Vayera (3): Sitting on Fire

וירא אליו ה' באלני ממרא והוא ישב פתח האהל כחם היום

The Parsha opens up with Hashem appearing to Avraham as he sits atthe opening of his tent. But before the divine conversation can ensue Avraham abandons his talk with the Lord and chooses to service Arab passerby with food and drink. Avraham clearly cannot satisfy his thirst to do Mitzvos.

Where does this amazing drive stem from? How can we attain it?

The Noam Elimelech explains the following two verses in Tehilim:

פתחו לי שערי צדק אבא בם אודה קה. זה השער לה' צדיקים יבאו בו

Open up for me the gates of righteousness, I shall enter them and thank the Lord. This is the gate to Hashem, the Tzadikim shall pass through it.

There is a seeming contradiction between the two verses. On the one hand we hear David HaMelech asking to be shown the way in towards Dveikus. However, right after he seems to be pointing to that very gate. Moreover, we are dealing in the world of text - we don't see the gate even if you tell us, "Here it is!" What's going on here?

The answer is simple but powerful. The "way in" to Avodas Hashem is to ask where is the way in. In other words, having the humility to know that I'm just starting, but confident enough in myself to allow for the vulnerability to turn to Hashem for help. What is the Sha'ar La'Shem? What is the gate? Asking, "Pischu Li". He who asks, he who yearns and searches will be shown the way. The one who thinks of himself as accomplished and self-reliant sadly hasn't even begun his journey.

R' Yaakov Abuchatzera,
The Abir Yaakov

We think that sitting is a passive act, but Avraham was sitting and waiting for the next opportunity, the next moment to jump at a Mitzvah. He was burning up. Rebbe Yaakov Abuchatzeira directs us to read the Passuk as follows: והוא ישב פתח האהל כחם היום - And he was sitting like the sun itself! He was ablaze. Just as fire latches onto whatever it can and spreads with ferocity, so too Avraham was sitting at the opening of his tent waiting to ignite another soul, to pass on inspiration to the next available recipient.

Because Avraham was constantly asking פתחו לי שערי צדק - "I feel like I'm just starting. There is so much yet to do." This feeling is in of itself the key to greatness, זה השער לה' צדיקים יבאו בו.