R’ Shlomo Carlebach zt'l
Vayera Eilav Hashem, and G-d revealed to him G-d. Listen closely to the words.
Vayera Eilav Hashem. G-d revealed To Him G-d.
There are two questions - the first question is why doesn’t it say that G-d revealed himself to Avraham Avinu, and secondly, why does it say that G-d revealed to him - G-d?
Open your hearts in the deepest depths.
When G-d wants to give us something, it is so utterly infinite. It is so heavenly, but until it comes down into this world, it is a long process. It doesn’t mean long in time, but a different type of process. The more it comes down into this world, the more it becomes physical and begins to have it’s own shape.
When G-d wants to give something to Avraham Avinu, G-d is sending something down that is two billions ounces of goodness. The closer it gets to this world, it is shaped like Avraham. When G-d wants to give one of us something, we have to have vessels for it because it has to fit. But then there are times that G-d sends us something, and he wants us to receive it in an infinite way. That means that when G-d is sending it down here, it should remain infinite.
So after Avraham Avinu entered the covenant with G-d, G-d wanted to give him something infinite, G-d wanted to give it to him the way it is in heaven, and not the way it is coming down to this world, because the way it is coming down to this world is already contracted. The question is, why isn’t G-d giving us something always non-contracted? Why can’t G-d give me something non contracted? Because i don’t have vessels for it. Chas Veshalom, I will die, I can’t take it.
Vayera Eilav Hashem. When Avraham Avinu entered the covenant with G-d, he was in a place which was beyond veseels. Here he is ninety-nine years old, circumcising himself. Avraham Avinu had been in the furnace for G-d. His vessels were not contracted vessels, he had vessels for the infinite.
So it says Vayera Eilav – what did G-d reveal to Avraham Avinu? Hashem. G-d revealed to Avraham Avinu what G-d is all about. That which was coming down to Avraham Avinu from heaven was the most infinite thing, because Avraham was infinite.
What do you after such a revelation? You start acting infinite. The way he greets his guests says everything. He is not bringing out a leftover blintz from last week, and some leftover cheesecake from last year’s Shavues. He is infinite, he slaughters 3 oxen just to give the tongue to these three shleppers. Everything was infinite.
Later in the parsha, G-d had to destroy S’dom. Why so? Because the people of S'dom were the most most contracted people in the world. You have to be a little bit infinite to give your money to somebody else. The most stingiest in the world were the people of S'dom. So as long as Avraham Avinu is a little bit infinite, but a little bit still within measures, S'dom could exist in the world. The moment Avraham Avinu reached the level of being infinite, there was no place anymore for S'dom, it couldn’t be in this world. So why does Avraham Avinu start praying for them? After Avraham Avinu tasted that it is possible to receive something beyond vessels, he says ‘It’s true S'dom has no vessels for G-d, but maybe I can give them a little light, beyond vessels?’
