וירא ה, a מראה is always a vision one level lower than true prophecy. This is why G'd said to Moses in Exodus 6,3 ושמי ה' לא נודעתי להם, "but I had not revealed to them My true name Hashem."

אני א-ל שדי, "I am the One Who is sufficient unto Himself by My very existence to carry out My special function the creation of the universe all by Myself without assistance by anyone else. [The word די expresses this self-sufficiency of the Lord/Creator. Ed.] The very opposite is true of all created phenomena other than the Creator. [the difference between G'd and creatures is that G'd is a "self-starter," whereas all other phenomena require something to activate them even when performing the functions for which they have been created. Ed.] This all means that the recipient of a visual image, מראה, a vision, becomes aware of the existence of the Creator and His power, without him however becoming aware of underlying causes of such. The patriarchs became witnesses to G'd performing "invisible" miracles, as distinct from the "visible" miracles performed by Moses and other prophets after him to some extent. [an "invisible" miracle maybe recognized as such because the time and place has been foretold to the beneficiary, as in the case where the angels told Avram that Sarah would give birth to a son within the year. "Visible" miracles, are for instance, water turning into blood, or all the firstborn of one nation dying at the same time [after this event having been announced.] the latter type of miracle says more about G'd as the originator of all that occurs in the universe than does the former kind of miracle. This latter kind of insight was not revealed by G'd before Moses, as we quoted form Exodus 6,3.

התהלך, an instruction to conduct himself in this manner in all his activities.

לפני, as if you were looking for guidance Me in all your undertakings and trying to emulate Me. We have adopted this concept when we inscribe our synagogues with the verse שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד, "I am ever mindful of the Lord's presence." (Psalms 16,8)

והיה תמים, "acquire the maximum degree of perfection human being are capable of attaining. Be intelligent so that you can acquire more intimate knowledge of Me through recognising the way I operate in the universe. As a result you will be emulate My attributes to the degree that this is possible for humans." The deeds of man reflect his having emulated G'd when he tried to do so. This is what Moses had in mind when he asked G'd: הודיעני נא את דרכיך ואדעך, "make know to me Your ways so that by this means I will get to know You." (Exodus 33,13) This is the ultimate perfection that the human species is able to achieve. This was G'd's objective for man when He created him, when he added the word בצלמנו, "in our image," when announcing that He was about to create man with the words נעשה אדם בצלמנו כדמותנו, "let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1,26).

ואתנה בריתי ביני ובינך, it is on this basis that I will establish My covenant between Me and between you. להיות לך לאלוהים ולזרעך אחריך, so that you will teach your descendants the lesson you have absorbed about Me.

ויפול אברם על פניו, this was a voluntary act demonstrating his gratitude to G'd for entering into the covenant with him.

אני הנה בריתי אתך, "I am now doing what I had told you, to make the covenant actual."

והיה שמך אברהם, "henceforth you name will be Avraham. Immediately."

כי אב המון גויים נתתיך, for the significance of this name change will commence as of this day. The word נתתיך in the past tense means that this process has already commenced. This is why לא יקרא עוד שמך אברם, your name from now on will now longer be Avram, ever. This was a different name change from when Yaakov was accorded the name ישראל. That name was an additional name which did not replace his original name Yaakov. The matter will be explained in due course.

להיות לך לאלוקים ולזרעך אחריך, to accept Me as your exclusive deity, without any intermediary, just as G'd is the sold G'd of all the enduring phenomena in the world (the planets, stars, etc.) Solomon phrased it thus in Kohelet 3,14: כי כל אשר יעשה האלוקים הוא יהיה לעולם. According to our author this verse proves that anything which G'd has created without intermediary is eternal, endures, whereas when we see creatures and other phenomena disintegrate, this is proof that they were brought into existence by intermediaries of G'd, by His agents, not by Himself. Observing the terms of this covenant was concluded with G'd directly, not with an intermediary

לאחוזת עולם, "I will be your G'd in order that you may carry out My will, and He gave them the land presently belonging to other nations in order that they keep His statutes." (Psalms 105, 44-45) When they do this they will achieve eternal existence individually, not merely as a species.

ואתה את בריתי תשמר, "just as I keep My part of the covenant, I want you to keep your part of My covenant. Unless the covenant is respected mutually it will be invalid.

לאות ברית, as a constant reminder to walk in His paths. The sign of the circumcision is to be like the stamp on the skin of a slave identifying him as belonging to a certain master.

בבשרכם; the word בשר is a euphemism for the reproductive organ of the male, as for instance in Ezekiel 16,26 גדלי בשר, "with outsized male member." Or, Leviticus 5, 2-3 זב מבשר, "an uncontrolled seminal emission from his male organ." There are more examples of the word בשר having that same meaning. Seeing that the organ on which the covenant with G'd is marked is the organ instrumental in ensuring a man's continuity beyond death through the genes of his offspring, it is appropriate that the covenant which represents the eternal intimate and reciprocal relationship of G'd and the Jewish people should be symbolized in this manner.

וברכתיה, both during her pregnancy, the act of giving birth, and in the raising of the son, all of these being painless. This is the exact reverse of the curse G'd decreed on Chavah and women in general, when He said בעצב תלדי בנים, "you will give birth to children in pain and sorrow." (Genesis 3,16) Sarah was promised to be spared that curse which other women are afflicted with. This may be the meaning of Isaiah 29,22 אשר פדה את אברהם, "who has redeemed Avraham i.e. from the painful experience associated with raising children. (Sanhedrin 19)

?הלבן מאה שנה יולד; He meant that although it is possible for a woman to become pregnant after her prime, when this occurs it is only when she sleeps with a younger man. It has not been known to occur when her partner is also an old man.

הבת תשעים שנהת לד, when she sleeps with any man whether young or old. (based on Abarbanel)

ויעל אלוקים מעל אברהם, this formulation is juxtaposed with that when G'd terminated his conversation with Kayin where the latter is described as "walking away from G'd." (Genesis 4,16)

בעצם היום הזה, without any delay.