31 Oct VAYERA: THE EMPTY STORES WITHIN US

Parashat Vayera begins
with Avraham Avinu sitting
outside his tent during the
heat of the day, looking out
for guests. Avraham at
this time was reeling from
his berit milah, which he had performed just
days earlier. He waited and waited, but
nobody passed by, until eventually Hashem
sent three angels disguised as regular
travelers, and Avraham invited them and
served them a meal.
Before the angels arrived, the Torah says,
Hashem appeared to Avraham. The Midrash
comments that when Hashem appeared to
him, he wanted to rise in Hashem’s honor. But
Hashem told him to sit, comparing him to the
judges of a Bet Din, who sit as they preside
over a case, while Hashem is present,
standing.
The question is obvious. What connection is
there between the story of Avraham sitting
outside his tent, and the judges in Bet
Din? Why would Hashem compare Avraham’s
sitting at that time to the judges sitting in the
courtroom?
This was a very difficult day for Avraham
Avinu. He was used to hosting and serving
large groups of guests. Now, he was all alone,
in intense pain, weak and frail, sitting in the

heat, with nobody to invite. Hashem assured
Avraham that even at this low point, He held
him in high esteem. Even when Avraham was
having a difficult day, he should recognize
that he is important and distinguished like a
judge sitting in a courtroom.
The Midrash here is telling us that even at
our lowest point, even when we feel unfulfilled
and inadequate, Hashem thinks highly of
us. We are unconditionally dear and precious
to Him, no matter what is going on.
Many people might wonder, why should we
perceive ourselves this way? How are we
going to grow if we always feel we’re good
enough? Don’t we need to recognize our
faults and our flaws so that we can grow? And
how can it be that Hashem loves us and
cherishes us even when we make bad
mistakes?
To answer this question, let us consider an
analogy to a businessman who owns ten
stores. Seven of them are doing very well, but
three of them are losing money. They are
losing so much money, in fact, that the
enterprise is netting a loss. Quite obviously,
this businessman will be distraught, and likely
forced to liquidate those three stores.
Now imagine a businessman with ten stores,
seven of which are doing well, and three…

which did not yet open. They’re still being
stocked.
How would he feel about these three stores,
and about his enterprise? He would be feeling
great. The future is full of promise. True, he
has three empty stores into which he has
already poured lots of money and have yet to
earn a dime. But he knows that this is part of
the process, and soon they will be stocked and
earn profits.
This is how we should we look at ourselves.
Most of our “stores” are doing very well. For
the most part, we are good people who
observe the Torah and live the way we are
supposed to live. True, a minority of our
“stores” are not doing well. But this isn’t
because they are failing. It is because we still
have work to do. They are not doing well
because we still need to grow, just like all
people do. We shouldn’t feel down on
ourselves, guilty, aggravated, ashamed or
dejected because of these minority of “stores.”
We should understand that there is work to do,
and the work will be done. It might take some
time – growth always does! – but the future is
bright. We can and will get better.
The Midrash teaches that the three angels
appeared to Avraham as simple nomads who
worshipped idols. Nevertheless, he spoke to

them with great respect, welcomed them,
served them a meal, and showered them with
love and kindness. When Avraham saw flawed
people, he viewed them as people with great
potential, people with “empty stores” waiting
to be “stocked.” And so he treated everybody
with great love and respect – because he saw
each and every person as a precious soul that
hasn’t yet been “stocked,” that just needs
some time to grow.
This is how we are to look at all people – and
at ourselves.
We are not perfect, but that doesn’t mean we
are failures. It means that we have work to
do. Instead of feeling frustrated and ashamed
at ourselves, let’s do the work, let’s stock the
shelves of our empty stores, trusting that
Hashem loves us and thinks highly of us, no
matter what position we are in right now.