The beautiful haftarah of Vayera shares the theme of kindness to strangers. It parallels the kindness of Abraham and Sarah taught in the Torah selection. The prophetic reading is taken from Second Kings, chapter 4.

Different families house Elisha, the student of the great Elijah, as he travels throughout the land. One of the families is bereaved. The widow has become impoverished. Elisha suggests that she take the only object in her house. As the woman only owns one pot of oil, Elisha advises her to borrow other vessels. Miraculously, the pot of oil is able to fill all the other vessels. The woman sells the oil and lives off her income. The parallel between this folk story and the legend of Hanukkah is quite apparent.

The second tale of kindness is that of the woman of Shunem. Again, she provides lodging to the wandering prophet Elisha. Elisha wishes to reward her for her kindness to him; the prophet discovers that she is childless. Elisha promises her that she will give birth to a son. The son matures; one day, he is suddenly overcome with illness in the field. The son dies. The woman of Shunem informs the prophet Elisha of this tragedy. She is livid with anger. Elisha's servant Gehazi serves as a middleman between the prophet and the woman. Ultimately, the child is brought before Elisha. The son is revived in a description similar to artificial respiration. The woman of Shunem expresses her gratitude to the prophet. The reward for kindness is kindness.