CHAYEI SARAH PARSHA
Lech-Lecha - לֶךְ-לְךָ (פָּרָשָׁה, Parashah)
The Meeting between Abraham
and Melchizedek (painting circa 1625 by Peter Paul
Rubens)
Lech-Lecha, Lekh-Lekha,
or Lech-L'cha (לֶךְ-לְךָ leḵ-ləḵā — Hebrew for
"go!" or "leave!", literally "go for you" —
the fifth and sixth words in the
parashah) is the third weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle
of Torah reading. It
constitutes Genesis 12:1–17:27. The parashah
tells the stories of God's calling of
Abram (who would become Abraham), Abram's passing off his wife Sarai as his
sister, Abram's dividing the land with his
nephew Lot, the war between the
four kings and the five, the covenant between the pieces, Sarai's
tensions with her maid Hagar and
Hagar's son Ishmael, and the
covenant of circumcision (brit milah).
The parashah is
made up of 6,336 Hebrew letters, 1,686 Hebrew words, 126 verses, and 208 lines in a Torah
Scroll (Sefer Torah).[1] Jews read it on
the third Sabbath after Simchat Torah, in October or
November.[2]
Contents
o 1.1First
reading — Genesis 12:1–13
o 1.2Second
reading — Genesis 12:14–13:4
o 1.3Third
reading — Genesis 13:5–18
o 1.4Fourth
reading — Genesis 14:1–20
o 1.5Fifth
reading — Genesis 14:21–15:6
o 1.6Sixth
reading — Genesis 15:7–17:6
o 1.7Seventh
reading — Genesis 17:7–27
o 1.8Readings
according to the triennial cycle
·
2In
inner-biblical interpretation
·
3In early
nonrabbinic interpretation
·
4In
classical rabbinic interpretation
·
5In
medieval Jewish interpretation
o 10.1Connection
to the parashah
Readings[edit]
In traditional
Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or עליות, aliyot. In the Masoretic Text of
the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Parashah
Lech-Lecha has three "open portion" (פתוחה, petuchah) divisions (roughly equivalent to paragraphs, often
abbreviated with the Hebrew letter פ (peh)).
Parashah Lech-Lecha has several further subdivisions, called "closed
portion" (סתומה, setumah) divisions
(abbreviated with the Hebrew letter ס (samekh)) within the
open portion divisions. The first open portion divides the first reading. The
second open portion covers the balance of the first and all of the second and
third readings. The third open portion spans the remaining readings. Closed
portion divisions further divide the fifth and sixth readings.[3]
Abram Journeying into the Land
of Canaan (engraving by Gustave Doré from the
1865 La Sainte Bible)
First reading —
Genesis 12:1–13[edit]
In the first reading, God told Abram to leave
his native land and his father's house for a land that God would show him,
promising to make of him a great nation, bless him, make his name great, bless those who blessed
him, and curse those
who cursed him.[4] Following
God's command, at age 75, Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and the
wealth and persons that they had acquired in Haran, and
traveled to the terebinth of Moreh, at Shechem in Canaan.[5] God
appeared to Abram to tell him that God would assign the land to his heirs, and
Abram built an altar to
God.[6] Abram
then moved to the hill country east of Bethel and built an altar to God there and invoked God by
name.[7] Then
Abram journeyed toward the Negeb.[8] The
first open portion ends here.[9]
Abram's Counsel to Sarai (watercolor
circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
In the
continuation of the reading, famine struck the land, so Abram went
down to Egypt, asking Sarai to say that she was
his sister so that the Egyptians would not kill him.[10] The
first reading ends here.[11]
In the first
reading, God told Abram to leave his native land and his father's house for a
land that God would show him, promising to make of him a great nation, bless him, make
his name great, bless those who blessed him, and curse those who
cursed him.[4] Following
God's command, at age 75, Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and the
wealth and persons that they had acquired in Haran, and traveled
to the terebinth of Moreh, at Shechem in Canaan.[5] God
appeared to Abram to tell him that God would assign the land to his heirs, and
Abram built an altar to God.[6] Abram then
moved to the hill country east of Bethel and built
an altar to God there and invoked God by name.[7] Then Abram
journeyed toward the Negeb.[8] The first
open portion ends here.[9]
Abram's Counsel
to Sarai (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
In the
continuation of the reading, famine struck the
land, so Abram went down to Egypt, asking Sarai
to say that she was his sister so that the Egyptians would not kill him.[10] The first
reading ends here.[11]
Second reading —
Genesis 12:14–13:4[edit]
In the second
reading, when Abram and Sarai entered Egypt, Pharaoh's courtiers
praised Sarai's beauty to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh's palace.
Pharaoh took Sarai as his wife.[12] Because of
her, Abram acquired sheep, oxen, donkeys, slaves, and camels, but God
afflicted Pharaoh and his household with mighty plagues.[13] Pharaoh
questioned Abram why he had not told Pharaoh that Sarai was Abram's wife.[14] Pharaoh
returned Sarai to Abram and had his men take them away with their possessions.[15] Abram,
Sarai, and Lot returned to the altar near Bethel.[16] The second
reading ends here.[17]
Abraham and Lot
Divided the Land (illustration from the 1897 Bible Pictures and What
They Teach Us by Charles Foster)
Third reading — Genesis
13:5–18[edit]
In the third
reading, Abram and Lot now had so many sheep and cattle that the land could not
support them both, and their herdsmen quarreled.[18] Abram
proposed to Lot that they separate, inviting Lot to choose which
land he would take.[19] Lot saw
how well watered the plain of the Jordan was, so he
chose it for himself, and journeyed eastward, settling near Sodom, a city of wicked sinners,
while Abram remained in Canaan.[20] God
promised to give all the land that Abram could see to him and his offspring
forever, and to make his offspring as numerous as the dust of the earth.[21] Abram
moved to the terebinths of Mamre in Hebron, and built an
altar there to God.[22] The third
reading and the second open portion end here with the end of chapter 13.[23]
Meeting of Abram
and Melchizedek (painting circa 1464–1467 by Dieric Bouts the Elder)
Fourth reading —
Genesis 14:1–20[edit]
In the fourth
reading, in chapter 14, the Mesopotamian Kings Amraphel of Shinar, Arioch of
Ellasar, Chedorlaomer of Elam, and Tidal of
Goiim made war on the Canaanite kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar, who joined forces at
the Battle of Siddim, now the Dead Sea.[24] The
Canaanite kings had served Chedorlaomer for twelve years, but rebelled in the
thirteenth year.[25] In the
fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the Mesopotamian kings with him went on a
military campaign and defeated several peoples in and around Canaan: the Rephaim, the Zuzim,
the Emim, the Horites, the Amalekites, and the Amorites.[26] Then the
kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar engaged the four
Mesopotamian kings in battle in the Valley of Siddim.[27] The
Mesopotamians routed the Canaanites, and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled
into bitumen pits in
the valley, while the rest escaped to the hill country.[28] The
Mesopotamians seized all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as Lot and
his possessions, and departed.[29] A fugitive
brought the news to Abram, who mustered his 318 retainers, and pursued the
invaders north to Dan.[30] Abram and
his servants defeated them at night, chased them north of Damascus, and brought
back all the people and possessions, including Lot and his possessions.[31] When Abram
returned, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh, the
Valley of the King.[32] King Melchizedek of Salem (Jerusalem), a priest
of God Most High, brought
out bread and wine and
blessed Abram and God Most High, and he gave him a tenth of
everything.[33] The fourth
reading ends here.[34]
The Vision of
the Lord Directing Abram to Count the Stars (woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld from the
1860 Bible in Pictures)
Fifth reading —
Genesis 14:21–15:6[edit]
In the fifth
reading, the king of Sodom offered Abram to keep all the possessions if he
would merely return the people, but Abram swore to God Most High not to take so
much as a thread or a sandal strap from Sodom, but would take only shares for
the men who went with him.[35] A closed portion
ends here with the end of chapter 14.[36]
As the reading
continues in chapter 15, some time
later, the word of God appeared to Abram, saying not to fear, for his reward
would be very great, but Abram questioned what God could give him, as he was
destined to die childless, and his steward Eliezer of
Damascus would be his heir.[37] The word
of God replied that Eliezer would not be his heir, Abram's own son would.[38] God took
Abram outside and bade him to count the stars, for so numerous would his
offspring be, and because Abram put his trust in God, God reckoned it to his
merit.[39] The fifth
reading ends here.[40]
Sixth reading —
Genesis 15:7–17:6[edit]
In the sixth
reading, God directed Abram to bring three heifers, three goats, three rams, a
turtledove, and a bird, to cut the non-birds in two, and to place each half
opposite the other.[41] Abram
drove away birds of prey that came down upon the carcasses, and as the sun was
about to set, he fell into a deep sleep.[42] God told
Abram that his offspring would be strangers in a land not theirs, and be
enslaved 400 years, but God would execute judgment on the nation they were to
serve, and in the end they would go free with great wealth and return in the
fourth generation, after the iniquity of the Amorites was complete.[43] And there
appeared a smoking oven, and a flaming torch, which passed between the pieces.[44] And God
made a covenant with Abram to assign to his offspring the land from the river
of Egypt to the Euphrates: the land of
the Kenites, the
Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.[45] A closed
portion ends here with the end of chapter 15.[46]
Sarah Presenting
Hagar to Abraham (1699 painting by Adriaen van der Werff)
Hagar and the
Angel in the Desert (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
As the reading
continues in chapter 16, having borne
no children after 10 years in Canaan, Sarai bade Abram to consort with her
Egyptian maidservant Hagar, so that Sarai
might have a son through her, and Abram did as Sarai requested.[47] When Hagar
saw that she had conceived, Sarai was lowered in her esteem, and Sarai
complained to Abram.[48] Abram told
Sarai that her maid was in her hands, and Sarai treated her harshly, so Hagar
ran away.[49] An angel of God
found Hagar by a spring of water in the wilderness, and asked her where she
came from and where she was going, and she replied that she was running away
from her mistress.[50] The angel
told her to go back to her mistress and submit to her harsh treatment, for God
would make Hagar's offspring too numerous to count; she would bear a son whom
she should name Ishmael, for God had paid heed to her suffering.[51] Ishmael would be a
wild donkey of a man, with his hand against everyone, and everyone's hand
against him, but he would dwell alongside his kinsmen.[52] Hagar
called God "El-roi," meaning
that she had gone on seeing after God saw her, and the well was called
Beer-lahai-roi.[53] And when
Abram was 86 years old, Hagar bore him a son, and Abram gave him the name
Ishmael.[54] A closed
portion ends here with the end of chapter 16.[55]
As the reading
continues in chapter 17, when Abram was
99 years old, God appeared to Abram as El Shaddai and asked him to walk in
God's ways and be blameless, for God would establish a covenant with him and
make him exceedingly numerous.[56] Abram
threw himself on his face, and God changed his name from Abram to Abraham,
promising to make him the father of a multitude of nations and kings.[57] The sixth
reading ends here.[58]
Seventh reading —
Genesis 17:7–27[edit]
In the seventh
reading, God promised to maintain the covenant with Abraham and his offspring
as an everlasting covenant throughout the ages, and assigned all the land of
Canaan to him and his offspring as an everlasting holding.[59] God
further told Abraham that he and his offspring throughout the ages were to keep
God's covenant and every male (including every slave) was to be circumcised in the
flesh of his foreskin at the age of eight days as a sign of the covenant with
God.[60] If any
male failed to circumcise the flesh of his foreskin, that person was to be cut
off from his kin for having broken God's covenant.[61] And God
renamed Sarai as Sarah, and told Abraham that God would bless her and give
Abraham a son by her so that she would give rise to nations and rulers.[62] Abraham
threw himself on his face and laughed at the thought that a child could be born
to a man of a hundred and a woman of ninety, and Abraham asked God to bless
Ishmael.[63] But God
told him that Sarah would bear Abraham a son, and Abraham was to name him Isaac, and God would
maintain the everlasting covenant with him and his offspring.[64] In
response to Abraham's prayer, God blessed Ishmael as well and promised to make
him exceedingly numerous, the father of twelve chieftains and a great nation.[65] But God
would maintain the covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah would bear at the same
season the next year.[66] And when
God finished speaking, God disappeared.[67] That very
day, Abraham circumcised himself, Ishmael, and every male in his household, as
God had directed.[68] The maftir (מפטיר) reading that concludes the parashah[69] reports
that when Abraham circumcised himself and his household, Abraham was 99 and
Ishmael was 13.[70] The
seventh reading, the third open portion, chapter 17, and the
parashah end here.[69]
Readings according
to the triennial cycle[edit]
Jews who read
the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah
reading read the parashah according to the following schedule:[71]
|
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
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2019, 2022, 2025 . . . |
2020, 2023, 2026 . . . |
2021, 2024, 2027 . . . |
|
|
Reading |
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1 |
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2 |
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3 |
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4 |
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5 |
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6 |
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7 |
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Maftir |
God's Promise to Abram
(woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld from the 1860 Bible in
Pictures)
The Caravan of
Abram (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
In inner-biblical
interpretation[edit]
The parashah has
parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:[72]
Genesis chapter 12[edit]
Joshua 24:2 reports
that Abram's father Terah lived beyond the
River Euphrates and served other gods.
While Genesis 11:31 reports
that Terah took Abram, Lot, and Sarai from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran, and Genesis 12:1 subsequently
reports God's call to Abram to leave his country and his father's house, Nehemiah 9:7 reports
that God chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees.
God's blessing
to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that
"all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you," is
paralleled by God's blessing to Abraham in Genesis 22:18 that
"All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your
descendants," and God's blessing to Jacob in Genesis 28:14 that
"All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your
descendants," and fulfilled by Balaam's request in Numbers 23:10 to share
Israel's fate.[73]
Genesis chapter 15[edit]
In Genesis 15:5, God promised
that Abraham's descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven.
Similarly, in Genesis 22:17, God promised
that Abraham's descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven and the
sands on the seashore. In Genesis 26:4, God reminded
Isaac that God had promised Abraham that God would make his heirs as numerous
as the stars. In Genesis 32:13, Jacob reminded
God that God had promised that Jacob's descendants would be as numerous as the
sands. In Exodus 32:13, Moses reminded
God that God had promised to make the Patriarch's descendants as numerous as
the stars. In Deuteronomy 1:10, Moses reported
that God had multiplied the Israelites until they were then as numerous as the
stars. In Deuteronomy 10:22, Moses reported
that God had made the Israelites as numerous as the stars. And Deuteronomy 28:62 foretold
that the Israelites would be reduced in number after having been as numerous as
the stars.
While Leviticus 12:6–8 required a
new mother to bring a burnt-offering and a sin-offering, Genesis 15:2 and 1 Samuel 1:5–11 characterize
childlessness as a misfortune; Leviticus 26:9, Deuteronomy 28:11, and Psalm 127:3–5 make clear
that having children is a blessing from God; and Leviticus 20:20 and Deuteronomy 28:18 threaten
childlessness as a punishment.
Genesis chapter 17[edit]
In Genesis 17:1, God told
Abraham, "Walk in My ways and be blameless." Moses echoed the
exhortation to "walk in God's ways" as a recurring theme in Deuteronomy 5:30; 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; and 30:16.
In early
nonrabbinic interpretation[edit]
The parashah has parallels or
is discussed in these early nonrabbinic sources:[74]
Genesis chapter 12[edit]
The second
century BCE Book of Jubilees reported
that Abraham endured ten trials and was found faithful and patient in spirit.
Jubilees listed eight of the trials: (1) leaving his country, (2) the famine,
(3) the wealth of kings, (4) his wife taken from him, (5) circumcision, (6)
Hagar and Ishmael driven away, (7) the binding of Isaac, and (8) buying the
land to bury Sarah.[75]
Philo
Acts 7:2–4 reported
that God appeared to Abram while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived
in Haran, and told him to leave his country and his people, and then he left
the land of the Chaldeans to settle in Haran. And then after Terah's death, God
sent Abraham to Canaan.
Philo interpreted
Abram's migration allegorically as the story of a soul devoted to virtue and
searching for God.[76]
The Apocalypse of Abraham told that
Abraham argued to his father Terah that fire is more worthy of honor than
idols, because its flames mock perishable things. Even more worthy of honor was
water, because it conquers the fire and satisfies the earth. He called the
earth more worthy of honor, because it overpowers the nature of the water. He
called the sun more worthy of honor, because its rays illumine the whole world.
But even the sun Abraham did not call god, because at night and by clouds it is
obscured. Nor did Abraham call the moon or the stars god, because they also in
their season obscure their light. Abraham argued to his father that they should
worship the God who made everything, including the heavens, the sun, the moon,
the stars, and the earth. And while Abraham thus spoke to his father in the
court of his house, the voice of God came down from heaven in a fiery
cloudburst, crying to Abraham to leave his father's house so that he would not
also die in his father's sins.[77]
In classical
rabbinic interpretation[edit]
The parashah is discussed in
these rabbinic sources
from the era of the Mishnah and
the Talmud:[78]
Genesis chapter 12[edit]
The Mishnah
taught that Abraham suffered ten trials and withstood them all, demonstrating
how great Abraham's love was for God.[79] The Avot of Rabbi Natan taught [80] that two
trials were at the time he was bidden to leave Haran,[81] two were
with his two sons,[82] two were
with his two wives,[83] one was in
the wars of the Kings,[84] one was at
the covenant between the pieces,[85] one was in
Ur of the Chaldees (where, according to a tradition, he was thrown into a
furnace and came out unharmed[86]), and one was
the covenant of circumcision.[87] Similarly,
the Pirke De-Rabbi
Eliezer counted as the ten trials: (1) when Abram was a child
and all the magnates of the kingdom and the magicians sought to kill him (see
below), (2) when he was put into prison for ten years and cast into the furnace
of fire, (3) his migration from his father's house and from the land of his
birth, (4) the famine, (5) when Sarah his wife was taken to be Pharaoh's wife,
(6) when the kings came against him to slay him, (7) when (in the words of Genesis 17:1) "the word
of the Lord came to Abram in a vision," (8) when Abram was 99 years old
and God asked him to circumcise himself, (9) when Sarah asked Abraham (in the
words of Genesis 21:10) to "Cast
out this bondwoman and her son," and (10) the binding of Isaac.[88]
The Pirke
De-Rabbi Eliezer told that the first trial was when Abram was born, and all the
magnates of the kingdom and the magicians sought to kill him. Abram's family
hid Abram in a cave for 13 years, during which he never saw the sun or moon.
