Parshat Vayera: Hearts and Eyes
November 7, 2025
Genesis 19:11
וְֽאֶת־הָאֲנָשִׁ֞ים אֲשֶׁר־פֶּ֣תַח הַבַּ֗יִת הִכּוּ֙ בַּסַּנְוֵרִ֔ים מִקָּטֹ֖ן וְעַד־גָּד֑וֹל וַיִּלְא֖וּ לִמְצֹ֥א הַפָּֽתַח׃
And the people who were at the entrance of the house, low and high alike, they struck with blinding light, so that they were helpless to find the entrance.
One of the central themes of the book of Genesis is that our eyes see what our heart guides them to see. This can be both for good and or bad. Abraham raises his eyes at the beginning of this Torah portion and sees travelers walking on the road. His heart sees something different: a chance to do some good by welcoming in strangers. He sees these people as more than just travelers. They are a chance to spread kindness, and do some good in the world.
Later in the Torah portion the townspeople of Sodom see that Lot has taken these very same strangers into his home. Consumed by greed and desire, they demand he kick them out so they can take advantage of the travelers. Instead of seeing them as conduits for spreading kindness and peace, the Sodomites see these guests only as objects to take advantage of. They are blinded by their greed and selfishness and miss entirely the basic humanity of these travelers.
What we see when we look at another human being is a measure of our heart, not our eyes. Are they a person, in whom is found the potential for us to maximize the good we bring into this world? Or do we see an object, someone who we can use to further our own selfish ends? It’s a wonder that the messengers from God in this Torah portion were seen in two completely different ways. But it’s not because they appeared differently to Abraham than they did to the townspeople of Sodom. It’s that the heart of Abraham was profoundly different than theirs.