friend and subsequently

wished to cut down five non-fruit-bearing trees from it. Said the king: "Had I wanted to cut them

down even from his patrimony, he would certainly not refuse me, what then can I lose? And so he

consulted with him about it. Now these five towns were indeed in My territory, yet if I desired them

he would not refuse Me, what then does it matter if I ask him? And so He consulted him.

God rejected the idea of concealing anything from Avraham, instead made him a partner in Creation.

Instead of asking a question of anyone, He made a statement to the Heavenly hosts, teaching them

Torah. Although throughout the Torah we find worthy human partners with God, it is Avraham who

turned the page of history, who began the process of changing the world from polytheistic to

monotheistic. In the end, if we were to read this pasuk as a question, it would leave us confused, but

when read it as a statement, we see that He is merely teaching us, not looking for advice.

This short pasuk demonstrates the absolute power of God, His desire that we be His partners,

and His mercy and loving-kindness. All we need do is believe in Him, and accept His Torah.