After 13 years, Abram came out speaking the holy language, Hebrew, and he
despised idols and held
in abomination the graven images, and he trusted in God, saying (in the words
of Psalm 84:12): "Blessed
is the man who trusts in You." In the second trial, Abram was put in
prison for ten years — three years in Kuthi, seven years in Budri. After 10
years, they brought him out and cast him into the furnace of fire, and God
delivered him from the furnace of fire, as Genesis 15:7 says,
"And He said to him, 'I am the Lord who brought you out of the furnace of
the Chaldees." Similarly, Nehemiah 9:7 reports,
"You are the Lord the God, who did choose Abram, and brought him forth out
of the furnace of the Chaldees." The third trial was Abram's migration
from his father's house and from the land of his birth. God brought him to
Haran, and there his father Terah died, and Athrai his mother. The Pirke
De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that migration is harder for a human than for any other
creature. And Genesis 12:1 tells of
his migration when it says, "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Get out.'"[89]
Rabbi Hiyya said that
Abram's father Terah manufactured idols (as Joshua 24:2 implies),
and once Terah went away and left Abram to mind the store. A man came and asked
to buy an idol. Abram asked the man how old he was. The man replied that he was
50 years old. Abram exclaimed that it was a shame that a man of 50 would
worship a day-old object. The man became embarrassed and left. On another
occasion, a woman came with a plate of flour and asked Abram to offer it to the
idols. Abram took a stick, broke the idols, and put the stick in the largest
idol's hand. When Terah returned, he demanded that Abram explain what he had
done. Abram told Terah that the idols fought among themselves to be fed first,
and the largest broke the others with the stick. Terah asked Abram why he made
sport of him, for the idols had no consciousness. Abram replied by asking Terah
to listen to what he had just said. Thereupon Terah seized Abram and delivered
him to Nimrod, king of Shinar. Nimrod
proposed that they worship the fire. Abram replied that they should rather
worship water, which extinguishes fire. Nimrod agreed to worship water. Abram
replied that they should rather worship clouds, which bear the water. Nimrod
agreed to worship the clouds. Abram replied that they should rather worship the
winds, which disperse the clouds. Nimrod agreed to worship the wind. Abram
replied that they should rather worship human beings, who withstand the wind.
Nimrod then accused Abram of just bandying words, and decreed that they would
worship nothing but the fire. Nimrod cast Abram into the fire, challenging
Abram's God to save him from it. Haran was standing there undecided. Haran
thought to himself that if Abram survived, then Haran would say that he was of
Abram's faith, but if Nimrod was victorious, then Haran would say that he was
on Nimrod's side. When Abram descended into the fiery furnace, God saved him.
Nimrod then asked Haran whose belief he shared. Haran replied that he shared
Abram's faith. Thereupon Nimrod cast Haran into the fire, and he died in his
father's presence, as Genesis 11:28 reports,
"And Haran died in the presence of his father Terah."[90]
Rabbi Aha said in
the name of Rabbi Samuel ben
Nahman (or others
say Rabbi Alexandri's name) in Rabbi Nathan's name that Abraham knew
(and observed) even the laws of the courtyard eruv. Rabbi Phinehas
(and others say Rabbi Helkiah and Rabbi Simon) said in the
name of Rabbi Samuel that Abraham knew even the new name that God will one day
give to Jerusalem, as Jeremiah 3:17 says,
"At that time they shall call Jerusalem 'The Throne of God.'" Rabbi Berekiah, Rabbi Hiyya,
and the Rabbis of Babylonia taught in Rabbi Judah's name that
a day does not pass in which God does not teach a new law in the heavenly
Court. For as Job 37:2 says,
"Hear attentively the noise of His voice, and the meditation that goes out
of His mouth." And meditation refers to nothing but Torah, as Joshua 1:8 says,
"You shall meditate therein day and night." And Abraham knew them
all.[91]
God's Promises
to Abram (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
Rabbi Isaac compared Abram's
thinking to that of a man who was travelling from place to place when he saw a
building in flames. He wondered whether it was possible that the building could
lack a person to look after it. At that moment, the owner of the building
appeared and said that he owned the building. Similarly, Abram questioned
whether it was conceivable that the world could exist without a Guide to look
after it. At that moment, God told Abram that God is the Guide, the Sovereign
of the Universe. At that moment, in the words of Genesis 12:1, "The Lord
said to Abraham: 'Get out of your country.'"[92]
A Midrash taught
that when God spoke to Abram in Genesis 12:1, it was the
first time that God had spoken to a person since Noah. Thus, the
Midrash said that Ecclesiastes 7:19, "Wisdom
makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers," refers to Abraham, whom wisdom
made stronger than the ten generations from Noah to Abraham. For out of all of
them, God spoke to Abraham alone.[93]
The Gemara reported that some deduced
from Genesis 12:1–2 that
change of place can cancel a man's doom, but another argued that it was the
merit of the land of Israel that availed Abraham.[94]
.jpg)
God said, "Go from this
country to a land that I will show you." (1984 illustration by Jim
Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)
Reading God's
command to Abram in Genesis 12:1 to get out
of his country along with Song of Songs 1:3, "Your
ointments have a goodly fragrance," Rabbi Berekiah taught that before God
called on Abram, Abram resembled a vial of myrrh closed
with a tight-fitting lid and lying in a corner, so that its fragrance was not
disseminated. As soon as the vial was taken up, however, its fragrance was
disseminated. Similarly, God commanded Abraham to travel from place to place,
so that his name would become great in the world.[95]
Rabbi Eliezer taught that the five
Hebrew letters of the Torah that alone among Hebrew letters have two separate
shapes (depending whether they are in the middle or the end of a word) — צ פ נ מ כ (Kh, M, N, P, Z) — all relate to the mystery of
the redemption. With the letter kaph (כ), God redeemed Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees, as
in Genesis 12:1, God says,
"Get you (לֶךְ-לְךָ, lekh lekha) out of your
country, and from your kindred ... to the land that I will show you."
With the letter mem (מ), Isaac was redeemed from the land of the Philistines, as in Genesis 26:16, the Philistine
king Abimelech told
Isaac, "Go from us: for you are much mightier (מִמֶּנּוּ, מְאֹד, mimenu m'od) than we." With the
letter nun (נ), Jacob was
redeemed from the hand of Esau, as in Genesis 32:12, Jacob prayed,
"Deliver me, I pray (הַצִּילֵנִי
נָא, hazileini na), from the hand of my
brother, from the hand of Esau." With the letter pe (פ), God redeemed Israel from Egypt, as in Exodus 3:16–17, God told
Moses, "I have surely visited you, (פָּקֹד פָּקַדְתִּי, pakod pakadeti) and (seen) that which is
done to you in Egypt, and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction
of Egypt." With the letter tsade (צ), God will redeem Israel from the oppression of
the kingdoms, and God will say to Israel, I have caused a branch to spring
forth for you, as Zechariah 6:12 says,
"Behold, the man whose name is the Branch (צֶמַח, zemach); and he shall grow up (יִצְמָח, yizmach) out of his place, and he shall build the temple
of the Lord." These letters were delivered to Abraham. Abraham delivered
them to Isaac, Isaac delivered them to Jacob, Jacob delivered the mystery of
the Redemption to Joseph, and Joseph delivered the secret of the Redemption to
his brothers, as in Genesis 50:24, Joseph told
his brothers, "God will surely visit (פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד, pakod yifkod) you." Jacob's son Asher
delivered the mystery of the Redemption to his daughter Serah.
When Moses and Aaron came to
the elders of Israel and performed signs in their sight, the elders told Serah.
She told them that there is no reality in signs. The elders told her that Moses
said, "God will surely visit (פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד, pakod yifkod) you" (as in Genesis 50:24). Serah told
the elders that Moses was the one who would redeem Israel from Egypt, for she
heard (in the words of Exodus 3:16), "I have
surely visited (פָּקֹד
פָּקַדְתִּי, pakod pakadeti) you." The people
immediately believed in God and Moses, as Exodus 4:31 says,
"And the people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had visited
the children of Israel."[96]
Abram's Journey
from Ur to Canaan (1850 painting by József Molnár)
Rabbi Berekiah
noted that in Genesis 12:2, God had
already said, "I will bless you," and so asked what God added by then
saying, "and you be a blessing." Rabbi Berekiah explained that God
was thereby conveying to Abraham that up until that point, God had to bless
God's world, but thereafter, God entrusted the ability to bless to Abraham, and
Abraham could thenceforth bless whomever it pleased him to bless.[97]
Rabbi Nehemiah said that
the power of blessing granted to Abraham in Genesis 12:2 was what
Abraham gave to Isaac in Genesis 25:5. But Rabbi
Judah and the Rabbis disagreed.[98]
Rav Nahman bar Isaac deduced
from God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, "And I
will bless them that bless you," that since the priests bless
Abraham's descendants with the Priestly Blessing of Numbers 6:23–27, God therefore
blesses the priests.[99]
Rabbi Eleazar interpreted the words,
"And in you shall the families of the earth be blessed (וְנִבְרְכוּ, venivrechu)" in Genesis 12:3 to teach
that God told Abram that God had two good shoots to graft (lihavrich)
onto Abram's family tree: Ruth the Moabitess (whom Ruth 4:13–22 reports
was the ancestor of David) and Naamah the Ammonitess (whom 1 Kings 14:21 reports
was the mother of Rehoboam and thus
the ancestor or good kings like Hezekiah). And Rabbi
Eleazar interpreted the words, "All the families of the earth,"
in Genesis 12:3 to teach
that even the other families who live on the earth are blessed only for
Israel's sake.[100]
Abram and Lot
Depart Out of Haran (illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible)
Rav Judah
deduced from Genesis 12:3 that to
refuse to say grace when given a cup to bless is one of three things that
shorten a man's life.[101] And Rabbi
Joshua ben Levi deduced from Genesis 12:3 that
every kohen who
pronounces the benediction is himself blessed.[102]
Resh Lakish deduced
from Genesis 12:5 that the
Torah regards the man who teaches Torah to his neighbor's son as though he had
fashioned him.[103]
Similarly, Rabbi
Leazar in the name of Rabbi Jose ben Zimra observed
that if all the nations assembled to create one insect they could not bring it
to life, yet Genesis 12:5 says,
"the souls whom they had made in Haran." Rabbi Leazar in the name of
Rabbi Jose ben Zimra interpreted the words "the souls whom they had
made" to refer to the proselytes whom Abram and Sarai had converted. The
Midrash asked why then Genesis 12:5 did not
simply say, "whom they had converted," and instead says, "whom
they had made." The Midrash answered that Genesis 12:5 thus
teaches that one who brings a nonbeliever near to God is like one who created a
life. Noting that Genesis 12:5 does not
say, "whom he had made," but instead says "whom they had
made," Rabbi Hunia taught that Abraham converted the men, and Sarah
converted the women.[104]
Abram Called To
Be a Blessing (illustration from a Bible card published 1906 by the Providence
Lithograph Company)
Rabbi Haggai
said in Rabbi Isaac's name that all of the Matriarchs were prophets.[105]
The Tanna debe
Eliyyahu taught that the world is destined to exist for 6,000 years. The first
2,000 years were to be void, the next 2,000 years were the period of the Torah,
and the last 2,000 years are the period of the Messiah. And the Gemara
taught that the 2,000 years of the Torah began when, as Genesis 12:5 reports,
Abraham and Sarah had gotten souls in Haran, when by tradition Abraham was 52
years old.[106]
The Mishnah
equated the terebinth of Moreh to which Abram journeyed in Genesis 12:6 with the
terebinths of Moreh to which Moses directed
the Israelites to journey
in Deuteronomy 11:30 to hear
the blessings and curses at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal,[107] and the
Gemara equated both with Shechem.[108]
Rabbi Elazar
said that one should always anticipate misfortune with prayer; for it was only
by virtue of Abram's prayer between Bethel and Ai reported
in Genesis 12:8 that
Israel's troops survived at the Battle of Ai in the days of Joshua."[109]
The Rabbis deduced from Genesis 12:10 that when
there is a famine in town, one should emigrate.[110]
Rabbi Phinehas commented in
Rabbi Hoshaya's name
that God told Abraham to go forth and tread out a path for his children, for
everything written in connection with Abraham is written in connection with his
children:[111]
|
Verse |
Abraham |
Verse |
The Israelites |
|
"And there was a famine in the land." |
"For these two years has the famine been in
the land." |
||
|
"And Abram went down into Egypt." |
"And our fathers went down into Egypt." |
||
|
"To sojourn there" |
"To sojourn in the land are we come." |
||
|
"For the famine was sore in the land." |
"And the famine was sore in the land." |
||
|
"And it came to pass, when he came near (הִקְרִיב, hikriv) to enter into Egypt ..." |
"And when Pharaoh drew near (הִקְרִיב, hikriv) ..." |
||
|
"And they will kill me, but you they will
keep alive." |
"Every son that is born you shall cast into
the river, and every daughter you shall save alive." |
||
|
"Say, I pray you, that you are my sister,
that it may be well with me." |
"And God dealt well with the midwives." |
||
|
"And it came to pass, that, when Abram had
come into Egypt ..." |
"Now these are the names of the sons of
Israel, who came in Egypt ..." |
||
|
"And Pharaoh gave men charge concerning him,
and they sent him away." |
"And the Egyptians were urgent upon the
people, to send them out." |
||
|
"And Abram was very rich in cattle, in
silver, and in gold." |
"And He brought them forth with silver and
gold." |
||
|
"And he went on his journeys." |
"These are the journeys of the children of
Israel." |
Similarly, Rabbi Joshua
of Sikhnin taught that God gave Abraham a
sign: Everything that happened to him would also happen to his children:[112]
|
Verse |
Abraham |
Verse |
The Israelites |
|
"You are the Lord the God, who did choose
Abram, and brought him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name
of Abraham." |
"For you are a holy people to the Lord your
God, and the Lord has chosen you to be His own treasure out of all peoples on
the face of the earth." |
||
|
"Go for yourself" |
"I will bring you up out of the affliction
of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and
the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto a land flowing with
milk and honey." |
||
|
"And I will bless you, and make your name
great; and you will be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless
you." |
"The Lord bless you, and keep you." |
||
|
"And I will make of you a great
nation." |
"And what great nation is
there ... ?" |
||
|
"Abraham was [a unique] one." |
"Who is like Your nation, Israel?" |
||
|
"And there was a famine in the land; and
Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was severe in the
land." |
"The famine was severe in the land." |
||
|
"Abram went down into Egypt." |
"Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy
grain from Egypt." |
||
|
The Egyptians harassed Abraham: "The
Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair." |
The Egyptians harassed the Israelites:
"Come, let us deal wisely with them ..." |
||
|
The kings joined forces against Abraham. |
The kings will join forces against Israel:
"The kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord, and against His anointed." |
||
|
God fought against Abraham's foes: "Who has
raised up one from the east, at whose steps victory attends?" |
God will fight against Israel's foes: "Then
shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought
in the day of battle." |
Rav deduced
from Genesis 12:11 that Abram
had not even looked at his own wife before that point.[113]
Reading the
words, "And it came to pass, that, when Abram came into Egypt,"
in Genesis 12:14, a Midrash
asked why the text at that point mentioned Abraham but not Sarai. The Midrash
taught that Abram had put Sarai in a box and locked her in. The Midrash told
that when Abram came to the Egyptian customs house, the customs officer
demanded that Abram pay the custom duty on the box and its contents, and Abram
agreed to pay. The customs officer proposed that Abram must have been carrying
garments in the box, and Abram agreed to pay the duty for garments. The customs
officer then proposed that Abram must have been carrying silks in the box, and
Abram agreed to pay the duty for silks. The customs officer then proposed that Abram
must have been carrying precious stones in the box, and Abram agreed to pay the
duty for precious stones. But then the customs officer insisted that Abram open
the box so that the customs officers could see what it contained. As soon as
Abram opened the box, Sarai's beauty illuminated the land of Egypt.[114]
The Egyptians
Admire Sarai's Beauty (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
Sarai Is Taken
to Pharaoh's Palace (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
Rabbi Azariah
and Rabbi Jonathan in Rabbi
Isaac's name taught that Eve's image was
transmitted to the reigning beauties of each generation (setting the standard
of beauty). 1 Kings 1:4 says of
David's comforter Abishag, "And the
damsel was very fair" — יָפָה עַד-מְאֹד, yafah ad me'od — which the Midrash
interpreted to mean that she attained to Eve's beauty (as עַד-מְאֹד, ad me'od, implies אָדָם, Adam, and thus Eve). And Genesis 12:14 says,
"the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair" — מְאֹד, me'od — which the Midrash interpreted to mean that
Sarai was even more beautiful than Eve. Reading the words, "And the
princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh," in Genesis 12:15, Rabbi Johanan told that they tried to
outbid each other for the right to enter Pharaoh's palace with Sarai. One
prince said that he would give a hundred dinars for the
right to enter the palace with Sarai, whereupon another bid two hundred dinars.[115]
Rabbi Helbo deduced
from Genesis 12:16 that a man
must always observe the honor due to his wife, because blessings rest on a
man's home only on account of her.[116]
Rabbi Samuel bar
Nahmani said in the name of Rabbi Johanan that leprosy resulted from seven
things: slander, bloodshed, vain oath, incest, arrogance, robbery, and envy.
