Torah Text: Parshat Vayeira Ranks Second in Word Count

Parshat Vayeira, the fourth portion of the Torah, contains 2,085 words. This count ranks it second among all Torah portions. Only Naso exceeds it in total word count. The portion also contains 7,862 letters. This figure places Vayeira in third position, behind Naso and Mikeitz.

The text occupies 255 lines in a Sefer Torah. This makes it the fifth longest portion by line count. It follows Naso, Pinchas, Bamidbar, and R’ei. By verse count, Vayeira has 147 verses, ranking seventh. It trails Naso, Pinchas, Bamidbar, No’ach, Vayishlach, and Vayeitzei in this metric. The portion is divided into six parshiyot, consisting of four open sections and two closed sections.

The opening verse, “Vayeira eilav Hashem,” has drawn specific commentary. The text uses a pronoun to refer to Avraham rather than his name. Avraham is also mentioned before G-d. Commentators explain that this phrasing indicates G-d’s appearance was an act of visiting the sick. This visit occurred after Avraham’s circumcision. The purpose of the visit was for Avraham’s benefit, which is why his name precedes G-d in the sentence.

A search of the Torah identifies five instances of the phrase “Vayeira eilav.” Three of these instances specifically read “Vayeira eilav Hashem.” These occur in Parshat Toledot, where G-d addresses Yitzchak regarding a famine and later regarding fear of locals. One instance appears in B’reishit 46:29, where Yosef appears before Yaakov. The final instance is in Shof’tim 6:12, where an angel of G-d appears to Gid’on. The word “Vayeira” appears a total of 20 times in the Torah.

The portion includes the narrative of three angels sent to Avraham. One angel was tasked with healing Avraham from his circumcision. A second angel announced the birth of Yitzchak. The third angel was sent to destroy S’dom. After the first two missions were completed, one of the angels received a new assignment to save Lot. The text suggests Lot’s merit for salvation was established through future generations, specifically through the line of Ruth.

The phrase “Lech l’cha” appears only twice in the Torah. The first instance occurs at the beginning of Parshat Lech L’cha. The second instance appears near the end of Vayeira, during the Akeida narrative. In that context, G-d instructs Avraham to take his son and go to Eretz HaMoriya. The repetition underscores the ongoing challenges following the initial call to the land.

The portion concludes with a list of Nachor’s children. Avraham’s brother fathered twelve sons, eight from his wife Milka and four from his concubine Re’uma. This structure mirrors the family composition of Yaakov, who also had eight sons from his wives and four from his maidservants. The text notes that while Avraham and Sara struggled to have children, subsequent generations faced different challenges in their spiritual lives.