Vayera
Do we recognize the messengers in our lives?
Reflection by Ariel Dominique Hendelman, the Or HaLev team
"In this week's parsha, Avraham and Sarah are visited by three strange messengers, who come to announce that, despite their old age, they will have a son. His name, Yitzchak, is a derivative of the Hebrew verb to laugh, לצחוק, leetzchok. This is because when Sarah hears the news, she laughs in disbelief that such a miracle could be possible.
There is an interpretation that these three strangers are really angels, sent on a mission from the Infinite One to bless the grandfather and grandmother of the Jewish people that they, indeed, will become a blessed nation.
We have countless opportunities in our lives to recreate the scene of this parsha. How often do we encounter strangers on a daily basis? The question is, are we viewing them as angelic messengers or as others, with no connection to us whatsoever? If Avraham hadn’t actively welcomed the strangers as they passed by, they might never have received the blessing. Our perspective can determine whether or not we receive the Divine message that is intended for us.
This parsha is teaching us about what Reb Zalman Shachter-Shalomi called `sacred encounter.` In order for sacred encounters to take place, there must be attunement and recognition. These are the two necessary ingredients that can magically turn strangers into angels. Fortunately, our meditation practice strengthens both attunement and recognition. Because as always, it begins within.
May our practice bring us into sacred encounter with ourselves and with the Infinite Creator within us, and may that ripple outwards to everyone else we encounter.”