The Gemara cited God's striking Pharaoh with plagues in Genesis 12:17 to show
that incest had led to leprosy.[117]
Lot and Abram
(mosaic circa 432–440 in the nave of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome)
The Oak of
Hebron (illustration from the 1865 The Land of Israel, a Journal of
Travels in Palestine by H.B. Tristram)
Genesis chapter 13[edit]
A Baraita deduced
from the words, "like the garden of the Lord, like the land of
Egypt," in Genesis 13:10 that among
all the nations, there was none more fertile than Egypt. And the Baraita taught
that there was no more fertile spot in Egypt than Zoan, where kings lived,
for Isaiah 30:4 says
of Pharaoh, "his
princes are at Zoan." And in all of Israel, there was no more rocky ground
than that at Hebron, which is why the Patriarchs buried their dead there,
as reported in Genesis 49:31. But rocky
Hebron was still seven times as fertile as lush Zoan, as the Baraita
interpreted the words "and Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt" in Numbers 13:22 to mean
that Hebron was seven times as fertile as Zoan. The Baraita rejected the plain
meaning of "built," reasoning that Ham would not
build a house for his younger son Canaan (in whose
land was Hebron) before he built one for his elder son Mizraim (in whose land was Zoan,
and Genesis 10:6 lists
(presumably in order of birth) "the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim,
and Put, and
Canaan."[118]
Rabbi Issi
taught that there was no city in the plain better than Sodom, for Lot had
searched through all the cities of the plain and found none like Sodom. Thus
the people of Sodom were the best of all, yet as Genesis 13:13 reports,
"the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners." They were
"wicked" to each other, "sinners" in adultery,
"against the Lord" in idolatry, and "exceedingly" engaged
in bloodshed.[119]
The Mishnah
deduced from Genesis 13:13 that the
men of Sodom would have no place in the world to come.[120]
Abraham Makes
the Enemies Flee Who Hold His Nephew (1613 etching by Antonio Tempesta at
the National Gallery of Art)
Abram Rescues
Lot, the Women, and Goods (illustration from the 1728 Figures de la
Bible)
Genesis chapter 14[edit]
Rabbi Levi, or some say Rabbi
Jonathan, said that a tradition handed down from the Men of the Great Assembly taught
that wherever the Bible employs the term "and it was" or "and it
came to pass" (וַיְהִי, va-yehi), as it does
in Genesis 14:1, it indicates
misfortune, as one can read wa-yehi as wai, hi,
"woe, sorrow." Thus the words, "And it came to pass in those
days of Amraphel, Arioch, Kenderlaomer, Tidal, Shemeber, Shinab, Backbrai, and
Lama the kings of Shinar, Ellasar, Elam, Goiim, Zeboiim, Admah, Bela, and
Lasha" in Genesis 14:1, are followed
by the words, "they made war with Bera, Birsta, Nianhazel, and Melchizedek
the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Zoar, and Salem" in Genesis 14:2. And the Gemara
also cited the instances of Genesis 6:1 followed
by Genesis 6:5; Genesis 11:2 followed
by Genesis 11:4; Joshua 5:13 followed
by the rest of Joshua 5:13; Joshua 6:27 followed
by Joshua 7:1; 1 Samuel 1:1 followed
by 1 Samuel 1:5; 1 Samuel 8:1 followed
by 1 Samuel 8:3; 1 Samuel 18:14 close
after 1 Samuel 18:9; 2 Samuel 7:1 followed
by 1 Kings 8:19; Ruth 1:1 followed
by the rest of Ruth 1:1; and Esther 1:1 followed
by Haman. But the Gemara
also cited as counterexamples the words, "And there was evening and there
was morning one day," in Genesis 1:5, as well
as Genesis 29:10, and 1 Kings 6:1. So Rav Ashi replied that wa-yehi sometimes
presages misfortune, and sometimes it does not, but the expression "and it
came to pass in the days of" always presages misfortune. And for that
proposition, the Gemara cited Genesis 14:1, Isaiah 7:1 Jeremiah 1:3, Ruth 1:1, and Esther 1:1.[121]
Lot and His
Family Recalled Home by Abraham (1613 etching by Antonio Tempesta at the
National Gallery of Art)
Rav and Samuel equated the Amraphel
of Genesis 14:1 with the
Nimrod whom Genesis 10:8 describes
as "a mighty warrior on the earth," but the two differed over which
was his real name. One held that his name was actually Nimrod, and Genesis 14:1 calls him
Amraphel because he ordered Abram to be cast into a burning furnace (and thus
the name Amraphel reflects the words for "he said" (amar) and
"he cast" (hipil)). But the other held that his name was
actually Amraphel, and Genesis 10:8 calls him
Nimrod because he led the world in rebellion against God (and thus the name
Nimrod reflects the word for "he led in rebellion" (himrid)).[122]
Rabbi Berekiah
and Rabbi Helbo taught in the name of Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman that the Valley
of Siddim (mentioned in Genesis 14:3 in
connection with the battle between the four kings and the five kings) was
called the Valley of Shaveh (which means "as one") because there all
the peoples of the world agreed as one, felled cedars, erected a large dais for
Abraham, set him on top, and praised him, saying (in the words of Genesis 23:6, "Hear us,
my lord: You are a prince of God among us." They told Abraham that he was
king over them and a god to them. But Abraham replied that the world did not
lack its King, and the world did not lack its God.[123]
A Midrash taught
that there was not a mighty man in the world more difficult to overcome
than Og, as Deuteronomy 3:11 says,
"only Og king of Bashan remained
of the remnant of the Rephaim." The Midrash told that Og had been the only
survivor of the strong men whom Amraphel and his colleagues had slain, as may
be inferred from Genesis 14:5, which reports
that Amraphel "smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim," and one may
read Deuteronomy 3:1 to
indicate that Og lived near Ashteroth. The Midrash taught that Og was the
refuse among the Rephaim, like a hard olive that escapes being mashed in the
olive press. The Midrash inferred this from Genesis 14:13, which reports
that "there came one who had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew," and
the Midrash identified the man who had escaped as Og, as Deuteronomy 3:11 describes
him as a remnant, saying, "only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant
of the Rephaim." The Midrash taught that Og intended that Abram should go
out and be killed. God rewarded Og for delivering the message by allowing him
to live all the years from Abraham to Moses, but God
collected Og's debt to God for his evil intention toward Abraham by causing Og
to fall by the hand of Abraham's descendants. On coming to make war with Og,
Moses was afraid, thinking that he was only 120 years old, while Og was more
than 500 years old, and if Og had not possessed some merit, he would not have
lived all those years. So God told Moses (in the words of Numbers 21:34), "fear
him not; for I have delivered him into your hand," implying that Moses
should slay Og with his own hand.[124]
Abraham and Melchizedek
(1493 woodcut from the Nuremberg Chronicle)
Abram and
Melchizedek (woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld from the 1860 Bible
in Pictures)
Rabbi Abbahu said in Rabbi Eleazar's name that
"his trained men" in Genesis 14:14 meant
Torah scholars, and thus when Abram made them fight to rescue Lot, he brought
punishment on himself and his children, who were consequently enslaved in
Egyptian for 210 years. But Samuel said that Abram was punished because he
questioned whether God would keep God's promise, when in Genesis 15:8 Abram
asked God "how shall I know that I shall inherit it?" And Rabbi Johanan said that Abram was
punished because he prevented people from entering beneath the wings of
the Shekhinah and being saved, when in Genesis 14:21 the king
of Sodom said it to Abram, "Give me the persons, and take the goods
yourself," and Abram consented to leave the prisoners with the king of
Sodom. Rav interpreted the words "And he armed his trained servants, born
in his own house" in Genesis 14:14 to mean
that Abram equipped them by teaching them the Torah. Samuel read the word vayarek ("he
armed") to mean "bright," and thus interpreted the words
"And he armed his trained servants" in Genesis 14:14 to mean
that Abram made them bright with gold, that is, rewarded them for accompanying
him.[125]
Melchisedec King
of Salem blesses Abram (illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible)
Reading the
report in Genesis 14:14 that Abram
led 318 men, Rabbi Ammi bar Abba said that Abram's servant Eliezer outweighed
them all. The Gemara reported that others (employing gematria) said that
Eliezer alone accompanied Abram to rescue Lot, as the Hebrew letters in
Eliezer's name have a numerical value of 318.[125]
Melchisedek Is Holding Up His
Hands and Blessing Abraham (illustration from the 1897 Bible Pictures
and What They Teach Us by Charles Foster)
Midrash
identified the Melchizedek of Genesis 14:18 with
Noah's son Shem.[126] The Rabbis
taught that Melchizedek acted as a priest and handed
down Adam's robes to
Abraham.[127] Rabbi
Zechariah said on Rabbi Ishmael's authority (or
others say, it was taught at the school of Rabbi Ishmael) that God intended to
continue the priesthood from Shem's descendants, as Genesis 14:18 says,
"And he (Melchizedek/Shem) was the priest of the most high God." But
then Melchizedek gave precedence in his blessing to Abram over God, and thus
God decided to bring forth the priesthood from Abram. As Genesis 14:19 reports,
"And he (Melchizedek/Shem) blessed him (Abram), and said: 'Blessed be
Abram of God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God the Most
High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.'" Abram replied to
Melchizedek/Shem by questioning whether the blessing of a servant should be
given precedence over that of the master. And straightaway, God gave the
priesthood to Abram, as Psalm 110:1 says,
"The Lord (God) said to my Lord (Abram), Sit at my right hand, until I
make your enemies your footstool," which is followed in Psalm 110:4 by,
"The Lord has sworn, and will not repent, 'You (Abram) are a priest for
ever, after the order (dibrati) of Melchizedek,'" meaning,
"because of the word (dibbur) of Melchizedek." Hence Genesis 14:18 says,
"And he (Melchizedek/Shem) was the priest of the most high God,"
implying that Melchizedek/Shem was a priest, but not his descendants.[128]
Rabbi Isaac the
Babylonian said that Melchizedek was born circumcised.[129] A Midrash
taught that Melchizedek called Jerusalem "Salem."[130] The Rabbis
said that Melchizedek instructed Abraham in the Torah.[129] Rabbi
Eleazar said that Melchizedek's school was one of three places where the Holy
Spirit manifested itself.[131]
Rabbi Judah said
in Rabbi Nehorai's name that Melchizedek's blessing yielded prosperity for
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.[132] Ephraim
Miksha'ah the disciple of Rabbi Meir said in
the latter's name that Tamar descended
from Melchizedek.[133]
Rabbi Hana bar
Bizna citing Rabbi Simeon Hasida (or others
say Rabbi Berekiah in the name of Rabbi Isaac) identified Melchizedek as one of
the four craftsmen of whom Zechariah wrote in Zechariah 2:3.[134] The Gemara
taught that David wrote the
Book of Psalms, including in it the work of the elders, including Melchizedek
in Psalm 110.[135]
.jpg)
“The Lord came
to Abram in a vision” (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant
Shores Media/Sweet Publishing)
Genesis chapter 15[edit]
According to the
Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, Genesis 15 reports
Abraham's seventh trial. The Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer taught that God was
revealed to all the prophets in a vision, but to Abraham God was revealed in a
revelation and a vision. Genesis 18:1 tells of
the revelation when it says, “And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of
Mamre.” And Genesis 15:1 tells of
the vision when it says, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram
in a vision.” According to the Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, God told Abraham not to
fear, for God would shield Abraham against misfortunes everywhere that he would
go, and would give him and his children a good reward, in this world and in the
world to come, as Genesis 15:1 says,
“Your exceeding great reward.”[136]
.jpg)
“And He brought him outside,
and said: 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if you are able to
count them'” (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores
Media/Sweet Publishing)
The Pirke
De-Rabbi Eliezer identified Abraham's servant Eliezer introduced in Genesis 15:2 with the
unnamed steward of Abraham's household in Genesis 24:2. The Pirke
De-Rabbi Eliezer told that when Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees, all the magnates of the
kingdom gave him gifts, and Nimrod gave Abraham Nimrod's first-born son Eliezer
as a perpetual slave. After Eliezer had dealt kindly with Isaac by
securing Rebekah to be
Isaac's wife, he set Eliezer free, and God gave Eliezer his reward in this
world by raising him up to become a king — Og, king of Bashan.[137]
The Gemara
expounded on the words, "And He brought him outside," in Genesis 15:5. The Gemara taught
that Abram had told God that Abram had employed astrology to see his destiny
and had seen that he was not fated to have children. God replied that Abram
should go "outside" of his astrological thinking, for the stars do
not determine Israel's fate.[138]
The Pesikta de-Rav Kahana taught
that Sarah was one of seven barren women about whom Psalm 113:9 says
(speaking of God), "He ... makes the barren woman to dwell in her
house as a joyful mother of children." The Pesikta de-Rav Kahana also
listed Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Manoah's wife, Hannah, and Zion. The Pesikta
de-Rav Kahana taught that the words of Psalm 113:9,
"He ... makes the barren woman to dwell in her house," apply, to
begin with, to Sarah, for Genesis 11:30 reports
that "Sarai was barren." And the words of Psalm 113:9, "a joyful
mother of children," apply to Sarah, as well, for Genesis 21:7 also
reports that "Sarah gave children suck."[139]
.jpg)
“And he took all
these” (1984 illustration by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Distant Shores
Media/Sweet Publishing)
The Mekhilta of Rabbi
Ishmael taught that Abraham inherited both this world and
the World to Come as a reward for his
faith, as Genesis 15:6 says,
"And he believed in the Lord."[140]
Resh Lakish
taught that Providence punishes bodily those who unjustifiably suspect the
innocent. In Exodus 4:1, Moses said
that the Israelites "will not believe me," but God knew that the
Israelites would believe. God thus told Moses that the Israelites were
believers and descendants of believers, while Moses would ultimately
disbelieve. The Gemara explained that Exodus 4:13 reports that
"the people believed" and Genesis 15:6 reports
that the Israelites' ancestor Abram "believed in the Lord,"
while Numbers 20:12 reports
that Moses "did not believe." Thus, Moses was smitten when in Exodus 4:6 God turned
his hand white as snow.[141]
Rabbi Jacob bar
Aha said in the name of Rav Assi that Abraham asked God whether God would wipe
out Abraham's descendants as God had destroyed the generation of the Flood.
Rabbi Jacob bar Aha said in the name of Rav Assi that Abraham's question
in Genesis 15:8, "O Lord
God, how shall I know that I shall inherit it?" was part of a larger
dialogue. Abraham asked God if Abraham's descendants should sin before God,
would God do to them as God did to the generation of the Flood (in Genesis 6–8) and the
generation of the Dispersion (in Genesis in Genesis 11:1–9). God told
Abraham that God would not. Abraham then asked God (as reported in Genesis 15:8), "Let me
know how I shall inherit it." God answered by instructing Abraham (as
reported in Genesis 15:9), "Take Me
a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old" (which
Abraham was to sacrifice to God). Abraham acknowledged to God that this means
of atonement through sacrifice would hold good while a sacrificial shrine
remained in being, but Abraham pressed God what would become of his descendants
when the Temple would no longer exist. God replied that God had already long
ago provided for Abraham's descendants in the Torah the order of the
sacrifices, and whenever they read it, God would deem it as if they had offered
them before God, and God would grant them pardon for all their iniquities.
