Shabbat Parashat Vayeira - 5784

Shabbat Parashat Vayeira - 5784

Rabbi Hal Miller

So Avraham hurried to the tent to Sarah and said, Hurry, three seahs of unsifted flour, sifted

flour, knead and make cakes. [Bereishit 18:6]

Avraham gave an unusual instruction to Sarah, three measures of kemach-solet. What was he

trying to say?

Onkelos combines the two words to describe one type of high quality flour, what he calls "choice

flour". Bereishit Rabbah [48:12] agrees. But most commentators separate the words into two.

Gur Aryeh, for example, says that the construct of the two together would mean "unsifted flour

made from sifted flour", which he notes makes no sense.

The Gemora, [Bava Metzia 87a] says, "It is written flour and then it is written fine flour. R'Yitzchak

said, this shows us that a woman is more averse to guests than is a man." This is explained as

Avraham saying to take three measures of flour, Sarah asking whether to use a lower grade meal

and Avraham replying, no use the high quality flour. Rav Soloveitchik follows this, translating our

verse as "meal, fine flour".

Rav Hirsch, noting that this word combination is not found elsewhere, explains that kemach is an

inferior kind of flour, and solet is a better kind of flour. The Gemora [Menachot 76b] describes them

as coarse and fine, but Rav Hirsch disagrees, saying that solet is from the inner portion of the

kernel, repeatedly sifted out from the kemach.

Rashi separates the words into two things, unsifted flour and sifted flour. He says that the sifted

flour is for cakes and the unsifted flour for the cooks to use to absorb the froth on the top of pots.

Ramban also separates the words into the same definitions, but understands a different purpose,

that the three seahs of unsifted flour is to be sifted into sufficient to bake the cakes for the guests

which is the opposite of the explanation that Gur Aryeh criticized.

One thing is in common across all opinions, that Avraham desired to serve the best food to his

guests. We look to Avraham as the model for how we should behave.