What do you see?

The Observers' test

The Parasha in our everyday life - Vayera - 5782

Rabbi Eliezer Shenvald - Rosh Yeshivat Hesder 'Meir Harel' Modi'in

There is an issue that has been an integral part of the 'public discourse' for many years, the attitude towards individuals and groups’ plight in society. Time and time again we hear about people who are or were in distress, and needed help, and felt that no one 'saw' them and their distress, that they were ‘transparent’, even though it was ‘clearly seen’. There are cases where one day someone who 'saw' the distress, cares and comes to their aid. There are groups and sectors in society that have suffered from distress and have lived for years with the feeling that they are ‘transparent’ and their distress has been ignored.

How can one explain why, when two people are exposed to the same problem, one 'sees' it and the other does not? What makes human 'vision' selective?

This question also arises from another direction. Two people are exposed to a rare opportunity, to bring about something dramatic, an economic, social, value, and political change. One recognizes the opportunity and the other misses it! What causes one to 'see' it and the other one not?

Human 'vision' is not an automatic optical action as one might have thought. The eyes follow the heart or the mind. Sometimes one does not 'see' from inattention, innocence, and sometimes as a result of intentional 'disregard', lack of interest or even arbitrariness. Therefore, there are cases in which 'evidence' is a kind of test for the 'virtues' and morals of man and society.

Our Parasha is called by a special name 'Vayera', due to the Divine revelation to Abraham in its beginning.

וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ ה' בְּאֵלֹנֵ֖י מַמְרֵ֑א וְה֛וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב פֶּֽתַח־הָאֹ֖הֶל כְּחֹ֥ם הַיּֽוֹם׃

"Hashem appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot". (Bereshit 18:1)

G-d 'appeared' to Abraham in a one-sided way and allows him to 'see' and prophesy about what is to come. However, 'appeared' has another meaning, G-d's presence is everywhere, but it is not seen by everyone. Only those who have the desire and right to 'see' the Divine Presence, actually can.

"There is no place without Divine Presence, but not every person merits to see it. Only he who gave his life to G-d, - as Abraham did just now - gets to 'see' the face of G-d "(Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch ibid).

That is, there is reciprocity here; only he who strives and gives his soul to G-d and seeks to 'see' the face of the Shechinah, will. From this we learned about the meaning of 'sight'- 'between a person and G-d': if we are interested in 'seeing' the face of G-d and strive for G-d's appearance and leadership in his world, we will merit G-d to 'see' us, we will have G-d allow us to 'see' what others do not see, recognize and absorb the Divine message from reality, even if we are not prophets.

An examination of the Parasha shows that it addresses other essential aspects of human 'vision', like 'between a person and his fellowman'. We do not mean an optical, casual and passive 'vision', but rather an active 'vision' of a watchful and observant viewer, looking for something. Such 'vision' where one notices things, that others may not, even when nearby. As mentioned in the following verse:

וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה֙ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים נִצָּבִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֤רׇץ לִקְרָאתָם֙ מִפֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֔הֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ אָֽרְצָה׃

"Looking up, he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them and, bowing to the ground" (Ibid 2)

"This is not that Abraham 'saw' them at random, but 'looking up ' התכוון להסתכל - וישא עיניו, he concentrated on seeing more clearly." (Sforno)

Abraham Ish HaChesed –'the man of kindness' sees the 'people' because he 'raises his eyes' and looks for passers-by who need a meal, otherwise they would have been 'transparent' to him:

כי זו הוא מדריגתו של אברהם לישב פתח האהל ולצפות על אורחים ותמיד הוא מתעסק להיות נוטע אהלי אפדנו לאורחים

Because this is Avraham's position, to sit at the entrance of the tent and watch over guests; always looking for guests. (Kli Yakar ibid)

Because the sight of eyes goes after the will of the heart.

"'והוא יושב פתח האוהל' - וכי דרכו של אברהם אבינו לישב פתח האוהל?! אלא להודיעך כמה חביבה הכנסת אורחין לפני אברהם אבינו. שכיון ששהה שני ימים בלא הכנסת אורחין אמר שמא סבורין שהן מצערין אותי, מיד יצא וישב לו על הפתח להכניס העוברים והשבין.

"he was sitting at the entrance of the tent" – Is it Abraham Avinu's way to sit at the entrance of the tent?! But to make you aware that hospitality was so important to him. Since he had been without guests for two days, he said Lest they think they are grieving me, he immediately went out and sat at the entrance to let the Passers-by and returnees come in". (Midrash Hagadol ibid)

Abraham taught us that we must be 'seeing' and observing actively and not staring and looking at reality as a random and passive evidence, in this way we will be privileged to see the needs of others in distress, which sometimes others do not see, and not to ignore them:

הֲל֨וֹא פָרֹ֤ס לָֽרָעֵב֙ לַחְמֶ֔ךָ וַעֲנִיִּ֥ים מְרוּדִ֖ים תָּ֣בִיא בָ֑יִת כִּֽי־תִרְאֶ֤ה עָרֹם֙ וְכִסִּית֔וֹ וּמִבְּשָׂרְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תִתְעַלָּֽם׃

"It is to share your bread with the hungry, and to take the wretched poor into your home; when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to ignore your own kin." (Yishayahu 58:7).