Rabbi Jacob bar Aha said in the name of Rav Assi that this demonstrated that
were it not for the Ma'amadot, groups of lay Israelites who
participated in worship as representatives of the public, then heaven and earth
could not endure.[142]
Abram Guarding
His Sacrifice (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
Reading Genesis 15:8, “And he said:
‘O Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?’” Rabbi Hama bar
Hanina taught that Abraham was not complaining, but asked God through what
merit Abraham would inherit the land. God replied that Abraham and his
descendants would merit the land through the atoning sacrifices that God would
institute for Abraham's descendants, as indicated by the next verse, in which
God said, “Take Me a heifer of three years old . . . .”[143]
A Deep Sleep
Fell Upon Abram and a Horror Seized Him (illustration from the 1728 Figures
de la Bible)
Reading Genesis 15:9, “And He said
to him: ‘Take me a heifer of three years old (מְשֻׁלֶּשֶׁת, meshuleshet), a she-goat of three years
old (מְשֻׁלֶּשֶׁת, meshuleshet), and a ram of
three years old (מְשֻׁלָּשׁ, meshulash),’” a Midrash
read מְשֻׁלֶּשֶׁת, meshuleshet, to mean
“three-fold” or “three kinds,” indicating sacrifices for three different
purposes. The Midrash deduced that God thus showed Abraham three kinds of
bullocks, three kinds of goats, and three kinds of rams that Abraham's
descendants would need to sacrifice. The three kinds of bullocks were: (1) the
bullock that Leviticus 16:3–19 would
require the Israelites to sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), (2) the
bullock that Leviticus 4:13–21 would
require the Israelites to bring on account of unwitting transgression of the
law, and (3) the heifer whose neck Deuteronomy 21:1–9 would
require the Israelites to break. The three kinds of goats were: (1) the goats
that Numbers 28:16–29:39 would
require the Israelites to sacrifice on festivals, (2) the goats
that Numbers 28:11–15 would
require the Israelites to sacrifice on the New Moon (Rosh Chodesh), and (3) the
goat that Leviticus 4:27–31 would
require an individual to bring. The three kinds of rams were: (1) the
guilt-offering of certain obligation that Leviticus 5:25, for example,
would require one who committed a trespass to bring, (2) the guilt-offering of
doubt to which one would be liable when in doubt whether one had committed a
transgression, and (3) the lamb to be brought by an individual. Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai said that
God showed Abraham all the atoning sacrifices except for the tenth of an ephah
of fine meal in Leviticus 5:11. The Rabbis
said that God showed Abraham the tenth of an ephah as well, for Genesis 15:10 says
“all these (אֵלֶּה, eleh),” just
as Leviticus 2:8 says, “And
you shall bring the meal-offering that is made of these things
(מֵאֵלֶּה, me-eleh),” and the use
of “these” in both verses hints that both verses refer to the same thing. And
reading Genesis 15:10, “But the bird
divided he not,” the Midrash deduced that God intimated to Abraham that the
bird burnt-offering would be divided, but the bird sin-offering (which the dove
and young pigeon symbolized) would not be divided.[144]
A Midrash noted
the difference in wording between Genesis 47:27, which says of
the Israelites in Goshen that
"they got possessions therein," and Leviticus 14:34, which says of
the Israelites in Canaan, "When you come into the land of Canaan, which I
gave you for a possession." The Midrash read Genesis 47:27 to read,
"and they were taken in possession by it." The Midrash thus taught
that in the case of Goshen, the land seized the Israelites, so that their bond
might be exacted and so as to bring about God's declaration to Abraham in Genesis 15:13 that the
Egyptians would afflict the Israelites for 400 years. But the Midrash
read Leviticus 14:34 to teach
the Israelites that if they were worthy, the Land of Israel would be an eternal
possession, but if not, they would be banished from it.[145]
The Mishnah
pointed to God's announcement to Abram in Genesis 15:16 that his
descendants would return from Egyptian slavery to support the proposition that
the merits of the father bring about benefits for future generations.[146]
A Midrash taught
that Genesis 15:18, Deuteronomy 1:7, and Joshua 1:4 call the
Euphrates "the Great River" because it encompasses the Land of
Israel. The Midrash noted that at the creation of the world, the Euphrates was
not designated "great." But it is called "great" because it
encompasses the Land of Israel, which Deuteronomy 4:7 calls a
"great nation." As a popular saying said, the king's servant is a
king, and thus Scripture calls the Euphrates great because of its association
with the great nation of Israel.[147]
Abram Receiving
Hagar (18th century French etching)
Sarai Sends
Hagar Away (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
Genesis chapter 16[edit]
Rabbi Simeon bar
Yohai deduced from the words, "and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose
name was Hagar," in Genesis 16:1 that Hagar
was Pharaoh's daughter. Rabbi Simeon taught that when Pharaoh saw what God did
on Sarah's behalf, Pharaoh gave his daughter to Sarai, reasoning that it would
be better for his daughter to be a handmaid in Sarai's house than a mistress in
another house. Rabbi Simeon read the name "Hagar" in to mean
"reward" (agar), imagining Pharaoh to say, "Here is your
reward (agar)."[148]
A Midrash
deduced from Sarai's words in Genesis 16:2, "Behold
now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing; go into my handmaid; it may be
that I shall be built up through her," that one who is childless is as one
who is demolished. The Rabbi of the Midrash reasoned that only that which is
demolished must be "built up."[149]
Rabbi Simeon wept that Hagar,
the handmaid of Rabbi Simeon's ancestor Abraham's house, was found worthy of
meeting an angel on three occasions (including in Genesis 16:7–12), while Rabbi
Simeon did not meet an angel even once.[150]
A Midrash found
in Genesis 16:8 support
for the proverb that if a person tells you that you have a donkey's ears, do
not believe it, but if two tell it to you, order a halter. For Abraham called
Hagar Sarai's servant the first time in Genesis 16:6, saying,
"Behold, your maid is in your hand." And then the angel called Hagar
Sarai's servant the second time in Genesis 16:8, saying,
"Hagar, Sarai's handmaid." Thus, thereafter in Genesis 16:8, Hagar
acknowledged that she was Sarai's servant, saying, "I flee from the face
of my mistress Sarai."[151] Similarly, Rava asked Rabbah bar Mari where
Scripture supports the saying of the Rabbis that if your neighbor (justifiably)
calls you a donkey, you should put a saddle on your back (and not quarrel to
convince the neighbor otherwise). Rabbah bar Mari replied that the saying found
support in Genesis 16:8, where first
the angel calls Hagar "Sarai's handmaid," and then Hagar acknowledged
that she was Sarai's servant, saying, "I flee from the face of my mistress
Sarai."[152]
Landscape with
Hagar and the Angel (1646 painting by Claude Lorrain)
Noting that the
words "and an angel of the Lord said to her" occur three times
in Genesis 16:9–11, a Midrash
asked how many angels visited Hagar. Rabbi Hama bar Rabbi Hanina said that five
angels visited her, for each time the text mentions "speech," it
refers to an angel. The Rabbis said that four angels visited her, as the word
"angel" occurs 4 times. Rabbi Hiyya taught that Hagar's encounter
with the angels showed how great the difference was between the generations of
the Patriarchs and Matriarchs and later generations. Rabbi Hiyya noted that
after Judges 13:13 reports
that Manoah and his wife, the parents of Samson, saw an angel,
Manoah exclaimed to his wife in fear (in Judges 13:22), "We
shall surely die, because we have seen God." Yet Hagar, a bondmaid, saw
five angels and was not afraid. Rabbi Aha taught that a fingernail of the
Patriarchs was more valuable than the abdomen of their descendants. Rabbi Isaac
interpreted Proverbs 31:27, "She sees
the ways of her household," to apply homiletically to teach that all who
lived in Abraham's household were seers, so Hagar was accustomed to seeing
angels.[151]
Rabbi Simeon
wept when he thought that Hagar, the handmaid of Rabbi Simeon's ancestor Sarah,
was found worthy of meeting an angel three times (including in Genesis 16:9–11), while Rabbi
Simeon did not meet an angel even once.[150]
A Midrash
counted Genesis 16:11, in which the
angel told Hagar, "Behold, you are with child ... and you shall call
his name Ishmael," among four instances in which Scripture identifies a
person's name before birth. Rabbi Isaac also counted the cases of Isaac
(in Genesis 17:19), Solomon (in 1 Chronicles 22:9), and Josiah (in 1 Kings 13:2).[153]
The Gemara
taught that if one sees Ishmael in a dream, then God hears that person's prayer
(perhaps because the name "Ishmael" derives from "the Lord has
heard" in Genesis 16:11, or perhaps
because "God heard" (yishmah Elohim, יִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים) Ishmael's
voice in Genesis 21:17).[154]
Genesis chapter 17[edit]
Resh Lakish
taught that the words "I am God Almighty (אֵל שַׁדַּי, El Shaddai)" in Genesis 17:1 mean,
"I am He Who said to the world: 'Enough! (דַּי, Dai).'" Resh Lakish taught that when God created
the sea, it went on expanding, until God rebuked it and caused it to dry up,
as Nahum 1:4 says,
"He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers."[155]
Rabbi Judah
contrasted God's words to Abraham, "walk before Me," in Genesis 17:1 with the
words, "Noah walked with God," in Genesis 6:9. Rabbi Judah
compared it to a king who had two sons, one grown up and the other a child. The
king asked the child to walk with him. But the king asked the
adult to walk before him. Similarly, to Abraham, whose moral
strength was great, God said, "Walk before Me." But of Noah, who was
feeble, Genesis 6:9 says,
"Noah walked with God." Rabbi Nehemiah compared Noah to a king's
friend who was plunging about in dark alleys, and when the king saw him sinking
in the mud, the king urged his friend to walk with him instead of plunging
about. Abraham's case, however, was compared to that of a king who was sinking
in dark alleys, and when his friend saw him, the friend shined a light for him
through the window. The king then asked his friend to come and shine a light
before the king on his way. Thus, God told Abraham that instead of showing a
light for God from Mesopotamia, he should come and show one before God in the
Land of Israel. Similarly, Genesis 48:15 says,
"And he blessed Joseph, and said: The God before whom my fathers Abraham
and Isaac did walk . ... " Rabbi Berekiah in Rabbi Johanan's name and
Resh Lakish gave two illustrations of this. Rabbi Johanan said: It was as if a
shepherd stood and watched his flocks. (Similarly, Abraham and Isaac walked
before God and under God's protection.) Resh Lakish said: It was as if a prince
walked along while the elders preceded him (as an escort, to make known his
coming). (Similarly, Abraham and Isaac walked before God, spreading word of
God.) The Midrash taught that in Rabbi Johanan's view: We need God's proximity,
while in Resh Lakish's view, God needs us to glorify God (by propagating the
knowledge of God's greatness).[156] Similarly,
a Midrash read the words "Noah walked with God" in Genesis 6:9 to mean
that God supported Noah, so that Noah should not be overwhelmed by the evil
behavior of the generation of the Flood. The Midrash compared this to a king
whose son went on a mission for his father. The road ahead of him was sunken in
mire, and the king supported him so that he would not sink in the mire.
However, in the case of Abraham, God said in Genesis 17:1, "walk
before Me," and regarding the Patriarchs, Jacob said in Genesis 48:15, "The God
before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked." For the Patriarchs would
try to anticipate the Divine Presence, and would go ahead to do God's will.[157]
Abraham Took
Ishmael with All the Males Born in His House and Circumcised Them (illustration
from the 1728 Figures de la Bible)
Rabbi taught
that notwithstanding all the precepts that Abram fulfilled, God did not call
him "perfect" until he circumcised himself, for in Genesis 17:1–2, God told
Abram, "Walk before me and be perfect. And I will make my covenant between
me and you," and in Genesis 17:10, God explained
that God's covenant required that every male be circumcised.[158]
Rav Judah said
in Rav's name that when God told Abram in Genesis 17:1, "Walk
before me and be perfect," Abram was seized with trembling, thinking that
perhaps there was some shameful flaw in him that needed correcting. But when
God added in Genesis 17:2, "And I
will make My covenant between me and you," God set Abram's mind at ease.
Rabbi Hoshaiah taught
that if one perfects oneself, then good fortune will follow, for Genesis 17:1 says,
"Walk before me and be perfect," and shortly thereafter Genesis 17:4 reports
Abram's reward for doing so: "And you shall be a father of many
nations."[159]
God Renews His
Promises to Abraham (watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot)
Rabbi Ammi bar
Abba employed gematria to interpret the meaning of Abram's name change in Genesis 17:5 from Abram
(אַבְרָם) to Abraham (אַבְרָהָם). According to Rabbi Ammi bar Abba, at first God
gave Abram mastery over 243 of his body parts, as the numerical value of the
Hebrew letters in Abram is 243. Then God gave Abraham mastery over 248 of his
body parts, adding five body parts, as the numerical value of the Hebrew
letter hei (ה) that God added to his name is five. The Gemara
explained that as a reward for Abraham's undergoing circumcision, God granted
Abraham control over his two eyes, his two ears, and the organ that he
circumcised.[160]
The Mishnah notes
that transgressing the command of circumcision in Genesis 17:14 is one of
36 transgressions that cause the transgressor to be cut off from his people.[161]
The Gemara read
the command of Genesis 17:14 to require
an uncircumcised adult man to become circumcised, and the Gemara read the
command of Leviticus 12:3 to require
the father to circumcise his infant child.[162]
Rav Zeira counted
five kinds of orlah (things
uncircumcised) in the world: (1) uncircumcised ears (as in Jeremiah 6:10), (2)
uncircumcised lips (as in Exodus 6:12), (3)
uncircumcised hearts (as in Deuteronomy
10:16 and Jeremiah 9:26), (4)
uncircumcised flesh (as in Genesis 17:14), and (5)
uncircumcised trees (as in Leviticus 19:23). Rav Zeira
taught that all the nations are uncircumcised in each of the first four ways,
and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart, in that their hearts do
not allow them to do God's will. And Rav Zeira taught that in the future, God
will take away from Israel the uncircumcision of their hearts, and they will
not harden their stubborn hearts anymore before their Creator, as Ezekiel 36:26 says,
"And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you an heart of flesh," and Genesis 17:11 says,
"And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin."[163]
Rabbi Hama son
of Rabbi Hanina taught that visiting those who have had medical procedures (as
Abraham had in Genesis 17:26) demonstrates
one of God's attributes that humans should emulate. Rabbi Hama son of Rabbi
Hanina asked what Deuteronomy 13:5 means in
the text, "You shall walk after the Lord your God." How can a human
being walk after God, when Deuteronomy 4:24 says,
"[T]he Lord your God is a devouring fire"? Rabbi Hama son of Rabbi
Hanina explained that the command to walk after God means to walk after the
attributes of God. As God clothes the naked — for Genesis 3:21 says,
"And the Lord God made for Adam and for
his wife coats of skin, and clothed them" — so should we also clothe the
naked. God visited the sick — for Genesis 18:1 says,
"And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre" (after Abraham
was circumcised in Genesis 17:26) — so should we
also visit the sick. God comforted mourners — for Genesis 25:11 says,
"And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac
his son" — so should we also comfort mourners. God buried the dead —
for Deuteronomy 34:6 says,
"And He buried him in the valley" — so should we also bury the dead.[164] Similarly,
the Sifre on Deuteronomy 11:22 taught
that to walk in God's ways means to be (in the words of Exodus 34:6) "merciful
and gracious."[165]
In medieval Jewish
interpretation[edit]
The parashah is
discussed in these medieval Jewish
sources:[166]
Genesis chapters
11–22[edit]
In their
commentaries to Mishnah Avot 5:3[79] (see
"In classical rabbinic interpretation" above), Rashi and Maimonides differed
on what 10 trials Abraham faced:[167]
|
Rashi |
Maimonides |
||
|
1 |
Abraham hid underground for 13 years from King
Nimrod, who wanted to kill him. |
||
|
2 |
Nimrod threw Abraham into a fiery furnace. |
||
|
3 |
God commanded Abraham to leave his family and
homeland. |
1 |
Abraham's exile from his family and homeland |
|
4 |
As soon as he arrived in the Promised Land,
Abraham was forced to leave to escape a famine. |
2 |
The famine in the Promised Land after God assured
Abraham that he would become a great nation there |
|
5 |
Pharaoh's officials kidnapped Sarah. |
3 |
The corruption in Egypt that resulted in the
kidnapping of Sarah |
|
6 |
Kings captured Lot, and Abraham had to rescue
him. |
4 |
The war with the four kings |
|
7 |
God told Abraham that his descendants would
suffer under four regimes. |
||
|
5 |
Abraham's marriage to Hagar after having
despaired that Sarah would ever give birth |
||
|
8 |
God commanded Abraham to circumcise himself and
his son when Abraham was 99 years old. |
6 |
The commandment of circumcision |
|
7 |
Abimelech's abduction of Sarah |
||
|
9 |
Abraham was commanded to drive away Ishmael and
Hagar. |
8 |
Driving away Hagar after she had given birth |
|
9 |
The very distasteful command to drive away
Ishmael |
||
|
10 |
God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. |
10 |
The binding of Isaac on the altar |
Maimonides
Genesis chapter 13[edit]
In his letter to
an Obadiah the Proselyte, Maimonides relied on Genesis 13:17 to
addressed whether a convert could recite declarations like "God of our
fathers." Maimonides wrote that converts may say such declarations in
the prescribed order and not change them in the least, and may bless and pray
in the same way as every Jew by birth. Maimonides reasoned that Abraham taught
the people, brought many under the wings of the Divine Presence, and ordered
members of his household after him to keep God's ways forever. As God said of
Abraham in Genesis 18:19, "I have
known him to the end that he may command his children and his household after
him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and
justice." Ever since then, Maimonides taught, whoever adopts Judaism is
counted among the disciples of Abraham. They are Abraham's household, and
Abraham converted them to righteousness. In the same way that Abraham converted
his contemporaries, he converts future generations through the testament that
he left behind him. Thus Abraham is the father of his posterity who keep his
ways and of all proselytes who adopt Judaism. Therefore, Maimonides counseled
converts to pray, "God of our fathers," because Abraham is their
father. They should pray, "You who have taken for his own our
fathers," for God gave the land to Abraham when in Genesis 13:17, God said,
"Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of
it; for I will give to you." Maimonides concluded that there is no
difference between converts and born Jews. Both should say the blessing,
"Who has chosen us," "Who has given us," "Who have
taken us for Your own," and "Who has separated us"; for God has
chosen converts and separated them from the nations and given them the Torah.
