Torah Portion of the Week
Building Character through the Themes of the Weekly Torah Portion
וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו ה’ בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב פֶּתַח־הָאֹהֶל כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם׃
Va-ye-ra e-lav A-do-nai b’e-lo-nei Mam-re v’hu yo-shev pe-tach–ha-o-hel k’chom ha-yom
And the Lord appeared unto [Abraham] by the terebinths of Mamre,
as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.
Genesis 18:1
Vayeira means “and He appeared”—the Almighty appeared to Abraham.
Jewish tradition says that Abraham was tested ten times, and he withstood them all in order to make known how great was his love for God (Pirkei Avot – Ethics of the Fathers). In the previous Torah portion (Lech Lecha), Abraham was tested when God commanded him to circumcise himself at the age of 99. In this week’s Torah portion (Vayeira), Abraham was tested when God asked him to offer up his dear son Isaac. He found the courage to offer him up, even though it was certain to ruin all that had been promised to him. Abraham’s obedience was meritorious and brought him and his generations reward.
Tests Equal Potential
Tests bring to light the hidden potential within a person. Without the test, only God is aware of a person’s potential. When you go through a test, it is really an opportunity to take the potential you have within you and make it actual. That potential, just like Abraham’s, is not meant just for you; it is meant for the people around you.
When you are going through a test, feelings of worry may creep up on you; but remember that worry produces weariness, and deceives you into thinking that you can’t reach your goal. Worry makes your problems look bigger than they really are. Don’t let your thoughts become the catalyst for worry. Affirm yourself with words of confidence, and remind yourself that you’ve got potential.
Everything you need to be advanced in life is within you. What you have as a gift is unstoppable. You simply need to see it and recognize it. You have potential. Discover it.
Pronunciation Guide for Transliterated Hebrew Words
| a | [a] as in arm |
| ai | [ai] as in Thailand |
| e | [e] as in red |
| ei | [ei] as in eight |
| i | [i] as in ski |
| o | [o] as in score |
| oi | [oi] as in oil |
| u | [u] as in rule |
| ui | [ui] as in gluing |
| ch/kh | [ch] as in the Scottish loch |
| g | [g] as in good (not as in giant) |
| tz | [ts] as in hats |
| ‘ | short “eh” or “uh” sound |
The Hebrew Scriptures in this text have been derived from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC), and the English translation is based off of the JPS 1917 Tanakh.
Simchat Torah Beit Midrash®
