How God Exalts Israel Like a Right Hand

Midrash Aggadah Aggadat Bereshit 18

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 5, 2025

Three days after his circumcision, Abraham sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day — sore, exhausted, ninety-nine years old. And God appeared to him (Genesis 18:1). The rabbis in Aggadat Bereshit saw this as the most intimate moment in the Torah. Not the covenant ceremony. Not the binding of Isaac. The moment God came to visit Abraham while he was sitting in pain.

Isaiah gives the key: "To this one I will look — to the poor and afflicted spirit, and the one who trembles at My words" (Isaiah 66:2). Abraham trembles at God's words not because he is afraid but because he takes them seriously. He received circumcision at ninety-nine not because it was easy but because God commanded it. And so God came to see how he was doing. This is the divine visitation as pastoral care.

The midrash develops Abraham's response — he sees three strangers approaching and immediately runs to greet them. The rabbis read "running" literally: a man in recovery from surgery, moving with urgency to extend hospitality. They found in this moment the template for hachnasat orchim, welcoming guests, as one of the three pillars on which the world stands (Avot 1:2). Abraham did not wait for health or convenience or a more suitable time. He ran. And when God came to him, God found what God always finds in the righteous: the door already open.

Themes

Divine throne Abraham King David Divine compassion

Biblical References

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