...הֱוֵי רוֹאֶה בְּשָׂרוֹ כִּבְשָׂרֶךָ. תָּנֵי בַּר קַפָּרָא אֵין לְךָ אָדָם שֶׁאֵינוֹ בָּא לִידֵי מִדָּה זוֹ, אִם לֹא הוּא בְּנוֹ, אִם לֹא בְּנוֹ בֶּן בְּנוֹ.

"See him as you would see yourself. No one is granted immunity from poverty. If not him, his son and if not his son, his grandson". (Vayikra Rabbah 34:14)

And we are commanded not to ignore when we see the loss of someone else's property

לֹֽא־תִרְאֶה֩ אֶת־שׁ֨וֹר אָחִ֜יךָ א֤וֹ אֶת־שֵׂיוֹ֙ נִדָּחִ֔ים וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ֖ מֵהֶ֑ם הָשֵׁ֥ב תְּשִׁיבֵ֖ם לְאָחִֽיךָ... וְכֵ֣ן תַּעֲשֶׂ֗ה לְכׇל־אֲבֵדַ֥ת אָחִ֛יךָ אֲשֶׁר־תֹּאבַ֥ד מִמֶּ֖נּוּ וּמְצָאתָ֑הּ לֹ֥א תוּכַ֖ל לְהִתְעַלֵּֽם

"If you see your fellow’s ox or sheep gone astray, do not ignore it; you must take it back to your fellow… and so too shall you do with anything that your fellow loses and you find: you must not remain indifferent". (Devarim 22:1-3)

There are other aspects of the 'vision' later in our Parasha: Lot's prohibition to 'look' back at Sodom’s destruction, Hagar whose eyes were opened and 'saw' a well of water, and the binding on Mount Moriah, Abraham’s 'vision' from afar, seeing the ram, and finally saying: "Hashem will Provide". (Bereshit 22:14)

The sages marked the difference within the selective human vision:

לְפִי שֶׁמַּרְאִית עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים מוֹרִידוֹת אוֹתָם לַגֵּיהִנֹּם... אֲבָל מַרְאִית עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים תּוּאַר, לְפִי שֶׁמַּרְאִית עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים מַעֲלָה אוֹתָם לַמַּעֲלָה הָעֶלְיוֹנָה לפיכך הם שמחים במראית עיניהם

"... that the sight of the wicked brings them down to hell ... but the sight of the righteous is depicted, therefore the sight of the righteous raises them to the top .... and therefore, they rejoice in what they see" (Esther Rabbah 7: 9).  

The Midrash there brings the additional 'evidence' that distinguishes the righteous, Abraham, Ya’akov, Moshe and Pinchas:

 וַיַּרְא֙ וְהִנֵּה־אַ֔יִל When Abraham looked up, his eye fell upon a ram (Ibid 29)           

וַיַּ֞רְא וְהִנֵּ֧ה בְאֵ֣ר בַּשָּׂדֶ֗ה There before his eyes was a well in the open. (Bereshit 29:2)

 וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ He gazed, and there was a bush (Shmot 3:2)

 וַיַּ֗רְא פִּֽינְחָס֙ When Pinchas, … saw this (Bamidbar 25:7)

'Evidence' is also required with 'man and himself'. For man tends to ignore and not 'see' his shortcomings:

כל הנגעים אדם רואה חוץ מנגעי עצמו. ר' מאיר אומר אף לא נגעי קרוביו.

“All negaim (blemishes) may be examined by a person, except his own. Rabbi Meir ruled: not even the negaim of his relatives”. (Mishnah Negaim 2:5)

Nor should a person ignore the potential inherent in him, and he must do everything to realize it:

אמר לו הקב"ה לזה האדם בני כל הימים שנתתיך על פני האדמה עשה מעשים טובים ות"ת והרחק עצמך מן העבירה ומן דבר מכוער לכך נאמר ומבשרך לא תתעלם

"G-d said to this man, My son, all the days that I give you on earth, do good deeds and keep yourself away from transgression. As it is written ‘and not to ignore your own kin”.

 (Tanna Debei Eliyahu Rabbah 27)

The reality can be interpreted in several ways thru the power of 'vision':

…אֵיזוֹהִי דֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה שֶׁיִּדְבַּק בָּהּ הָאָדָם. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, עַיִן טוֹבָה...

“…go forth and observe which is the right way to which a man should cleave? Rabbi Eliezer said, a good eye…” (Pirkei Avot 2:9)

The owner of the 'good eye' sees the good in the reality before him, and interprets it for good, and the owner of the 'evil eye' sees only the evil in it. The Kabbalists also regard the gaze of the 'good eye' as an active force to influence reality for good.

So, from now on: Tell me what you see, and what not, and I will tell you who you are!