Why was it necessary to send three angels? Why would one not have sufficed?
Rashi and Targum Yonasan: Because they came to perform three different missions, 1 and one angel cannot perform more than one mission at a time. 2 Consequently, whenever the Pasuk refers to the actual Shelichus, the Pasuk switches to the singular. 3
One to inform Sarah (or Avraham - Targum Yonasan) that she would give birth to a son one year later (this angel was Micha'el - See Ba'al ha'Turim), one to overturn Sedom (Gavriel) and one to heal Avraham and to rescue Lot (Refa'el). Riva asks why Avraham himself did not tell Sarah. He answers that he feared lest she laugh.
Why did HaSh-m send the angels in the form of human-beings?
Rashi #1: To fulfill Avraham's desire to have guests. 1
Also refer to 18:1:5.2:1.
What are the connotations of ?Nitzavim Alav??
Rashi and Targum Yonasan: It means that they were standing in front of him, only it wtites ?Nitzavim Alav? in deference to the holy angels.
Ramban: It is meant literally, since they were standing and he was sitting.
Seforno: It implies that they came to tell him something. 1
As in Bereishis 45:1 (Seforno).
Why does the Torah write the word "va'Yar" twice?
Rashi: Avraham saw them arrive, and then he saw them remain standing (because he was arranging his bandages 1 and they did not wish to disturb him) 2 - so he ran 3 (yes ran!) to greet them.
Bava Metzi?a, 86b: First he saw them standing in front of him, and then he saw how, when they perceived him in pain they backed away, so he ran to bring them back. 4
In similar vein, according to the opinion that Avraham was addressing the Shechinah, he said to Hashem ?Al Na Sa?avor me?Al Avdecha? when he saw that, for the same reason, He (Hashem) was about to leave. See Torah Temimah, citing Bava Metzi?a, 86b.
Even though they knew that he would not remain seated, they demonstrated their respect for him.
Seforno: Running is a sign of Zerizus (alacrity), which in turn, is a sign that one considers the person or the object important.
See Torah Temimah, note 7.
If Avraham?s guests were Mal'achim, why does the Torah call them ?Anashim??
Targum Yonasan: Because they came in the guise of men. 1
Torah Temimah: Because we sometimes find the term ?Ish. in connetion with angels. 2
Why did Avraham prostrate himself before his guests?
Seforno: On account of their awesome appearance. In fact, he assumed them to be emissaries of some important king or other.
Chochmah u'Musar (Vol. 2, p. 404): Even though Avraham was a king, 1 he lowered himself and called himself "your slave" (18:5), due to his great desire to go in HaSh-m's ways to bestow Chesed. We understand, all the more so how much HaSh-m Himself wants to bestow Chesed!.
See Rashi to 14:17.
Regarding Avraham, the verse calls them 'men.' Why regarding Lot does it call them angels?
Rashi #1 (to Bereishis 19:1): The Shechinah was with Avraham, so it calls them 'men.' The Shechinah was not with Lot, so it calls them angels.
Rashi #2 (to Bereishis 19:1): In the presence of Avraham, who was accustomed to seeing angels no less than men, it calls them men.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "'Behold, there were three men' - ... One Mal'ach (angel) does not carry out two missions." Why is this so?
Gur Aryeh #1: The word Mal'ach means "messenger;" that is what defines a Mal'ach, and that is why an angel's name changes in accordance with his mission. Thus, if one angel would perform two missions, he would in fact be two angels!
Gur Aryeh #2: Some explain that it is for HaSh-m's honor, lest it seem that He lacks messengers to carry out His will.
Rashi writes: "... Regarding overturning Sedom, [the angel] says, 'I cannot do a thing...' (19:22)." But we find a number of verses in Ch. 19 that are in plural, such as, "As they brought them out [of the city]" (19:17)?
Gur Aryeh: Before destroying Sedom, the angel charged with doing so also worked towards getting Lot out of the city, because that was a prerequisite to his destroying Sedom. In the same way, the angel charged with saving Lot was also clearing the way towards Sedom's destruction. Only when the actual destruction began did the destroying angel cease to be involved in rescuing Lot.
Rashi writes: "Refa'el, who healed Avraham, then went to rescue Lot." How do we know that any angel was involved in healing Avraham?
Gur Aryeh: If the tasks of the two angels [of Ch. 19] were solely to overturn Sedom and to save Lot, they could have gone directly to Sedom, without visiting Avraham! Rather, the same angel who saved Lot had to first visit Avraham to heal him. 1 The other angel came along as well, for he could not overturn Sedom without Lot being saved.
Moshav Zekenim: Why was an angel was needed to heal Avraham? Avraham had a precious stone that he used to heal others (Bava Basra 16b); all the more so it would heal Avraham himself! Perhaps this is why Targum Yonasan says that Refa'el was sent [only] to rescue Lot.
Rashi writes: "Refa'el, who healed Avraham, then went to save Lot." (According to Bava Metzia 86b, it was Michael, who informed Sarah, who then continued to Sedom to save Lot.) Either way, we find that one angel did carry out two missions?
Gur Aryeh #1: There are three categories of missions that angels carry out; a) pure Chesed, b) pure Din / punishment, c) the balance of the two, i.e. sustaining or preserving what already exists. One angel will not be assigned missions in different categories, but may be assigned two missions in the same category. 1 Healing Avraham and saving Lot both fall into category C. 2
Gur Aryeh #2: According to the Gemara, Lot was saved only in the merit of Avraham; 3 Lot himself was not deserving. Saving Lot was pure Chesed (category A), as was Sarah conceiving after so many years. 4
It seems that according to Gur Aryeh, it is not necessary to have a separate angel for each mission, rather for each category. These can be expressed as; a) Hashpa'ah (giving, bestowing); b) Gevurah (limiting of that Hashpa'ah); c) Rachamim (i.e. Hashpa'ah appropriate to the needs and capacity of the recipient). (EK)
Riva explains similarly - healing and rescuing fall under the same category, as is evident in the Berachah of 'Refa'einu' in the Amidah.
Gur Aryeh: And for Avraham, this mission was Chesed, not preservation.
While Rashi follows Bereishis Raba, Gur Aryeh prefers this latter approach.
Rashi writes: "'Standing upon him' - [i.e. they stood] before him... but this is a [more] respectful expression regarding the angels." Why?
Gur Aryeh: The angels are on a higher level than man.
Rashi writes: "In Bava Metzia (86b) [the Gemara asks that] the verse writes, 'they were standing upon him,' [but then] it writes, 'he ran towards them.'" What is Rashi trying to resolve by citing this Gemara?
Gur Aryeh: Rashi already wrote that the angels did not wish to bother Avraham. But "standing before him" would indicate that they wanted him to notice and serve them! The Gemara explains that they at first planned to ask him to host them. When they saw him adjusting his bandages, they then decided not to bother him, and stood further away.
Rashi writes: "They stood in place, to show him honor." How do we know that they stood in place, rather than actually leaving?
Gur Aryeh: Had they turned to leave, the verse should state, 'he ran after them.' Rather, they stood in place a bit further away, whereupon "he ran towards them."
