Vayera - God Interrupted?

(1) יהוה appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot. (2) Looking up, he saw three figures standing near him. Perceiving this, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them and, bowing to the ground, (3) he said, “My lords! If it please you, do not go on past your servant. (4) Let a little water be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree. (5) And let me fetch a morsel of bread that you may refresh yourselves; then go on—seeing that you have come your servant’s way.” They replied, “Do as you have said.”

(6) Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quick, three seahs of choice flour! Knead and make cakes!” (7) Then Abraham ran to the herd, took a calf, tender and choice, and gave it to a servant-boy, who hastened to prepare it. (8) He took curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared and set these before them; and he waited on them under the tree as they ate. (9) They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he replied, “There, in the tent.” (10) Then one said, “I will return to you next year, and your wife Sarah shall have a son!” Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind him. (11) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years; Sarah had stopped having her periods. (12) And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “Now that I’ve lost the ability, am I to have enjoyment—with my husband so old?” (13) Then יהוה said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?’ (14) Is anything too wondrous for יהוה ? I will return to you at the same season next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” (15) Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was frightened. Came the reply, “You did laugh.” (16) The men set out from there and looked down toward Sodom, Abraham walking with them to see them off. (17) Now יהוה had said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, (18) since Abraham is to become a great and populous nation and all the nations of the earth are to bless themselves by him? (19) For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of יהוה by doing what is just and right, in order that יהוה may bring about for Abraham what has been promised him.” (20) Then יהוה said, “The outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave! (21) I will go down to see whether they have acted altogether according to the outcry that has reached Me; if not, I will take note.” (22) The men went on from there to Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before יהוה.

(1) וירא אליו AND THE ETERNAL APPEARED UNTO HIM to visit the sick man. Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: it was the third day after his circumcision and the Holy Blessed One came and enquired after the state of his health (Bava Metzia 86b)

(1) 'ויאמר אדני אם נא וגו AND HE SAID, MY LORDS, IF NOW etc. — He addressed himself to the Chief of them; calling them all “lords”, (אדני may mean “my lords”), whilst to their Chief he said “Do not I pray thee pass away”, for he knew that if he would not pass by, his companions would certainly remain with him. In this explanation the word אדני has a “profane” sense (does not refer to God, being merely a term of address, “Sirs”).

Another explanation is that the word is “holy” (referring to God): he asked God to wait for him whilst he ran and invited the travellers. For although this is written after the words “and he ran to meet them”, yet the conversation took place beforehand.... Both these explanations of אדני are to be found in Genesis Rabbah 48:10 (see also Shevuot 35b).

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Hospitality toward guests is greater than receiving the Divine Presence, as when Abraham invited his guests it is written: “And he said: My liege, if now I have found favour in Your sight, please pass not from Your servant” (Genesis 18:3). Rabbi Elazar said: Come and see that the attribute of the Holy Blessed One is not like that of flesh and blood. The attribute of flesh and blood people is such that a less significant person is unable to say to a more significant person: Wait until I come to you, while with regard to the Holy Blessed One it is written: “And he said: My Liege, if now I have found favor..."

"God appeared to him" as will be explained, and it will go on to show in which way the Holy Blessed One revealed to Abraham, which is after the men came to him, as it says at the end "and God said: 'should I hide from Abraham...?'" And it's not the way most people think, that God appeared and afterwards the men came.

"Looking up, he saw three men" - according to the straightforward meaning, literally men, for we don't find that angels eat, drink or sleep in a persons house like they do in the house of Lot, as see with the Angel of Manoach: "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food..." (Judges 13:16)...

'ואברהם עודנו עומד לפני ה BUT ABRAHAM STOOD YET BEFORE THE ETERNAL

— But surely it was not he (Abraham) who had gone to stand before God, but it was the Holy Blessed One Who had come to him and had said to him, “Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great” and it should therefore have written here, “And the Eternal stood yet before Abraham”? But it is a 'fix of the scholars' (Genesis Rabbah 49:7) (which our Rabbis, of blessed memory, altered, writing it thus).