Torah FeedParashat Vayera
Genesis 18:1 to 22:24, 147 verses. Next read on Shabbat, October 31, 2026.
Updated September 24, 2026
וַיֵּרָא
- Book
- Genesis
- Reading
- 18:1 to 22:24
- Verses
- 147
- Position
- 4 of 54
Opening verse
וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְהוָה בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב פֶּתַח־הָאֹהֶל כְּחֹם הַיּוֹם׃
And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Read the full text from the start of the portion: Genesis 18 in Hebrew and English.
Summary
Three visitors arrive at Abraham's tent and announce that Sarah will have a son within the year. Abraham argues with God over the fate of Sodom, bargaining down from fifty righteous people to ten. The city is destroyed, Lot escapes, and his wife looks back. Isaac is born, and Hagar and Ishmael are sent into the wilderness, where an angel saves them. The portion ends with the Akeidah: God asks Abraham to offer Isaac on a mountain in Moriah, Abraham goes, and an angel stops his hand at the last moment. It is the most discussed passage in Genesis.
Key moments
- Abraham argues for Sodom (18:16 to 18:33)
- The birth of Isaac (21:1 to 21:8)
- The binding of Isaac (22:1 to 22:19)
When is Vayera read?
Upcoming Shabbat readings in the Diaspora calendar:
- Saturday, October 31, 2026
- Saturday, November 20, 2027
- Saturday, November 4, 2028
In some years this portion is read together with its neighbor as a double portion. The dates above include those weeks.