Machshava:

Avraham,  Prophecy 

Parsha:

Vayeira 

Description

The opening scene in Parashat Vayyera, following Avraham from his storied hospitality to his brazen negotiations with God over the fate of Sodom is so "well-known" that we often do not notice textual oddities which make it unclear where Hashem speaks and where the "men" (אנשים) who prove to be angels speak. We study the passage through, raising the questions, then introduce two medieval approaches that seem, at first blush to be polar opposites. Rambam brings his theological axiom about prophecy to the story and interprets it that way - while Rashbam brings his commitment to "Pshat" to the text and ends up with some curious conclusions about the nature of angelic visions while rendering an innovative and surprising read of the story.