17. Tosefta (addendum). Of the verse, "And Hashem appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre" (Beresheet 18:1), HE ASKS, Why by the terebinths of Mamre and not in any other place? AND HE REPLIES, Because Mamre gave him good advice about being circumcised. When the Holy One, blessed be He, told Abraham to circumcise himself, Abraham consulted his friends. Aner told him, You are more than ninety years old, and you shall pain yourself.

18. Mamre, HOWEVER, said to him, Do not forget the day when the Chaldeans threw you into the furnace of fire and famine took over the world, as it is written, "And there was a famine in the land, and Abraham went down into Egypt" (Beresheet 12: 10). And you smote all those kings that YOUR MEN pursued. And the Holy One, blessed be He, saved you from them all, so that nobody could do you any harm. So rise and fulfill the precept of your Master. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to MAMRE, You advised him to perform the circumcision. By your life! I shall reveal Myself to him only in your chamber. This is why it is written, "by the terebinths of Mamre."

26. And the Holy One, blessed by He, goes ALONG WITH JACOB. How do we know this? From the passage where it is written, "And Hashem appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre." This is Jacob, WHO IS CALLED MAMRE. SO THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, DID INDEED GO WITH JACOB. AND HE ASKS, Wherefore is the name Mamre? AND HE ANSWERS, Because Jacob inherited two hundred worlds in Eden, and he is the Throne BECAUSE HE BECAME THE THRONE OF GLORY. And Rabbi Yitzchak explains, The numerical value OF Mamre is 281. So there are the two hundred of Eden WHICH JACOB ATTAINED, as it is written, "and those that guard the fruit thereof two hundred" (Shir Hashirim 8:12), and 81 is the numerical value of Kise ('throne'). THUS, MAMRE'S NUMERICAL VALUE OF 281 COMES FROM THE TWO HUNDRED WORLDS OF EDEN, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF CHOCHMAH, THAT IS CALLED EDEN, AND FROM THE THRONE, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF CHASSADIM THAT CLOTHE CHOCHMAH. For this reason IT IS SAID, "And Hashem appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre." And for this reason, JACOB is called Mamre. HE INCLUDES THE ASPECT OF EDEN AND THE ASPECT OF THE THRONE TOGETHER, WHICH ARE THE SECRET OF MAMRE. HENCE "AND HASHEM APPEARED TO HIM."

27. Rabbi Yehuda asks, What is the meaning of, "by the terebinths" (Heb. elonei)? IF MAMRE IS JACOB, WHY DOES IT SAY "THE TEREBINTHS OF MAMRE?" AND HE ANSWERS, It meant to say 'his might,' as it is written, "by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob" (Beresheet 49:24). THUS, "THE TEREBINTHS OF MAMRE" BEARS RESEMBLANCE TO "THE MIGHTY JACOB," BECAUSE ELONEI MEANS MIGHTY AND STRONG, AND MAMRE IS JACOB. The verse "and he sat in the tent door" is as it is written, "Hashem, who (Heb. mi) shall abide in Your tabernacle (or: 'tent')" (Tehilim 15:1). THIS MEANS THAT THE "TENT DOOR" IS THE SECRET OF THE ILLUMINATION OF THE RIGHT COLUMN, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE COVERED CHASSADIM. The verse "in the heat of the day" is as written, "But to you that fear My name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings" (Malachi 3:20). THIS REFERS TO THE ILLUMINATION OF THE LEFT COLUMN. AND THIS IS THE SECRET OF THE ILLUMINATION OF CHOCHMAH WITHOUT CHASSADIM, WHICH IS DESCRIBED AS A 'SUN COMING OUT OF ITS SHEATH' BECAUSE THE LIGHT OF CHOCHMAH DOES NOT SHINE WITHOUT THE SHEATH OF CHASSADIM. AND WHEN IT DOES SHINE WITHOUT CHASSADIM, IT BURNS. ACCORDING TO THE SECRET OF THE VERSE, "IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY," IS WHEN THE WICKED ARE CONDEMNED BY IT. BUT THE RIGHTEOUS ARE HEALED BY IT BECAUSE THEY ELEVATE THE MAYIN NUKVIN (FEMALE WATERS) AND DRAW DOWN THE CHASSADIM IN ORDER TO CLOTHE CHOCHMAH.

30. Another explanation of, "And Hashem appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre." The sages began with this verse that speaks of the time of one's demise. We learned that Rabbi Yehuda said that at the time of a person's death, which is the day of the Great Judgment when the soul is separated from the body, no one leaves the world before he sees the Shechinah, as it is written, "...for no man shall see me and live" (Shemot 33: 20). And three ministering angels accompany the Shechinah to welcome the soul of the righteous, as it is written, "And Hashem appeared to him...in the heat of the day." This is the Day of Judgment that burns like a furnace in order to separate the soul from the body.