In this week's parasha, Vayera, we read many familiar stories - the story of Abraham's hospitality, Sodom and Gemorrah, Lot's wife turning into salt, Sarah giving birth to Isaac, and the binding of Isaac. This parasha also presents us with the presence of angels. While there are angels (and mysterious strangers often thought to be superior or celestial beings) in other Torah portions, on at least four separate occasions in the course of Vayera, angels play important roles and serve different functions. The angels in Parashat Vayera serve as messengers, comforters, healers, providers of hope, and guardians.
When we step back from the Torah portion and reflect upon it, we are challenged to identify the "angels" who perform or have performed these roles for us at various, perhaps crucial, times in our lives. They are not celestial beings but are made of flesh and blood, just as we are. Who, then, are the people in our lives who offer us protection (both physical and emotional), comfort, healing, and hope? Who are the people who help us see where we are going in life or help guide us on our path, perhaps at times when we are too "blind" to see? They may be friends, family members, therapists, coworkers, teachers, spiritual leaders, or even strangers. They are the people who remind us to believe in ourselves or to believe in a higher power. They or their words may seem to come out of nowhere, as so often happens with those whom our ancestors encountered in the Torah. May our eyes be opened to the angels in our lives and may our lips be opened to acknowledge them.
