The opening verse of yesterday’s parasha tells of God appearing to Avraham in the Plains of Mamre. The purpose of this appearance is not readily apparent, with the divine encounter seemingly cut short by the arrival of three unexpected guests. Writing in his Moreh Nevuchim, Rambam controversially explains that in truth there is no interruption since there was no arrival: the entire episode of the guests is a prophetic vision visited upon Avraham by God.
The primary reason for Rambam's explanation of the passage as a vision is that the three guests are angels, spiritual and ‘metaphysical’ entities which can neither be seen by humans nor engage in physical activities. Rather than being a simple dream or message, the interactive prophecy experienced here by Avraham is one of the highest levels of prophecy, involving Avraham thinking, speaking and responding to apparent events. Rambam cites Midrash Rabbah (as he interprets it) a source for his interpretation of the episode as a vision.
Judaism Reclaimed notes that one question that Rambam's concise explanation does not discuss, however, is at what point this prophetic vision ends and 'real life' continues. The Torah narrative of the guests' departure is immediately followed by Avraham's negotiation with God over Sodom, which is presumably also part of the prophecy. Then the narrative takes the angels to Sodom, where they appear to Lot. This appearance to Lot must also, according to Rambam's position on angels, be a prophetic encounter, leaving us with two possible approaches.
In the first possibility, the story of the angels in Sodom was still part of Avraham's vision. The Torah inexplicably interrupts its description of Lot's escape from Sodom to tell us "vayashkem Avraham baboker" (literally “and Avraham rose early in the morning”) — that Avraham is awakening. Could this awakening be from the prophetic vision that, in Rambam’s explanation, has encompassed the entire parashah so far? It is notable that the phrase “vayashkem … baboker” is used on three other occasions in this parashah, each of them denoting the end of a divine encounter.
Alternatively, one might explain that the episode of the angels in Sodom is a distinct vision experienced by Lot. This explanation is somewhat troubling in view of Rambam's principle that prophecy only rests upon someone of highly developed character and intellect, while the sages do not convey the general impression that Lot possesses those qualities.
Lot's suitability to receive prophecy does however receive some support from the Netziv, who suggests that Lot was initially a righteous disciple of Avraham, with the two parting company only for the purpose of avoiding the desecration of God’s name generated by their shepherds' arguments. Perhaps we can even suggest that Lot's decision to reside in Sodom and attempt to influence its residents positively was a failed effort to emulate Avraham's life mission of spreading God’s word among those ignorant of Him. Such an approach would be consistent with the more positive view of Lot which emerges from the commentary of the Radak, who suggests that Lot was so confident in his faith that he believed he could reside among the inhabitants of Sodom without being deleteriously affected by its sinful environment.
Judaism Reclaimed proceeds to use this discussion as a basis upon which to explore the different approaches of Rambam and Ramban to the existence and function of angels in the Torah.
For more information about these books see www.TalmudReclaimed.com
First posted to Facebook 5 November 2023, here.
