House of Love and Prayer, San Francisco CA, 5734
Rabbi Shlomo Carlbach z"l
Rabbeinu speaking:
THE COVENANT OF REVELATION

The Torah says vayera elav and G-d revealed Himself to him. Usually it says G-d spoke to Abraham, G-d spoke to Moses. Here it says vayera, He revealed. If I meet a friend and I have to tell him something very important we are not real true friends yet. If I just want to see you even if I really have nothing special to tell you, I just love you and I want to see you. Before Abraham entered into the covenant with G-d, G-d spoke to him when He had something to say. After the covenant G-d said, "I really have nothing special to tell you, let's just look at each other. I want to reveal Myself to you,"

This is very deep. Some people are in contact with G-d, but the only contact is when they have something to tell G-d, or G-d has something to tell them. It is a stock exchange that is going on. It's the highest, holiest stock there is, but it is still on the level of business. Being in the covenant with G-d means the relationship with G-d has nothing to do with anything in the world. It doesn't depend on anything.

Sometimes you meet little people who really know there is one G-d. They do everything right and good and sweet, but their knowing of G-d is only that they know exactly what G-d wants of them at four o'clock, at five o'clock at eleven o'clock. They know everything exactly, but G-d never revealed Himself to them. They may know G-d's will, but not G-d. Wants are just a manifestation of self. There is something bevond wanting. If your deepest depths which are beyond wanting are a vessel for G-d, then G-d reveals Himself. if your relationship to G-d is only to doing His will, whict is very holy, then G-d tells you His will. Being in the covenant with G-d is beyond will, beyond wanting, beyond everything. If you enter a covenant with G-d it means your entire being is turned to G-d and, so to speak, G-d turns to you also.

The Talmud says it was the third day after circumcision and Abraham, being an old man already, was a little bit sick. It is really beautiful how the Midrash says, "Why did G-d come to see him? G-d came to visit the sick." How do friends visit each other? How do people console each other? People came to visit me when I was sick. They would say, "You think you have back trouble? I had back trouble, and my aunt had back trouble, and you should have seen ... This is not consolation. It is even worse if more people are sick. What kind of consolation is that? G-od said to the prophet Isaiah nachamu, nachamu ami. Console, console my people. Could you please console my people with consolation? Do not console my people with other tragedies. How does G-d come to console people? He doesn't tell them anything. When G-d visits Abraham to visit the sick He doesn't say anything. He just sits there, He reveals Himself to Abraham, I am here.