For the Torah has been given to born Jews and proselytes alike, as Numbers 15:15 says,
"One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the
stranger that sojourns with you, an ordinance forever in your generations; as
you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord." Maimonides counseled
converts not to consider their origin as inferior. While born Jews descend from
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, converts derive from God, through whose word the
world was created. As Isaiah said in Isaiah 44:5: "One
shall say, I am the Lord's, and another shall call himself by the name of
Jacob."[168]
Genesis chapter 15[edit]
Baḥya ibn Paquda said that as God brought
humanity into existence, gives us life, and bestows on us bounties, all people
are under a universal obligation of service to God and obedience to the
rational laws observed by Adam, Enoch, Noah and his descendants. Baḥya taught that if people adhere to these laws for
the sake of God's service, then God will bestow on them favors beyond those
enjoyed by other people, and give them a great reward in this world and the
World to Come, as was the case with Abraham, to whom God said in Genesis 15:1, "Do not
fear, Abraham; I am your shield; your reward is exceedingly great."[169]
The first page
of the Zohar
According to
the Zohar, Rabbi Abba was
once going toward Lod when he
met Rabbi Zeira, the son of Rav. Quoting Genesis 15:6, "And he
believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness," Rabbi
Zeira asked whether it means that God counted it to Abraham, or that Abraham
counted it to God. Rabbi Zeira reported that he had heard that it means that
God counted it to Abraham, but that interpretation did not satisfy him. Rabbi Abba
replied that it is indeed not so. Noting that Genesis 15:6 says,
"and he reckoned her" (וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ, vayahsh'veha)" and not
"and he reckoned to him (ויחשוב לו, vayahshov lo)," Rabbi
Abba taught that this means that Abraham counted it to God. For Genesis 15:5 says,
"And he brought him forth abroad," meaning that God told Abraham, in
effect, to give up his astrological speculations; that was not the way to
acquire knowledge of God's Name. Abram, it was true, would not beget children,
but Abraham would beget children. Genesis 15:5 says,
"So (כֹּה, Koh) shall your
seed be." The word כֹּה, Koh, expresses the
tenth sacred Crown of the King by which God's Name may be known; it is the
Crown through which judgments are set in motion. Upon hearing God's promise
in Genesis 15:5, Abraham became
filled with joy, and "Abraham reckoned Her" — that is, the Crown —
"for righteousness"; that is, he reckoned Her as if She were
Compassion, because She had told him that he would father Isaac.[170]
Reading Genesis 15:12, "and a
great, dark dread fell over him (Abraham)," Maimonides taught that when
prophets prophesied, their limbs trembled, their physical powers became weak,
they lost control of their senses, and thus their minds became free to
comprehend what they saw.[171]
In modern
interpretation[edit]
The parashah is discussed in
these modern sources:
Genesis chapters12-36
|
Who's Speaking? |
In Primeval History |
In Patriarchal Narrative |
In the Joseph Story |
|
The Narrator |
74% |
56% |
53% |
|
Human Speech |
5% |
34% |
47% |
|
Divine Speech |
21% |
10% |
0% |
Professors
Yehuda T. Radday, formerly of Technion — Israel Institute of
Technology, and Haim Shore, of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, analyzed the
20,504 Hebrew words in Genesis and divided them according to whether they occur
in the narrator's description, in direct human speech, or in direct Divine
speech. They found that the Patriarchal narrative in Genesis 12–36 contains
less than half the Divine speech but nearly seven times the human speech as the
Primeval history in Genesis 1–11.[172]
Plaut
The 20th
century Reform Rabbi Gunther Plaut noted that
the two pieces of Genesis, the primordial history in Genesis 1–11 and the
story of Abraham and Sarah and their descendants in Genesis 12–50, are quite
distinct from each other, held together only by a brief genealogical bridge
in Genesis 11:27–32. Genesis 12–50 makes no
mention of Genesis 1–11, not even an
allusion, suggesting that the two pieces were originally quite separate and
only later joined into one book.[173]
Professor John Van Seters of
the University of North Carolina argued
that the Abraham cycle was a post-exilic (after the Babylonian captivity)
invention of the 5th century c.e. or later.[174]
Cassuto
The
mid-20th-century Italian-Israeli scholar Umberto Cassuto, formerly of
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, identified the
following chiastic structure in Abraham's 10 trials
in Genesis 12–22:[175]
A: "Go from your
country ..."; leave his father; blessings and promises (Genesis 12:1–7)
B: Sarai is in danger from
Pharaoh; a sanctuary is founded at Bethel and the name of the Lord is proclaimed
(Genesis 12:10–13:4)
C: Lot goes away (Genesis 13:5–18)
D: Lot is in jeopardy and is
saved (Genesis 14–15)
E: Threat to the birth of the
first-born; birth of Ishmael; covenant to be fulfilled through second son (Genesis 16–17)
E1: Covenant of
circumcision; birth of Isaac foretold (Genesis 17–18:15)
D1: Lot is in
jeopardy and is saved (Genesis 18:17–19:28)
C1: Sarah is in
danger from Abimelech (Genesis 20:1–21:7)
B1: Hagar and
Ishmael go away; a sanctuary is founded at Beersheba and the
name of the Lord is proclaimed (Genesis 21:8–34)
A1: Go to the land
of Moriah; bid farewell
to his son; blessings and promises (Genesis 22)
Kugel
Professor James Kugel of Bar Ilan University wrote that over the last
100 years, scholarship has performed something of a zigzag about the historicity of
Abraham. In the late 19th century, scholars were often skeptical of the
Biblical account and believed that someone (the Jahwist or Elohist) who lived long after the Israelites
had settled Canaan made up the Abrahamic stories to justify that settlement, to
claim that although Israel's ancestor had arrived from a distant region, God
had granted the land to Abraham. Then, early in the 20th century, archaeologists began
turning up evidence that seemed to confirm, or at least coincide with, elements
of the Genesis narrative, including evidence of Abraham's hometown, Ur; legal
practices, customs, and a way of life that suited the Abrahamic narratives; the
names of cities like Haran, Nahur,
Terah, Peleg, and Serug mentioned
in Genesis; the movement of people throughout the area in the late 18th century
BCE; and documentation of adoptions of mature
adults and wives like Eliezer and Sarah. In more recent times, however, this
approach has come to be questioned, as scholars found that many of the stories
contain elements (like the Philistines) from long after the time of Abraham;
significant differences appear between the ancient texts and the Biblical
passages they supposedly explained; and the absence of any reference to Abraham
in the writings of Israel's 8th- and 7th-century prophets, who otherwise refer
to Sodom and Gomorrah, Jacob and Esau, and the Exodus and
Israel's desert wanderings, but do not mention Abraham until the 6th century or
later. Professor Seters] of the University of North Carolina argued that the
Bible says that Abraham migrated from Babylon to Canaan
to reflect the Jews' own "migration" from Babylon after having
been exiled there in the 6th
century. Kugel concluded that most scholars now concede that the Abrahamic
stories contain some very ancient material arguably going back to the 10th or
11th century BCE, transmitted orally, and then transformed into the present,
prose formulations at a time that remains the subject of debate.[176]
Telushkin
Genesis chapter 12[edit]
Israeli
scholar Moshe Weinfeld noted that
after the string of curses in Genesis 3–11, human history
reached a turning point with Abraham in Genesis 12, as God
emphatically promised blessings instead of curses.[177]
Reading God's
words to Abraham, the first Jew, in Genesis 12:2, “And you shall
be a blessing,” Rabbi Joseph Telushkin argued
that if we undertake to incorporate Jewish teachings on ethics into our
behavior, we too will become a blessing in our lives and the lives of those
with whom we have contact.[178]
Reading Genesis 12:2, Professor Ephraim Speiser of the University of Pennsylvania in the mid
20th century argued that it is significant that God promised to make of Abraham
a great “nation” (גוֹי, goy), not “people”
(עַם, am), for a
“nation” (גוֹי, goy) requires a
territorial base, since the concept is a political one, while a “people” (עַם, am) does not.[179]
Spinoza
The
17th-century Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza noted the
similarity between God's blessing of Abraham in Genesis 12:3 and Balak's
description of Balaam in Numbers 22:6, "he whom
you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed," and deduced that
Balaam also possessed the prophetic gift that God had given Abraham. Spinoza
concluded that other nations, like the Jews, thus had their prophets who
prophesied to them. And Spinoza concluded that Jews, apart from their social
organization and government, possessed no gift of God above other peoples, and
that there was no difference between Jews and non-Jews.[180]
Spinoza deduced
that the person who wrote Genesis 12:6, "the
Canaanite was then in the land," must have written at a time when the
Canaanites had been driven out and no longer possessed the land, and thus after
the death of Moses. Spinoza noted that Abraham ibn Ezra alluded to
the difficulty by noting that if, as Genesis 10:19 indicates,
Canaan first settled the land, then the Canaanites still possessed those
territories during the time of Moses. Spinoza concluded that Moses did not
write the Torah, but someone who lived long after him, and that the book that
Moses wrote was something different from any now extant.[181]
Professor Gary Rendsburg of Rutgers University noted that although
Abraham built altars at Shechem in Genesis 12:6–7 and
between Bethel and Ai in Genesis 12:8, only in Genesis 22 does the
text report Abraham actually making a sacrifice — the ram that he found caught
in the thicket that he sacrificed in lieu of Isaac. Rendsburg argued that the
message would have been clear to Israelites living in Solomon's time that
even though altars stood throughout the countryside, and some may even have
been as old as Abraham, the only place where Abraham actually sacrificed was
the mount of the Lord — Jerusalem — and that was why only the Jerusalem Temple
was approved for sacrifices to God. Rendsburg concluded that royal scribes
living in Jerusalem during the reigns of David and Solomon in the tenth century
BCE were responsible for Genesis; their ultimate goal was to justify the
monarchy in general, and the kingship of David and Solomon in particular; and
Genesis thus appears as a piece of political propaganda.[182]
Reading the
three instances of the wife-sister motif in (a) Genesis 12:10–20; (b) Genesis 20:1–18; and (c) Genesis 26:6–11, Speiser argued
that in a work by a single author, these three cases would present serious
contradictions: Abraham would have learned nothing from his narrow escape in
Egypt, and so tried the same ruse in Gerar; and Abimelech would have been so
little sobered by his perilous experience with Abraham and Sarah that he fell
into the identical trap with Isaac and Rebekah. Speiser concluded (on
independent grounds) that the Jahwist was responsible for incidents (a) and
(c), while the Elohist was responsible for incident (b). If the Elohist had
been merely an annotator of the Jahwist, however, the Elohist would still have
seen the contradictions for Abimelech, a man of whom the Elohist clearly
approved. Speiser concluded that the Jahwist and the Elohist therefore must
have worked independently.[183]
Gunkel
Genesis chapter 13[edit]
The early 20th
century German scholar Hermann Gunkel deduced
that the sentence, "And the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the
land," in Genesis 13:7 must have
been written at a time when Canaanites and Perizzites had long since passed
away, and thus at a time much after that of the Patriarchs.[184]
Genesis chapter 14[edit]
Gunkel
identified Genesis 14 as the
only chapter of Genesis to contain accounts of great political events, rather
than the history of a family.[185]
Plaut reported
that scholars generally agree that the term “Hebrew” (עִברִי, Ivri), as in Genesis 14:13, came from the
name of a group called Habiru or Apiru,
people who had lost their status in the community from which they came, and who
were not necessarily related except by common fate.[186] Plaut
wrote that the Habiru were a class of people who lived in
the Fertile Crescent during the
19th to 14th centuries B.C.E. who may originally have come from Arabia, became
prominent in Mesopotamia, and later
spread to Egypt. The Habiru followed distinct occupations,
particularly mercenaries and administrators. Although at first they
were nomads or
seminomads, they later settled, but were usually considered foreigners and
maintaining their group identity. The term Habiru referred not
so much to an ethnic or linguistic group as
to a social or political group. Plaut reported that the words Habiru and
“Hebrew” (עִברִי, Ivri) appear to
share a common linguistic root. Plaut concluded that Israelites in Egypt likely
occupied positions similar to, or because of familial ties were identified
with, the Habiru. When non-Israelites repeatedly applied the term
to the Israelites, the Israelites themselves began to use the name Habiru,
which they pronounced Ivri. Plaut considered it possible that for
some time the term Ivri was used only when the Israelites
spoke of themselves to outsiders and when outsiders referred to them.
Thus Genesis 14:13 calls
Abram Ivri vis-a-vis an outsider, and Jonah says,
"I am an Ivri,” when asked his identity by non-Israelite sailors in Jonah 1:9, but otherwise
Israelites referred to themselves by their tribes (for example, Judah or
Ephraim) or by their common ancestor, Israel.[187]
Spinoza noted
that Genesis 14:14 reports
that Abraham "pursued as far as Dan," using a name that Joshua 19:47 indicates
was not given to the city until after the death of Moses. Spinoza cited this as
evidence that Moses did not write the Torah, but someone who lived long after
him.[188]
Spinoza
read Genesis 14:18–20 to relate
that Melchizedek was king of Jerusalem and priest of the Most High God, that in
the exercise of his priestly functions (like those Numbers 6:23 describes)
he blessed Abraham, and that Abraham gave to this priest of God a tithe of all his
spoils. Spinoza deduced from this that before God founded the Israelite nation,
God constituted kings and priests in Jerusalem, and ordained for them rites and
laws. Spinoza deduced that while Abraham sojourned in the city, he lived
scrupulously according to these laws, for Abraham had received no special rites
from God; and yet Genesis 26:5 reports
that he observed the worship, precepts, statutes, and laws of God, which
Spinoza interpreted to mean the worship, statutes, precepts, and laws of king
Melchizedek.[189]
In Genesis 14:18–20, which reports
that Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of El-Elyon (often translated “God
Most High”), greeted Abraham with bread and wine and then blessed Abraham,
Rendsburg saw the author of Genesis demonstrating the significance of
Jerusalem. Rendsburg reported that virtually all scholars agree that Salem is
short for Jerusalem. Abraham responded by giving Melchizedek a tenth of all he
had — a priestly tithe. Then in Genesis 14:22, Abraham
identified El-Elyon with YHVH. Rendsburg argued that a royal scribe in David's
court included these verses to justify the continuation of the Jerusalemite
priest Zadok as priest
in Jerusalem after David took the city as his capital. The scribe, Rendsburg posited,
was showing that David merely followed the precedent that the glorious ancestor
Abraham set by tithing to a Canaanite priest in Jerusalem. Scholars have
noticed that the account of David's life refers to two high priests — Abiathar and Zadok. Abiathar appears
early in the narratives, for example in 1 Samuel 22:20, even before
David is king, but Zadok appears suddenly and only after David conquered
Jerusalem. Rendsburg suggested that Zadok was probably the Canaanite high
priest of Jerusalem, whom David permitted to continue to serve in that
capacity. In that case, Zadok would also have been king of the city-state of
Jerusalem. (Phoenician evidence shows that among the Canaanites, a single
individual occupied both roles.) Rendsburg believed that Zadok should be
identified with Araunah, who sold David
the threshing floor to build an altar in 2 Samuel 24:18–25. Rendsburg
reported that the word Araunah was not a personal name but a
title meaning “the Lord” (originally in Hurrian but in other Near Eastern
languages as well); for example, 2 Samuel 24:22 calls him
“Araunah the king.” More generally, Rendsburg concluded that royal scribes
living in Jerusalem during the reigns of David and Solomon in the tenth century
BCE were responsible for Genesis; their ultimate goal was to justify the
monarchy in general, and the kingship of David and Solomon in particular; and
Genesis thus appears as a piece of political propaganda.[190]
Sagan
Genesis chapter 15[edit]
In Genesis 15:5, God promised
that Abraham's descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven.
