Vayera
Genesis 18:1-22:24
Précis: God “appeared” (vayera) to Abraham in the form of three travelers to whom Abraham shows hospitality. They promise the birth of Isaac, overheard by Sarah (who laughs). God reveals His plans for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham argues for its salvation for the sake of any innocents who might dwell there. The scene shifts to Sodom where Lot lives, and he and his daughters are rescued first from an unruly mob and then from the destruction of the city itself. Lot’s wife glances back and turns into the pillar of salt. His daughters, fearing that they are the last females alive, make Lot drunk and engage in sexual relations with him, later giving birth to founders of the tribes of Moab and Ammon (traditional adversaries of the Israelites).
Back with Abraham, Sarah conceives and gives birth to Isaac. She becomes unhappy with the continued presence of Ishmael and prevails upon Abraham to expel Ishmael and Hagar from the household, which he does (after being promised by God that Ishmael, too, will be the father of a great nation). Thereafter, the story continues with the attempted sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, called “the Akedah” (the Binding of Isaac).
Gen. 19:15-16 “The angels urged Lot on, saying ‘Up. Take your wife and your two remaining daughters, lest you be swept away by the inequity of the city.’ Still he lingered...”
The Torah reading is accompanied by notation (“trop”) which provides the reader with the correct “tune” for the chanting. (These notations are not written in the actual Torah scroll, but appear in early manuscripts, also serving as important clues to pronunciation and grammar.) In this verse, above the word “lingered,” we find a rare trop sign, called a “shalshelet” which is chanted with a long series of quivering notes, going higher in frequency until abruptly ending.
Even these signs can give us insight into the reading. The shalshelet is found in three Genesis stories which on the surface are unrelated. The first is here, and concerns Lot and the destruction of Sodom. He has been told by angels to leave Sodom because it is about to be destroyed, but “still he lingered.” The implication is that he lingered because he was conflicted about leaving his city and home. Even though it was about to be destroyed, and even though he knew that the destruction was deserved, he lingered before fleeing.
In a second shalshelet story, Eliezer, on the mission from his master Abraham to find a wife for Isaac, decides to pray to God to seek a sign; his first word of prayer “vayomar” (he said) includes the shalshelet. According to the midrash (Gen. Rabbah 59:12), Eliezer had hopes that his own daughter would be selected to be the wife of Isaac. Should his mission fail, perhaps his daughter would be selected. So he prayed, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
The third shalshelet tale, the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, finds Joseph as the object of seduction. The shalshelet appears over the phrase “he refused” (Genesis 39:8 “vayema’aine”). The rabbis assume that this was a reluctant refusal. After all, a slave boy had become wealthy in his master’s service; a beautiful woman was offering herself to him. He wrestles with this temptation and does the right thing.
The shalshelet sign reminds us that Biblical characters were human. They encountered temptation and they wrestled with their consciences. They knew the right thing to do, and they did it, but not easily nor without question. There is an important lesson here for all of us. To be human is to face temptation. To live a good life is to overcome temptation, even reluctantly. It is better to make the right decision reluctantly than to make the wrong decision.
