NOTES for Gen 18:1-33

Today's reading consists of two very important passages. The first is the three Visitors at Abraham's home. This is one of the most important texts of the Old Testament, illustrating the dogma of the Most Holy Trinity. Everything here is strange: there are three of them, but one speaks; while speaking with them, Abraham is speaking with God. It is precisely this text that became the basis for Rublev's Trinity, which many recognize as one of the most convincing commentaries on the text.

The second passage is one of the very first hidden messianic prophecies. Although both in the ancient world and today the idea of collective responsibility for evil is very strong, Abraham asks the essential question of whether the righteous person will perish for the sins of the wicked. The evil of Sodom and Gomorrah is beyond doubt; it is obvious to Abraham too. But in his conversation with God he asks not what the punishment will be, but whether there is a possibility of salvation. How often we lack Abraham's liveliness in our prayers. He bargains with God to the very end, until God, by His departure, reveals to him the greatest truth. It says that God is merciful. He is ready to open to Abraham the depth of His mercy and to point out directly to us the way by which that mercy will appear: there will be a Righteous One through whom the whole city will be saved.

In the antiquity of all the peoples, children were considered as blessing from the gods. Many children meant a big blessing; the infertility was a punishment and a curse, above all for the woman, but not only: if the continuation of the family broke off, it (what is not surprising) was considered as a sign of anger from above, which fell on all.

And what, if God promises children when there are no more hope for a long time, just because all the possible deadlines of their birth already passed? What means in such situation the laugh of a woman without children, whose husband had been promised that his descendants will grow into a nation, and when will come his time, he will create his nation on the land, where he went? The laugh of the one, who was promised to have a successor? What do we have here: joy or sorrow? Or neither one, nor the other? Probably, going through all which is described in a few decades (and maybe, a few years) earlier, Sarah's reaction would have been anger, indignation, or joy, depending on whether she would have had enough strength to believe what was said. But, apparently, Sarah laughed the laugh, people laugh, when there is already no strength for whatever, the laugh, that becomes now the only reaction to all which takes place in the life of man, and on life itself.

When there is already no strength either to cry, or to be delighted, life becomes ridiculous, quite as is ridiculous to man any nonsense, any absurd, if it becomes the only reality, to which all the neighbors are absolutely seriously. Well then comes the moment of God's intervention in the situation. It is He who ends the absurd. And this end is perceived, as a miracle. Because the miracle always supposes the rupture of a genuine reality in our world, which after the fall is not really genuine. And the history of God’s people could begin only in a real world. Begin with a miracle. Miracle, far of being the last in this history.

Question about the ten righteous men arises each time, when we read the story of the visit of the angels to Abraham. In fact: why particularly ten? Only one righteous man does not deserve salvation, quite as ten? And if there is only one righteous man in a city, why such a city does not deserve indulgence, as well as that, in which remained ten? One can think that ten is a magic number, below which the number of righteous men in the city doesn’t have to descend, otherwise the city is condemned! In reality the problem is not of course in magic.

The problem is that, according to the Jewish tradition, the community of believers should be composed of a minimum of ten persons, only then it could be considered as spiritually and religiously held. Ten persons can do a prayer meeting, which will be considered complete by the synagogue. Of course, these customs were not formed in the time of Abraham, but much later, when the Pentateuch was written.

But the idea of the Holy Scripture is rather transparent: in order that a city doesn’t perish because of the sins of its inhabitants, there should be community of believers, walking on the way of righteousness. If there isn’t, the city is condemned. If in such a condemned city, is found even only one righteous man, they shall bring him out of that perishing city, as was the case with Lot. But only community of believers, as seen, gives a sense to the existence of the city, the nation, the country.