In Genesis 22:17, God promised
that Abraham's descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven and the
sands on the seashore. The astronomer Carl Sagan reported
that there are more stars in the universe than sands on all the beaches on the
Earth.[191]
Plaut noted that
while some might read the report of Genesis 15:13 that the
time of Israel's servitude would be 400 years to conflict with the report
of Exodus 12:40 that the
descent into Egypt would last 430 years, the two accounts were left standing
side by side, because ancient readers might have considered both traditions to
have come down to them and therefore requiring treatment with reverence.[173]
Mendelssohn
The
18th-century German Jewish philosopher Moses
Mendelssohn read the report of Genesis 15:6 that
"Abraham trusted in the Eternal" along with the report of Exodus 14:31 that
"the Israelites saw and trusted in the Eternal and in Moses, his
servant" to demonstrate that the word often translated as
"faith" actually means, in most cases, "trust,"
"confidence," and "firm reliance." Thus Mendelssohn
concluded that Scripture does not command faith, but accepts no other commands
than those that come by way of conviction. Its propositions are presented to
the understanding, submitted for consideration, without being forced upon our
belief. Belief and doubt, assent and opposition, in Mendelssohn's view, are not
determined by desire, wishes, longings, fear, or hope, but by knowledge of
truth and untruth. Hence, Mendelssohn concluded, ancient Judaism has no
articles of faith.[192]
Reading Genesis 15:8, Spinoza wrote
that when Abraham heard God's promise, he demanded a sign, not because he did
not believe in God, but because he wished to be sure that it was God Whom he
heard. Spinoza concluded that prophecy itself did not afford certainty, and the
prophets were assured of God's revelation not by the fact of revelation itself,
but by some sign. Spinoza saw prophecy as a form of imagination, which did not,
on its own, involve any certainty of truth, but required some extrinsic reason
to assure its recipients of its objective reality.[193]
Rendsburg argued
that the empire of David and Solomon provided the setting for the statement
in Genesis 15:18 that God
gave to Abraham and his descendants “this land, from the river of Egypt to the
great river, the Euphrates.” Rendsburg reasoned that this passage makes sense
only in the period of David and Solomon, as before David and Solomon, it would
have been unimaginable for an author to use these boundaries to define the Land
of Israel, and after David and Solomon, Israel once more became a small state
and those boundaries were an impossibility. Rendsburg cited this as further
support for his conclusion that royal scribes living in Jerusalem during the
reigns of David and Solomon in the tenth century BCE were responsible for
Genesis.[194]
Genesis chapter 16[edit]
Reading the
angel's blessing of Hagar in Genesis 16:10–11,
Professor Lewis B. Smedes, formerly of
the Fuller Theological Seminary, taught that
just because God chose Abraham and Sarah did not mean that they were the only
ones whom God chose.[195]
Genesis chapter 17[edit]
Reading Genesis 17:6, in which God
tells Abraham that “kings will issue from you,” and Genesis 17:16, in which God
promises that “kings of nations” will issue from Sarah, Rendsburg noted that
the text thus takes pains to make Abraham and Sarah the progenitors of a royal
line. Rendsburg argued that the only time that an author would considered this
necessary would be in the time of David and Solomon, as before then, there were
no kings (except for the transitional Saul), and after then, kingship was
a fait accompli. Arguing that the only time that an author would
need to justify kingship was when it was the new creation of Israelite
political theorists, Rendsburg cited these verses as further evidence that
royal scribes living in Jerusalem during the reigns of David and Solomon in the
tenth century BCE were responsible for Genesis.[194]
Commandments[edit]
According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there is one positive commandment in the
parashah:[196]
·
The precept of circumcision.[197]
Shlomo Ganzfried,
editor of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch
The Kitzur
Shulchan Aruch cites the words of Genesis 15:1, "Fear
not, Abram" (אַל-תִּירָא
אַבְרָם, al-tirah Avram), as an example of a verse
where a missing letter י, yud, would cause
one to have to take out another Torah scroll to read, as it would be a serious
error in the scroll.[198]
And the Kitzur
Shulchan Aruch interprets God's words to Abraham in Genesis 17:5, "the
father of a multitude of nations have I made you," to mean that
previously, Abram was father only to Aram, but from that point onward,
he would be a father to all nations. Thus, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch cites Genesis 17:5 to support
the proposition that a convert may be included in a group of three or more (mezuman)
for the purposes of the blessing after meals (ברכת המזון, Birkat Hamazon) and may say the blessing and
the words of the blessing, "for giving our ancestors as a heritage."[199]
In the liturgy[edit]
Some Jews refer
to the ten trials of Abraham in Genesis 12–25 as they
study chapter 5 of Pirkei Avot on a Sabbath between
Passover and Rosh Hashanah.[200]
Jews refer to
God's selection of Abraham in Genesis 12:1–3, God's covenant
with Abraham to give his descendants the Land in Genesis 12:7, 15:18–21, and 17:7–8, and God's
changing of Abram's name to Abraham in Genesis 17:4–5 as they
recite Nehemiah 9:6–11 as part of
the Pesukei D'Zimrah prayers
during the daily morning (Shacharit) prayer service.[201]
A page from a 14th-century German Haggadah
The Passover Haggadah, in the concluding nirtzah section
of the Seder, in a reference
to Genesis 14:15, recounts how
God granted victory to the righteous convert Abram at the middle of the night.[202]
The name
"Elyon" or "God Most High," which Melchizedek used in Genesis 14:19, is used
in Psalm 92:2 to refer
to God, and Psalm 92 is in turn
recited after the Lekhah Dodi liturgical
poem of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service.[203]
A page from the
Kaufmann Haggadah
The Amidah draws on
God's words in Genesis 15:1, "Fear
not, Abram, I am a shield to you," to refer to God as "Shield of Abraham."[204] In the
hymn Adon Olam ("Lord of the
World"), use of the title "Adon" recalls the merit of Abraham,
who first addressed God with the title in Genesis 15:2.[205]
The Haggadah, in
the magid section of the Seder, quotes Genesis 15:13–14 to
demonstrate that God keeps God's promises.[206] Thereafter,
the Haggadah reports that Israel "went down to Egypt — forced to do so by
the word [of God]," and many commentators think that this statement refers
to God's foretelling in Genesis 15:13 that
Abram's descendants would "be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and
shall serve them."[207] And in the
concluding nirtzah section, in a reference to God's promises
to Abram in the Covenant Between the Pieces in Genesis 15:13–21, the Haggadah
reports that God "disclosed to the one from the Orient at midnight on
Passover."[208]
Following the
Kabbalat Shabbat service and prior to the Friday evening (Ma'ariv) service, Jews traditionally read
rabbinic sources on the observance of the Sabbath, including Mishnah Shabbat 18:3.[209] Mishnah Shabbat 18:3, in turn, makes
clear the precedence of the law of circumcision in Genesis 17:12 over even
the observance of the Sabbath.[210]
The Weekly Maqam[edit]
In the Weekly Maqam, Sephardi Jews
each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's
parashah. For Parashah Lech Lecha, Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Saba, the maqam
that symbolizes a covenant (berit), as in this parashah, Abraham and his
sons undergo circumcisions, a ritual that signifies a covenant between man and
God.[211]
Isaiah (1509
fresco by Michelangelo in
the Sistine Chapel)
Haftarah[edit]
The haftarah for the
parashah is:
·
for Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews: Isaiah 40:27-41:16
·
for Karaite Jews: Joshua 24:3–18
Connection to the
parashah[edit]
Some
commentators, including Rashi, interpret the verses
in Isaiah 41:1–4 as
referring to the Battle of Siddim described
in this parshah. Rashi interprets subsequent verses as referring to either the
nations' reactions to this battle or the interaction between Abraham and
Melchizedek, leading into God's promise to always aid "the seed of
Abraham, who loved Me."
Lech Lecha
Roundup
Lech-Lecha
– Go unto you
Abram was the first person to
realize that G‑d is a Supreme Being and that G‑d is not
dust, an idol, the sea or the sun. He spreads this message all the time in the
city of Charan where he lives. One day G‑d tells him to leave his
city and his father’s home and to go to the land which G‑d will show him.
So Abram and
his wife Sarai together with his nephew Lot leave Charan and travel to the
Land of Canaan where G‑d reveals Himself to him and tells him that He
will give this land to Abram’s children. Abram builds an altar there.
Abram and Sarai love having guests.
Their tent is open from all four sides so that people could come in from any
direction in which they are traveling. Abram and Sarai feed and take care of
all their guests and teach them about G‑d.
A short while later a famine comes onto
the Land of Canaan so
Abram and Sarai have to travel to Egypt to get food. There they say that they
are brother and sister, because Sarai is so beautiful that Abram fears the
palace guards will kill him to give Sarai to Pharaoh as a wife. Sarai is indeed
taken prisoner to the palace, but overnight G‑d sends a plague to Pharaoh, who
gets the message and frees Sarai. He also gives many gifts of animals, gold and
silver to the couple and sends them on their way.
Back in Canaan, Lot goes to live in the
city of Sodom. He is captured during a local war and Abram runs to his rescue
with a small army and miraculously defeats a big army of four kings. G‑d makes
a covenant – a pact or deal - with Abram and tells him that his children will
suffer in exile – galut – but will then be freed and brought
to the Holy Land which will be theirs forever.
Sounds good? Sounds great! But…Abram
and Sarai were married for a long time and do not have children, and they are
getting older…so Sarai encourages Abram to marry her maid Hagar, who was a
converted Egyptian princess (at the time men were allowed to marry more than
one wife), to give Abram the chance to have a child. Hagar becomes
pregnant and has a child Yishmael. But Hagar is disrespectful to Sarai and
runs away, then returns to Abram’s home after an angel convinces her to go back.
Finally, G‑d promises Abram that his
children will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the dust of the earth.
G‑d makes a covenant with Abraham and commands him to circumcise
himself—do a brit milah—as a sign of the covenant. From that day on, all
Jewish boys do a brit milah at 8 days old. G‑d changes Abram’s name to Abraham and
Sarai’s to Sarah and tells Abraham that they will have a child who
they should name “Isaac” and that from Isaac will
come the nation to which G‑d promised the Holy Land. At this time, Abraham is
99 years old and Sarah is 89.
Parsha Summary:
After devoting its first two sections,
Bereishit (Genesis 1:1–6:8) and Noach (Genesis 6:9–11:32), to the first 2000
years of human history, the Torah moves
on, in the section of Lech Lecha, to recount the origins of the people of
Israel, which it traces to a divine call received by the first
Jew in the 75th year of his life:
G‑d
spoke to Abram: “Go you from your land,
from your birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land which I will
show you.
“I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you and make great your
name . . . and all families of the earth will be blessed by
you.”
Abram took with him his wife, Sarai, and his brother’s son Lot, and all
the possessions which they had acquired, and the souls which they had made in Charan; they set out to go to the land of
Canaan, and they arrived in the land of Canaan.
Abram traversed the land to the area of Shechem, to the Plain of Moreh.
The Canaanites were then in the
land.
G‑d appeared to Abram and said: “To your offspring I shall give this
land.” And he built there an altar to G‑d . . . and he called in G‑d’s name.
The Egyptian Ordeal
No sooner do Abram and Sarai (as they are called until G‑d changes their
names to “Abraham” and “Sarah” in the closing chapter of our Parshah) arrive in
the land of Canaan, than they are forced by famine to “descend” to Egypt (the
Torah refers to all journeys to the Holy Land as “ascents,” and all departures
from it to other lands as “descents”). And then the journey to Egypt brings on
a new trouble:
As he approached Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai: “Behold, now I am aware that you are a beautiful woman. When the Egyptians will
see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife,’ and they will kill me and leave you
live. Please, say that you are my sister, in order that it be good with me for
your sake, and my soul shall live because of you.”
Abram’s fears are confirmed. Sarai’s beauty is discovered and praised as fit for a king, and she is taken to the Pharaoh’s
palace. Abram, as her supposed brother, is given “sheep, cattle, donkeys,
slaves, maids, she-donkeys and camels.”
A sudden plague visited upon the royal palace convinces Pharaoh to
return the visitor’s “sister” to him, and further compensate him for the
suffering caused him. Abram returns to the Holy Land a wealthy man, “laden with
cattle, gold and silver.”
The Break with Lot
Soon after the return to Canaan, discord breaks out in Abram’s family.
Lot, who had accompanied his uncle throughout his travels and travails, was
also enriched in the process; now there developed a conflict between Abram’s shepherds and Lot’s shepherds.
Abram said to Lot: “Please, let there not be strife between me and you,
between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brothers. The entire land is
before you—please, separate from me. If you turn to the left, I’ll go right; if
you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”
Lot chooses to settle in Sodom, enticed by the fertility of its
environs, despite the fact that its residents were “extremely evil and sinful
towards G‑d.”
Following Lot’s departure, G‑d again appears to Abram and reiterates His
promise of the land to Abram’s descendents:
“Lift your eyes and look from the place in which you stand, to the
north, to the south, to the east and to the west; for all the land which you
see, I will give to you and to your seed forever.
“I will make your seed like the dust
of the earth, so that if a man can count the grains
of dust in the earth, so too shall your offspring be able to be counted. Arise
and traverse the land to its length and its breadth, for to you shall I give
it.”
The Torah now describes a regional conflict which engulfed the
city-states of the land of Canaan.
Twenty-five years before Abram’s arrival in the Holy Land, an alliance
of four kings headed by Chedorlaomer the king of Elam conquered the five
city-states of the Sodom Valley (Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Tzevoyim and Tzoar).
After twelve years of subjugation and tribute, the “five cities of the plain”
rebelled. For thirteen years they persisted in their insubordination, until
Chedorlaomer and his allies decided it was time to put down the rebellion.
The four kings massed their armies and marched to the Sodom Valley. On
the way they fought a number of battles, defeating the Rephaim, the Zuzim, the
Emim, the Horites, the Amalekites and the Emorites. They then proceeded to rout
the armies of Sodom and its sister cities. The cities of the plain were
pillaged and their inhabitants taken captive. Among the captives was Abram’s
nephew Lot. A refugee brought the news to Abram’s camp:
When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he rallied the
trained servants of his household, three hundred and eighteen in number, and
chased after [the four kings and their armies] to Dan.
He and his servants split up against them by night and smote them,
pursuing them until Chovah, which is to the left of Damascus. He recovered all
the property; also his kinsman Lot and his property were recovered, and also
the women and the people.
The grateful king of Sodom offered to Abram all the recovered property
as his reward, asking only that he restore to him the freed captives, but Abram
replied:
“I have lifted my hand in oath to G‑d most high, Possessor of Heaven and
Earth: Not a
thread nor a shoestrap, nor shall
I take anything that is yours; lest you say: ‘It was I who made Abram rich.’
Save only that which the lads have eaten, and the share of the men who went
with me—Aner, Eshkol and Mamre—they shall take their share.”
Upon his return from the battlefield, Abram is also greeted by
Malki-Tzedek the king of Salem (Jerusalem), who was “a priest of the most high
G‑d.” The king (whom the Midrash identifies as Abram’s ancestor, Shem the son
of Noah), brought an offering of bread and wine, and blessed Abram; Abram gave
him a tenth of his wealth, in fulfillment of the mitzvah of maaser (tithing).
The Covenant
Abram’s amazing victory, in which he and a handful of servants and
friends defeated the armies which had terrorized the entire region, evoked in
him not feelings of satisfaction and self-confidence, but of humility and
inadequacy. Certainly, he thought to himself, the miracles which G‑d had
performed for him had more than rewarded all his good deeds; he felt shorn of
his merits and no longer worthy of the blessings which G‑d had bestowed upon
him.
And of what use are all these blessings, he further mused, if he and
Sarai are childless? Abram had passed his seventh decade, and Sarai was but ten
years younger; what was the point of their achievements, if there would be no
one to carry on their name and path?
G‑d appears to Abram in a vision to reassure him: “Fear not, Abram, I am
your protector; your reward will yet be great.” G‑d also reiterates His promise
of the great nation which will issue from him. Earlier, G‑d had promised Abram
that his progeny shall be as numerous as the dust of the earth; now He compared
them to the stars
of the heavens:
He took him outside, and said: “Look now toward heaven and count the
stars, if you be able to count them. . . . So shall be your
offspring.”
The Torah
then describes how G‑d and Abram forged a special covenant—the “Covenant
Between the Parts”—in which the destiny of the Jewish
people was foretold. The Holy Land is bequeathed to them as their eternal
heritage, but first they must experience galut (exile and
persecution).
[Abram] said: “L‑rd G‑d, by what shall I know that I shall inherit it?”
And He said to him: “Take Me three heifers, three goats, three rams, a
turtledove and a young pigeon.”
He took to him all these, and he split them in the middle, and he placed
each half opposite its fellow; the birds, however, he did not divide.
The eagle descended upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
As the sun was near to setting, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and
behold, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.
And He said to Abram: “Know surely that your descendants shall be a
stranger in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved to them, and
they will afflict them four
hundred years.
“And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge; and afterwards
they shall come out with great
wealth.”
When the sun went down and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a
burning torch, which passed between those pieces.
On that day G‑d made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your seed I have
given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River
Euphrates.”
Ten years had elapsed since Abram’s arrival in the land of Canaan, and
still Sarai was childless. So she proposed to Abram that he take her
handmaid, Hagar, as a wife; “perhaps I shall obtain children by her.”
Hagar conceived, and began behaving haughtily toward her mistress. Sarai
responded by asserting her mastery over her maid and treating her harshly,
causing Hagar to flee Abram’s home.
An angel of G‑d found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by
the fountain on the way to Shur. He said: “Hagar the maid of Sarai! From where
do you come and where do you go?” And she said: “I flee from my mistress,
Sarai.”
An angel of G‑d said to her: “Return to your mistress, and suffer under her
hand.”
An angel of G‑d said to her: “I will multiply your seed exceedingly,
that it shall not be numbered for multitude.”
An angel of G‑d said to her: “Behold, you are with child, and you will
bear a son; you shall call his name Ishmael (‘G‑d has heard’), for G‑d has
heard your affliction.
“He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every
man’s hand will be against him.”
Ishmael was born in Abram’s 86th year.
A Father of Multitudes
Another thirteen years go by. Abram and Sarai have now been in the Holy
Land for 24 years, most of them in the Plain of Mamre at Hebron.
At age 99, Abram’s life enters a new phase. G‑d appears to him and
changes his and Sarai’s names:
"No longer shall your name be called Abram. Your name shall be
Abraham (‘Father of Multitudes’), for I have made you a father of a multitude of
nations. . . . As for Sarai your wife, you shall no longer call
her name Sarai, but Sarah (‘Princess’) shall be her name.”
Sarah, G‑d promises, will bear a son, from whom shall spring the great
nation which is to issue from them.
Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He said in his heart: Shall a
child be born to one who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety
years old, give birth?
Abraham said to G‑d: “Would that Ishmael shall live before You!”
No, said, G‑d, the nation with which I shall establish My special bond
will be the offspring of a child that will be born to you and Sarah, whom you
should name Isaac (Yitzchak, in the Hebrew, meaning “laughter”).
Ishmael, too shall be blessed: “I will make him fruitful, and multiply him
exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
But My covenant will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at
this time next year.”
The new phase in Abraham’s relationship with G‑d is to be marked by
Abraham and his household “setting My covenant in your flesh”:
“This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you your seed
after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the
flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.”
The section of Lech Lecha concludes:
Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh
of his foreskin. Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised
in the flesh of his foreskin. On that very day was Abraham circumcised, and
Ishmael his son. And all the men of his household—those born in the house and
those purchased from a stranger—were circumcised with him.
From our Sages:
G‑d spoke to Abram (Genesis
12:1)
There was once a person who was traveling from place to place, and he
saw a palace in flames. Said he: “Can it be that there is no master to this
palace?” So the owner of the palace looked out to him and said to him: “I am
the master of the palace.” By the same token, because Abraham would go around
saying, “Can it be that the world has no master?” G‑d looked out and said: “I
am the owner, the master of the world.”
