“The Eternal appeared to [Abraham] by the oaks of Mamre,”
opens Parashat Vayera (Genesis 18:1). In the very next verse, however, “[Abraham]
saw – lo! Three men standing opposite
him!” Did Abraham see one God, or did he
see three beings? Was it first God, and
then the three? Or were God and the
three one and the same? How can we
explain the variation? Great rabbis have
debated the point over the centuries.
Abraham and Sarah famously welcome the travelers to their
tent, washing their feet and serving them a meal. Abraham and Sarah see that their needs are
met.
This passage reminds me to see God within other people. God need not be some distant, celestial Being. Nor need God be some abstract force in the
Universe. Rather, God can be embodied in
human beings, a traveler through experience as each of us is. I believe that God perceives existence
through our perceptions. We serve God
when we serve each other.
When I hear your stories and what’s happening in your lives,
whether after services or in my office, I feel I’m hearing God. When I hold
your hands in hospital rooms, I feel I’m holding God’s hand.
A young child recently told me that he loved “the whole
entire world,” and asked me how he could give the world a hug. I told him that the world has lots of parts,
and that when we hug – or help – any one of them, we are hugging the whole world.
When we serve each other, we serve God.
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