Hashem appeared to him (Avraham) in the Plains of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of the tent… (Genesis 18:1)
The verse emphasizes the precise location of where Avraham was sitting in relation to the tent.
We see that he wasn’t just merely at home, but he’s situated at the entrance of his home.
In my mind, I always associate this description of Avraham Aveinu with a key section in the classic Torah commentary, Mesillas Yesharim. In Chapter 9 (Zerizus), Ramchal writes that a Jew should have constant preparedness for serving Hashem, and that we should be similar to soldiers in the battle line, whose practice is to eat in haste, sleep at irregular intervals, and are always poised for attack.
In other words, this verse evokes for us the image of Avraham Aveinu at home. We see that that even in his tent, he’s not ‘done for the day,’ like many people are, but he remains with one eye on the world outside, looking for what he can do to further the service of G-d.
This description of Avraham also reminds me of a comment of the Maharal of Prague (Derech Chaim, Pirkei Avos 5:20) where he explains the Mishnah that states, “Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle … to carry out the will of your Father in Heaven.” In precisely what way is a person supposed to imitate an eagle? Maharal answers that just like an eagle does not require a running start to go into the air, but can launch from whatever position it starts in, so too when it comes to doing Chesed (kindness) and Avodas Hashem – we should be able to immediately do the same! A Jew should condition himself such that he will not require time to prepare, get into the mood, or begin to ‘feel it’ first.Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Bregman is an internationally recognized Torah scholar, #1 best-selling author, matchmaker, entrepreneur, attorney and media personality. His energetic and empowering messages currently reach over 350,000 people per week via social media, NYC radio, and newspaper columns worldwide. His website is www.RabbiBregman.com and his email is RabbiBregmanOfficial@gmail.