(Midrash Rabbah)
G‑d spoke to Abram: “Go you from your
land . . .” (12:1)
From the time that G‑d said to our father Abraham, “Go from your land,”
and “Abraham went on, journeying southward,” there began the process of birurim—of
extracting the sparks of holiness that are scattered throughout the universe
and buried within the material existence.
By the decree of divine providence, a person wanders about in his
travels to those places where the sparks that are to be extracted by him await
their redemption. The Cause of All Causes brings about the many circumstances
and pretexts that bring a person to those places where his personal
mission in life is to be acted out.
(Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch)
Go you from your land, from your
birthplace and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you
(12:1)
“From your land”—from your will. (Eretz, the Hebrew word for
land, is etymologically related to the word ratzon—will.) “From
your birthplace”—from your emotional and behavioral self (which is the product
of a person’s environment). “From your father’s house”—from your intellect. (In
the terminology of Kabbalah, the intellect is referred to as the father within
man, since it is the progenitor of and authority over his feelings and behavior
patterns.)
(The Chassidic Masters)
Abram took with him his wife,
Sarai . . . and the souls which they had made in Charan (12:5)
Abraham would invite people into his home, give them to eat and to drink,
show them love, and bring them close to G‑d, convert them and bring them under
the wings of the Divine Presence. This is to teach us that whoever brings a
person under the wings of the Divine Presence, it is considered as if he has
created him, formed him and developed him.
(Sifri, Va’etchanan)
Maimonides describes Abram’s early
years:
No sooner was this mighty one weaned—and he was but a child—than his
mind began to seek and wonder: How do the heavenly bodies circle without a
moving force? Who turns them? They cannot move themselves! Immersed amongst the
foolish idol-worshippers of Ur Casdim, he had no one to teach him anything: his
father, mother and countrymen, and he amongst them, all worshipped idols. But
his heart sought . . . until he comprehended the truth and
understood the righteous path by his sound wisdom, and came to know that there
is one G‑d . . . who created all, and that in all existence
there is none other than Him. He came to know that the entire world
erred . . .
At the age of forty, Abraham recognized his
Creator. . . . He began to debate with the people of Ur Casdim
and take them to task, saying: “This is not the way of truth that you are
following.” He smashed the idols and began to teach the people that it is only
fitting to serve the One G‑d. . . . When he began to defeat them
with his arguments, the king wished to kill him; he was miraculously saved. He
departed to Charan and continued to call in a great voice to the world,
teaching them that there is One G‑d.
(Mishneh Torah, Laws Concerning Idol
Worship 1:3)
Other accounts give different numbers
for the age at which Abraham discovered the truth of the One G‑d. The Talmud
(Nedarim 32a) states that Abraham recognized his Creator at age three; other
sources cite the ages 4, 48 and 50. The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that these
sources are not in conflict, but rather relate to the various levels of
recognition and understanding achieved by Abraham. (Indeed, Maimonides, who
places Abraham’s moment of truth at 40, “the age of understanding,” also tells
us that his quest began soon after he was weaned, when he was but a small
child.)
Abram traversed the land (12:6)
Everything that happened to the Patriarchs is a signpost for their
children. This is why the Torah elaborates its account of their journeys, their
well-digging and the other events [of their lives]. . . . These
all come as an instruction for the future: for when something happens to one of
the three Patriarchs, one understands from it what is decreed to occur to his
descendants.
(Nachmanides)
The Canaanites were then in the land
(12:6)
The Torah itself attests that the Canaanites than ruled the Promised
Land. Yet G‑d granted it to Abraham, pledging, “To your offspring I shall give
this land”; later in our Parshah (15:18), G‑d goes a step further, saying, “To
your offspring I have given this land”—already given, in the
past tense.
Therein lies a lesson for all generations of Jews. Although we may find
ourselves in galut, under the dominion of nations more powerful
than us, this does not in the least affect our ownership of the Holy Land. The
land of Israel is ours by divine bequest, and no force on earth can take it
from us.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
And he called in the name of G‑d (12:8)
Said Reish Lakish: Read not “and he called (vayikra),” but
“and he made others call (vayakrei)).” This is to teach us that
Abraham caused G‑d’s name to be spoken in the mouths of all passersby. How so?
After they ate and drank [in his home], they wanted to bless him. Said he to
them: “Have you eaten of mine? Your food has been provided by the G‑d of the
world! Thank, praise and bless He who spoke the world into being!”
(Talmud, Sotah 10a)
When Abraham’s guests wished to bless
him for his generosity, he would say to them: “Has the food you have eaten been
provided by me? You should thank, praise and bless He who spoke the world into
being!” If they refused, Abraham would demand payment for the food they had
eaten. “How much do I owe you?” they would ask. “A jug of wine is one folarin,”
Abraham would say; “a pound of meat, one folarin; a loaf of bread,
one folarin.” When the guest would protest these exorbitant prices,
Abraham would counter: “Who supplies you with wine in the middle of the desert?
Who supplies you with meat in the desert? Who supplies you with bread in the
desert?” When the guest would realize the predicament he was in, he would
relent and proclaim: “Blessed be the G‑d of the world, from whose providence we
have eaten.”
(Midrash Rabbah; Tosefot Shantz, Sotah
10a)
What value, we might ask, was there in
such an unwilling proclamation, extracted under duress? Was this not a mere
mouthing of words, devoid of any conviction as to the truth of the One G‑d or
any desire to thank Him for His providence?
But Abraham had a vision of humanity which convinced him that every
positive deed, word or thought does have value, no matter how superficial or
hypocritical it might seem to a less discerning eye. When Abraham looked at his
guests, he did not see pagans and idolaters; he saw creatures of G‑d, men and
women who had been created in the divine image and who possessed a potential,
inherent to the very essence of their being, to recognize their Creator and
serve His will.
Most often, a kind word and a helping hand will bring to light this
inner potential. At times, however, a soul might be so encrusted by negative
influences and a corrupted character that a certain degree of pressure must be
applied to quell its resistance to a G‑dly deed. (Of course, any use of such
pressure must conform to the dictates of G‑d’s Torah, whose “ways are ways of
pleasantness, and all its pathways are peace”—as in the case of Abraham’s
legitimate demand for payment.)
Abraham understood that no human acknowledgment of G‑d can ever be
hypocritical. On the contrary: a denial of G‑d is the ultimate hypocrisy, for
it is at variance with the person’s quintessential being. When a creature of G‑d
proclaims, “Blessed be the G‑d of the world from whose providence we have
eaten,” nothing can be more consistent with his or her innermost self.
(From the teachings of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe)
“Behold, now I am aware that you are a
beautiful woman” (12:11)
How can it be that Abram has only now discovered that
his wife is beautiful?
Rashi offers three explanations. First he cites what he calls a
“Midrashic explanation” that Abram was indeed unaware of Sarai’s beauty because
of their mutual modesty, and that it only now became known to him by
happenstance. Rashi then cites a “second explanation,” that usually a person’s
looks are ruined by the difficulties of life on the road, yet Sarah retained
her beauty. Finally, Rashi concludes with “the simple meaning of the verse,”
which is that Abram was saying: I have been long aware of your beauty, but now
has come a time that it is cause for worry.
When Abram arrived in Egypt (12:14)
And where was Sarah? Abram had locked her in a chest. When he arrived at
the gates of Egypt, the tax officers said to him: “What are you transporting in
this chest?” Said he to them: “Barley.”
Said they to him: “You’re carrying wheat!”
Said he to them: “So charge me the tariff for wheat.”
“You’re carrying peppers!”
“Take the tariff for peppers.”
“You’re carrying gold!”
“Take the tariff for gold.”
“You’re carrying silks!”
“Take the tariff for silks.”
“You’re carrying pearls!”
“Take the tariff for pearls.”
Said they: If he didn’t have something truly precious, he would not
accept whatever we ask for. At that moment they said to him: “You’re not moving
from here until you open the chest and show us what’s inside.” As soon as he
opened it, the entire land of Egypt glowed from Sarai’s radiance.
(Midrash Rabbah)
There was strife between the herdsmen
of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle; and the Canaanites and the
Perizzites then dwelt in the land (13:7)
The cattle of our father Abraham would go about muzzled, while Lot’s
cattle would go about unmuzzled.
Abraham’s herdsmen would say to them: Has it become permissible to
steal?”
Lot’s herdsmen would respond: “G‑d has said to Abraham: ‘To your seed I
shall give this land.’ But Abraham is an infertile mule without progeny;
tomorrow he will die, and Lot, the son of his brother, will inherit him. So our
animals are eating what is ours.”
But G‑d said to them: I have given the land to his seed only after the
seven nations shall be uprooted from it. “The Canaanites and the Perizzites
then dwelt in the land”—as of now, they have rights in the land.
(Midrash Rabbah)
I will make your progeny like the dust
of the earth (13:17)
Just as the dust of the earth is from one end of the world to the other,
so too will your children be scattered from one end of the world to the other.
Just as the dust of the earth is made fertile only with water, so too the
people of Israel are blessed only in the merit of the Torah, which is analogous
to water. Just as dust erodes all metal utensils while it itself lasts forever,
so is it with Israel: all idolatrous nations disintegrate, while they persist.
Just as dust is trodden upon, so too your children are destined to be trodden
upon by the nations.
(Midrash Rabbah)
Not a thread nor a shoestrap, nor I
shall take anything that is yours (14:23)
In reward for Abraham’s saying, “Not a thread nor a shoestrap,” his
children merited two mitzvot: the thread of blue [in the tzitzit]
and the strap of the tefillin.
(Talmud, Sotah 17a)
Look now toward heaven and count the
stars. . . . So shall be your progeny (15:5)
When they rise, they will rise as high as the heavens; when they fall,
they will fall as low as the dust.
(Pesikta Zutrati)
And he split them in the middle (15:10)
Rashi explains that it was the custom in those times that two people who
wished to pledge everlasting friendship and devotion to each other conducted a
ceremony in which they passed together between the divided halves of a
slaughtered animal, symbolizing that just as the two halves are in truth a
single creature, so too their persons, though ostensibly two distinct beings,
are henceforth to be regarded as a single entity. Thus, a “smoking furnace and
flaming torch,” representing the Divine Presence, passed “between the parts”
together with Abraham.
In addition, our sages explain the symbolism in the animals which G‑d
told Abraham to take. On one level, they correspond with the various offerings
brought by the Jewish people in the Holy Temple. On another level, they
represent the galut of Israel in its various incarnations—the
powers to which the Jewish people will be subject in the course of their
history (Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, etc.) The eagle which came to
consume the carcasses but was shooed away represents Moshiach (the Messiah),
who will be prevented from liberating the people of Israel until the time for
the Redemption has come.
Galut is thus revealed to be not merely a punishment for the failings of
the Jewish people, but an integral part of our destiny, foretold to the very
first Jew at the forging of our covenant with G‑d.
Your descendants shall be a stranger in
a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved to them, and they will
afflict them, four hundred years (15:13)
The “four hundred years” refer to the period from the birth of Isaac (in
the year 2048 from creation—1713 BCE) to the exodus from Egypt (in 2448),
during which time Abraham’s descendants were “strangers in a land that is not
theirs.” The actual sojourn in Egypt was for 210 years, of which the final
eighty-six were a time when the children of Israel were enslaved and afflicted.
(Rashi)
Sarai had an Egyptian handmaid, whose
name was Hagar (16:1)
Hagar was Pharaoh’s daughter. When Pharaoh saw what was wrought upon his
house for Sarah’s sake, he took his daughter and gave her to her, saying:
“Better that my daughter be a maid in this house, than a mistress in a
different house.”
(Midrash Rabbah)
An angel of G‑d found
her . . . and he said. . . . An angel of G‑d said
to her. . . . An angel of G‑d said to her. . . .
An angel of G‑d said to her (16:7,
8, 9, 10, 11)
How many angels did she meet? Rabbi Yossi bar Chananiah said: Five; each
time that it says “said,” it was another angel. The other sages say: Four; each
time it says “an angel,” it was another angel.
Said Rabbi Chiya: See the difference between the earlier and later
generations! Manoach said to his wife, “We shall surely die, for we have seen
an angel” (Judges
13:22); but Hagar the maid of Sarah sees five
angels one after the other, and is not afraid of them.” Said Rabbi Yitzchak:
“The members of Abraham’s household were all prophets—she was used to seeing
them.”
(Midrash Rabbah)
No longer shall your name be called
Abram. Your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you a father of a multitude
of nations (17:5)
Abraham’s name change, in conjunction with his circumcision and his
entry into a covenant with G‑d, marked a profound turning point in his life. Up
until this point, the thrust of Abraham’s life was his spiritual relationship
with G‑d; from this point on it was to be his role as a leader of the masses, a
teacher of the divine truth to the “multitudes.” Thus the Hebrew letter hei was
added to his name. Abram (Avram, in the Hebrew) is a compound of av
ram, which means “exalted father”; Abraham stands for av hamon
goyim—a father of multitudes of nations.
But according to this, his name should have been changed to Abham. Why
was the letter reish, which stood for the ram (exalted)
in his name, left in? There is no reish in the phrase “a
father of multitudes of nations.”
Often, there is a tendency for teachers and leaders to water down their
message to their constituents. For myself, they say, I must set the highest
standards and strive to understand the most sublime truths. But it is foolish
to expect the same of everyone else. If I speak of such matters and make such
demands, I will only be perceived as out of touch with reality. Indeed, the
rarefied insight and pious behavior I have attained will only be coarsened and
debased by its communication to the masses.
Therein lies the lesson of the “irremovable reish” in
Abraham’s name. G‑d added a hei, anointing him as a leader for
the hamon (multitudes), but left the reish of
“exalted” in. For the true mark of a teacher is one who can convey the most
sublime truths to the most ordinary of minds, and the true mark of a leader is
one who can inspire the loftiest aspirations in the most mundane of hearts.
Such a teacher and leader was Abraham, and such is the quality of leadership he
bequeathed to his heirs in their role as a light unto the nations.
(From the teachings of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe
Above the
Stars
Abraham
was taken to a place beyond mere worldly possibilities.
Intermediate
From the teachings
of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; translation & commentary by Moshe Miller
"To me You have given no
offspring." (Gen 15:3)
Abraham did not pray for children,
even though Sarah was barren.
This was because he did not believe
himself to be worthy of a miracle. Another explanation is that he did not wish
to take his reward in This World, and so he left it up to the Holy One to do as
He wished.
If you contend that he declared, "To
me You have given no offspring…"; this was not a prayer, but rather
like a person declaring a fact.
[Zohar I,
137b]
He took him outside. (Gen 15:5)
The Sages taught: Children, health and
livelihood do not depend upon one's merits and righteousness, but on
one's mazal.
He thus raised Abraham above the stars….
"Mazal" does not mean "luck", as is usually understood. Rather
it refers to the sefira of keter from which divine
energy flows forth (in Hebrew, "nozel",
directly related to the word "mazal") to the other sefirot,
and ultimately to the physical world. The practical implications of this
outflow can be foretold using the science of astrology (as known to the Sages),
which examines the position of the heavenly constellations (mazalot) at
the time of a person's birth.
We deduce that Abraham saw in his
constellation that he would not have a son. But the Holy One "took him
outside", which the Rabbis interpret as meaning: "Dissociate yourself
from your astrological predictions." He thus raised Abraham above the
stars [i.e. beyond the realm of reason and
nature] and told him, "Now gaze at the heavens and count the
stars…," promising him that his offspring would be as numerous as the
stars.
We must now explain these words of the
Rabbis: Before the Torah was given to Israel all creatures
were dependent upon their mazal, including children, health and
livelihood. But when G‑d gave the Torah to Israel, He removed the control of the stars and constellations
over them [for the Torah itself transcends the
world].
Anyone who studies Torah… nullifies the power and influence of the
constellations….
This we learn from Abraham, for his
descendants would in the future receive the [Hebrew letter] hei from his name, alluding to the
five books of the Torah.
Originally, Abraham was called
"Abram". Later the letter hei was added to
his name making "Abraham". The numerical value of the letter hei equals
five.
Regarding this the verse states, "These
are the products of the heaven and the earth when they were created [in Hebrew, 'behibaram']" (Gen. 2:4)
"Abraham" has the identical
letters as "behibaram".
He said to Abraham: Because of
the hei which had been added to your name the heavens will be
in your control and all the stars and constellations which give forth light
will be subjugated to you!" Accordingly, anyone who studies Torah in order
to fulfill the commandments nullifies the power and influence of the
constellations over himself. If he does not study Torah [in order to fulfill the commandments] it is as if he did not
study at all, and he remains subject to the influence of the starts and
constellations.
[Zohar III, 216b]
Soul Journeys
The
Zohar describes the ascent of the soul in the World to Come.
A deep secret has been entrusted to the
wise hearted. There are three levels to the spiritual make up of man, each
level attached one to the other. These three levels are called Nefesh, Ruach and Neshama.The Nefesh is the life force that builds the physical
body…
The Nefesh is the life
force that builds the physical body [as the
verse states, "The blood is the life force/Nefesh"]. When a
man is aroused to unite with his wife, then all his limbs are aroused and
prepare themselves to take pleasure from it, and his Nefesh and
his higher will power are both aroused. At that moment the person's Nefesh and
its will enters to take part in the act and draws down [from the
spiritual worlds] a spirit [Nefesh] and places
it within the [person's] seed for depositing [to his
wife].
It is that strong desire, and the
drawing down of the Nefesh life force that draws down a
further power from the spiritual levels called "Ishim" which
infuses the seed. The body of the embryo is built from these powers. This is
the first and lowest level of these three levels.
