Parashat vaYeira

וירא אליו יהוה באלני ממרא והוא ישב פתח האהל כחם היום

בראשית יח:א

Why did ‘ה appear to אברהם?  רש”י suggests:

 לבקר את החולה

רש"י בראשית יח:א ד"ה וירא אליו

The third day after אברהם’s מילה was as good a time as any for ‘ה to pay a ביקור חולים visit to אברהם.  But how does רש”י know that ‘ה appeared for this purpose?  Doesn’t ‘ה Himself explain the reason for His visit?

ויהוה אמר המכסה אני מאברהם אשר אני עשה יח ואברהם היו יהיה לגוי גדול ועצום ונברכו בו כל גויי הארץ יט כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו ושמרו דרך יהוה לעשות צדקה ומשפט למען הביא יהוה על אברהם את אשר דבר עליו

בראשית יח:יז-יט

According to ‘ה, He appeared in order to inform אברהם about the impending destruction of סדום.  רש”י is clearly aware of ‘ה’s explaination.  Why then is רש”י compelled to provide a different explanation?

Several commentaries provide explanations as to רש”י’s seemingly unnecessary comment.  I would like to offer my own explanation.

The first pasuk contains a simple but glaring oddity.  The pasuk does not acknowledge אברהם by name.  Rather, ‘ה appears to “him,” as if we already know to whom ‘ה appeared.  Why is אברהם’s name missing?

Perhaps we can suggest that use of a general pronoun, instead of אברהם’s actual name, is an indication that ‘ה appeared to אברהם regardless of his stature and his name.  As ‘ה explains, He chose to inform אברהם about the destruction of סדום because אברהם was the father of all nations (as is indicated by his name).  Therefore, if ‘ה had appeared to אברהם in the first pasuk for the purpose of informing him about סדום, we would expect to find אברהם mentioned by name.

But when ‘ה pays a ביקור חולים visit, it doesn’t matter whether He is visiting an international figure or any other individual.  חסד does not discriminate between the two.  Therefore, the first pasuk does not mention אברהם by name.  Ultimately, it does not matter whether he is אברהם the Father of Nations or some other person.  He is a sick man in need of ‘ה’s visit.  And so ‘ה appears to “him,” regardless of his name.