Because the Nefesh is
so firmly attached to the body and its very basis and structure, it is this
level that the Temple sacrifices made atonement for. A part of this
sacrifice was also directed to the spiritual level of "Ishim"
because part of the make up of the Nefesh is from there. Hence
the phrase; "My offering, my bread for the Ishai" (Num. 28:2); because the atonement is derived from the strength of the Nefesh,
they must also take their portion. Now when a person dies in this world,
the Nefesh never leaves the place where the body is buried,
and it is this force that the dead recognize when they communicate with each
other.
The Ruach is the force
that causes this life force to endure in this world. This [Ruach] is drawn from an arousal of the [supernal Atzilut] female [Nukva] toward
the male; this occurs at the time when they desire one another, and she is
aroused to due to her desire to receive the Ruach. This resembles
what happens in This World, when she issues seed due to her desire to receive
from the male.In the middle of the Garden is a
multi-colored pillar…
This secret is reflected in the verse:
"The spirit / ruach returns to G‑d who gave
it." (Ecclesiastes
12:7) This Ruach leaves
This World [when a person dies] and
separates from the Nefesh [which remains at the burial
place]; it ascends to a place called "Gan Eden" in This
World, and there it clothes itself in the atmosphere of Gan Eden in
the same way as supernal angels dress in the atmosphere of This World when they
descend to it. This is because both angels and the spirit [Ruach] are
from the same realm, as is hinted in the verse: "He makes his angels like
spirits [in Hebrew, 'ruchot', the plural form of 'ruach']." (Psalms
104:4)
In a similar way that spirit arising
from this world dresses in that lower Gan Eden in the physical
form of the body it had in this world and enjoys the pleasures of that world.
That lower Gan Eden has images and forms from this physical
world and also from the higher spiritual realms. This lower Gan Eden is
where the righteous walk and also receive pleasure, and on Shabbats and each
New Moon they want to ascend to the next level. In the middle of the Garden is
a multi-colored pillar*, and when this spirit wishes to ascend higher it
discards its "clothing" and enters into that column and goes up to
that higher place that it originally issued forth from. This is what is meant
by the verse: "The spirit returns to G‑d who gave it".
multi-colored — the Aramaic is related to the Hebrew merukam 'embroidered'.
Then Michael, the High
Priest in this spiritual realm, offers up this spirit as a sweet smelling
sacrifice to G‑d. The spirit dwells in that realm and enjoys the essence of the
life force as is stated: "The eye [of
any prophet] has not seen G‑d except for you." (Isaiah
64:3) Afterwards the spirit returns to
the lower Gan Eden and enjoys all types of pleasures. It
dresses as is appropriate for that lower Gan Eden and sits there with a
beautiful crown many times as radiant as its previous one.
The Neshama is
the life force higher than these [the Ruach or
the Nefesh]. She comes from the strength of the masculine side,
of the Tree of Life. [The Neshama] rises up
immediately [with the death of the body to the higher Gan Eden],
and all the three levels of spirit mentioned [Nefesh, Ruach,
and Neshama] are connected and held one to the other. At
the time of the departure of a person from this physical world, they separate
one from the other and each returns to the place that it originally issued from.…They give it a spiritual passport which it can use to enter Gan
Eden
When the Ruach goes
out from This World, it first enters the cave of Adam and the
Forefathers [Machpela] who are buried
there, and they give it a spiritual passport which it can use to enter
the Gan Eden. When it gets close to there, it meets forces called
"Cruvim" and the fiery whirling sword. If deemed worthy, they
see this passport and [the soul] enters. If not deemed worthy,
she is pushed outside and sits there until her punishment ends and she is
allowed into Gan Eden. There she is dressed in the same form as she
had in This World, and on Shabbats and New Moons when she wishes to ascend, the
righteous who are in the lower Gan Eden sign her passport and
she ascends the same column in the lower Gan Eden. She meets the
"guardians of the walls of Jerusalem", and, if worthy, they take
her passport and let her enter. If not, they push her out and she returns to
the lower Gan Eden.
Now I Know
You are Beautiful to Look At
Based
on Zohar Breishit 81B
Now I Know You are Beautiful to Look At: Based on Zohar Breishit 81B
Sarah and the Divine Presence
And it came to pass, when he caused to
come near to arrive in Egypt..." (Gen.
12:11) Rabbi Elazar said, "when
he caused to come near [to
Egypt]"? whereas it should have stated, 'When he came near.'
Why does it say, "when he caused to come near?" This is similar
to the verse, "And Pharaoh caused to come near..." (Ex. 14:10) that he brought Israel to repent. The same applies here,
so "caused to come near" he brought himself [i.e. his heart and his essence] to come near to G‑d as
should properly be. [Since he was nearly] "arriving in
Egypt" [it was necessary for him to discern between Holy and
secular, and between light and darkness, so he needed to go down there to
Egypt] to observe those [low] levels [of external
forces in their chambers in order to better] keep his distance from
them [in thought] as well as from the behavior of the
Egyptians. [Abraham connected himself more closely to G‑d so as not to stumble in Egypt's evil ways.]
Rabbi Yehuda said, Come and
see! Since he went down to Egypt without consent [i.e. since G‑d said, "Go for yourself to the land
of Canaan", he should have asked for permission to leave and not
have gone to Egypt even though there was famine in Canaan, and since he left] his offspring were enslaved in Egypt for
four hundred years, as it is written: "and Abram went down to
Egypt" [meaning that he went by his own decision]. It does
not say 'Go down to Egypt!'
...he was in misery all that night because of Sarah.
And also because of this, he was in
misery all that night because of Sarah. [He was punished for the sake of
Sarah because he did not get consent from the Supernal Sarah, the Shechinah,
for he also caused Her to be in exile in Egypt because She stayed with him
there.] "And he said to Sarah his wife: 'Behold, now I know
that you are a beautiful woman to look upon'". (Gen.
12:11) Until then Abraham did not know that she was a "beautiful woman to look
upon"? This has already been explained (Baba Batra 15a) that
until then he did not look at Sarah’s physical form, because of their excessive
modesty with each other. But when he "came near to arrive in Egypt,"
she became revealed, and he saw her.
Another explanation for why he was
aware [that she was beautiful] since
most people's appearance suffers from the hardship of the journey, but Sarah
remained beautiful and her appearance did not change. Another explanation of
the words, "Behold, now I know..." is that Abraham saw
the Shechinah [the image of G‑d] accompanying Sarah. For this reason,
Abraham felt confident [that no bad would befall her] and
said: "She is my sister."
The phrase "she is my
sister" has two meanings. The first is literal [Sarah was the daughter of his brother and thus called
"sister']. The second is figurative, as in the verse, "Say to
wisdom; You are my Sister" (Proverbs 7:4) [for
the Shechinah is called the "Lower Wisdom" and
"my Sister"]. It also is written: "Please say that
you are my Sister." (Gen. 12:13) And
it is also written: "[Israel said to Moses] speak You [referring
to the Shechinah] to us." (Deut.
5:24) In speaking to the Shechinah [who appeared over the head of Sarah], he said: "That
it may be well with Me [G‑d who is tiferet, will give
bounty] to Her, and also "my soul shall live because of You," [for
the sake of Shechinah] for, as a result of this [through
the Shechinah] a person is elevated up to the path of life [tiferet, from
whence he draws life].
...as a result of this, a person is elevated up to the path of life...
BeRahamim LeHayyim:
We are to ask: when will I merit to see the Divine Presence? When will my
actions be like those of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Must I live a
completely upright existence? Do the right thing always?
What is amazing in the above selection
is that one teacher says that we all got punished because Abraham "went
down" spiritually to the low level of Egypt without G‑d's consent. And yet
there he saw the Shechinah!
The Shechinah is with
us in exile! She is right beside us always, speaking in our ear, "If we
would listen to Her voice!" And in our lowliness, she is with us! For when
we say daily before standing to speak to G‑d "who humbles the haughty, and
lifts the lowly, withdraws the captive, liberates the humble, and helps the
poor" we are to intend that the Shechinah is indeed with
us. We then stand to praise G‑d. But before this praise, we acknowledge that
She is bonded with us, even at our lowest point.
Some feel that the 2nd night
of Passover — which some treat as just the instant replay, the
Memorex version — is even higher than the first, for the Shechinah is
with us (outside of the Land of Israel).
How can we keep this consciousness,
always? How can we open our eyes to the amazing surrounding light? How can we
open our hearts to our Beloved, and say to Wisdom, You are my sister?
From The
Place Where You Are
Based
on Zohar Breishit 85A
From The Place Where You Are: Based on Zohar Breishit 85A
When Lot separated from him, the Divine
Spirit came back to rest on Abraham.
Come and see! Just as the Shechinah does
not reveal Herself in an inappropriate place, so She does not appear to anyone
who is unworthy of Her [i.e.
anyone whose body is ruled by kelipot, for if She would be
revealed, she would be encompassed in them]. So from the time that Lot
planned on returning to his evil ways, the Divine Spirit departed
from Abraham [because Lot still accompanied him]. And
when [Lot] separated from him, the Divine Spirit came back to
rest in its place. This is why it is written: "And G‑d said
to Abram, after Lot was separated from him..."
Come and see! Abraham saw that Lot returned to his evil habits, he was afraid. He said:
'Could it be, Heaven forbid, that because I associate with him, I have lost the
holy portion [in the World to Come] that G‑d adorned me with!' But as soon as Lot left him, G‑d said to him,
"Now lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you were."
...the Shechinah does not reveal Herself in an inappropriate place...
What is the meaning of the words,
"from the place where you were?" They mean from the place to
which you cleaved from the beginning [in malchut,
the opening from where holiness enters] and in which you were adorned
by the complete Faith [which is malchut, from whence
you rose up]. "Northward [towards gevura],
southward [to cling to your attribute of chesed],
eastward [towards tiferet], and westward [uniting tiferet with malchut]" -
the directions of his first journeys, as it is written: "And he went on
his journeys." And it is written: "going on still toward
the Negev [to chesed]";
these are the supernal levels with which he was first adorned with complete
faith.
And then he received the good news that
they would not depart from him or from his children forever. As it is written:
"For all the land which you see." (Gen. 13:15) What is the meaning of 'which you see'? This is the
first level that appeared to him, as it is written: 'to G‑d, who
appeared to him.' As a result, it is written: 'which you see'
because this first level includes other levels and all of the levels appear in
it. This is why it is written "For all the land which you see ..." [for all the levels appear in malchut].
...even a voyage of 1000 miles begins with a single step.
BeRahamim LeHayyim:
Today continues yesterday's discussion of how to access the Shechinah. At
the simplest level we are told to "depart from evil." A simple
statement, but oh, so hard! How to do this depends on the individual. But even
a voyage of 1000 miles begins with a single step. What am I going to do now to
"pursue good?" Where am I missing the mark? How can I go towards
the Negev in my life with complete faith? Certainly not easy questions, but
for spiritual seekers, essential ones.
Pursuing the
Hidden Sparks
The
righteous will endanger themselves to return holy sparks.
"When Abram heard his
kinsman had been captured, he armed his disciples who had grown up in his
house…and he pursued [the
captors] as far as Dan…He and his servants….attacked them,
pursuing them as far as Chovah…He Brought back all the booty and his kinsman,
Lot….Malki-Tzedek, the king of Shalem, brought out bread and wine. He was a
priest of G‑d, the Supernal One….And he gave him a tenth of
everything." (Gen. 14:15-20)
This is the way of the righteous: to chase after the wicked in order to
bring them back to the good….
Rabbi Abba said: The phrase "Abram heard" refers to the G‑dly soul. "That his kinsman had
been captured" refers to the Evil Inclination. "He armed his
disciples who had grown up in his house" refers to righteous men who have
been educated in the precepts and in the way of good, as Rabbi Abahu said,
"When a righteous tzadik sees that a wicked person has
been deserted [by his Good Inclination] and
has become trapped by his sin, he goes and grabs him, for perhaps he can bring
him back. Thus, he draws him closer and teaches him, as it is written,
"And he pursued them as far as Dan" - he chases after him, after the sentence [in Aramaic, "dina"] of Gehinom.
The Zohar derives this from
the similarity between the words dina, dina, dan which
all have their root in the word din - judgment or severity.
This is the way of the righteous: to
chase after the wicked in order to bring them back to the good…. [This is the meaning of the verse] "He and his servants…attacked
them". The G‑dly soul, together with the righteous, pursue them, rebuke
them and castigate them. "Pursuing them as far as Chovah [which
literally means 'debt' or 'guilt']." They inform them of their evil,
and they chase after them until they reveal their evil and wickedness to them,
so that they will be ashamed of their ways…This is what the G‑dly soul does.
Even the Evil Inclination, against its will, returns and repents….
What is written subsequently? "He
brought back all the booty and his kinsman, Lot". Rabbi Abahu said:
Against their will they repent, as it is written, "His kinsman, Lot,
together with his property, he brought back." Even the Evil Inclination,
against its will, returns and repents. Rabbi Abahu said: Come and see how great
is the reward of a person who makes others come back and repent. From which
verse do we deduce this? From that which is written immediately afterwards,
"Malki-Tzedek, the king of Shalem." [This
is interpreted as follows:]
The great Rabbi Chiya taught that when
the soul of a tzadik who
brought others back and helped them repent leaves his body, the archangel
Michael, who brings the souls of tzadikim before their
Creator, goes out to meet the soul of that tzadik. It states,
"Malki-Tzedek…" - this is Michael, the chief guardian of the gates of
righteousness; "…the king of Shalem" - this is Jerusalem above1; "…Brought out bread and wine" - he went
out to meet Abraham and said, "May you come in peace."
"He was a priest of G‑d, the Supernal One," as Rabbi Yosef taught: Just as there
is a High Priest [in
the Temple] below, so Michael, the archangel is the High
Priest above. He goes out and blesses
the incoming soul [of a tzadik] first,
and then he blesses the Holy One, blessed be He…as it states: Then he blessed
him saying, "Blessed is Abram of G‑d, the Supernal One, Maker of heavens
and earth." Blessed are you who had merited this. Afterwards [he
blesses G‑d, saying:] "Blesses is G‑d, the Supernal One, who has
delivered your enemies into your hand." This refers to the wicked who have
returned in your merit. You have made their soul [as the verse states
"And the souls that they had made in Haran" (above 12:5).]
G‑d… took a letter from beneath the Throne of Glory and gave it as a
crown to the soul….
"He gave him a tenth of
everything." Rabbi Yitzchak said: From the verse, we do not know
who gave to whom [i.e.
whether Abraham gave a tenth to Malki-Tzedek or to G‑d, or whether Malki-Tzedek
offered Abraham a tenth of what he had brought back. However, Rabbi Yitzchak concludes that none of these views is correct.]
[Rather,] the Holy One blessed
be He gave him [Abraham] a tenth. He took a letter from
beneath the Throne of Glory and gave it as a crown to the soul, which is Abram.
Which was this letter? The letter hei as it is written,
"Your name shall no longer be 'Abram', but 'Abraham' [below,
17:5].
Commentaries explain that the
letter hei denotes
the sefira of malchut, which is the tenth sefira, and is therefore referred to as a tenth.
"…Of everything" -
Rabbi Yehuda said: What does "of everything" mean? Of
the Shechina, of the Omnipresent One….
Suspect
Sister
When
Abraham added that "my soul would remain alive", he did not refer
only to his physical survival.
"Please say that you are my
sister, so they will be good to me for your sake, and my soul will
live on account of you." (Gen. 12:13)
Abraham explained why he
asked Sarah to describe him as her brother and not as some more
distant relative or a total stranger. If Abraham's status was anything less than Sarah's brother the Egyptians would not have any interest in securing his
goodwill.
When Abraham added that, "my
soul would remain alive" due to the stratagem of Sarah describing him
as her brother, he did not have in mind his mere physical survival. If that had
been his intention he would have said: "so that I will survive." The
words "my soul will live" is an allusion to Sarah's remaining
spiritually uncontaminated. We have a tradition that the reason a righteous
person consumes physical food is not to indulge his senses but to satisfy the
needs of his soul to carry on his task in life. (Proverbs
13:25) Abraham was motivated by similar
considerations.
...he hoped he would experience physical wellbeing as well as spiritual
wellbeing...
The reason Abraham appears to repeat
himself when he said: 1) for your sake, and: 2) because of you, is that he
hoped he would experience physical wellbeing as well as spiritual wellbeing due
to Sarah's describing herself as his sister.
Our Sages (Berachot 31) explain
"If see You shall surely see.." (I Samuel
1:11) to mean that if G‑d would
see Chana (i.e. pay attention to her prayer) and
would grant her a child, all well and good; if not she would place herself in a
compromising situation where she would surely be seen, which would force her
husband to treat her as a sota, a woman suspected of marital
infidelity. Once she would drink the waters prescribed for such a woman (Num. 5:24) her innocence would be established and G‑d would have to grant her a child as per verse 28 in that chapter.
Abraham hoped that as a result of Sarah's chastity under circumstances
resembling the compromising situation a sota finds herself in,
he and she would have a child thus assuring Abraham of his future, "my
soul will live on."
The letter vav in vechayta ('will live') also has a special significance. Abraham did not
mean that the fact that his soul would remain alive would be part of the
benefit he would experience through Sarah's lie. Whereas the survival of his
body would be an extension of "will be good to me", the direct
benefit he would derive from Sarah's lie, the spiritual dimension, i.e. the
survival of his soul would be an independent benefit, something that he would
achieve later on when Sarah would be alone in the palace of Abimelech, the
king of the Philistines. On that occasion he did not face expulsion from the
land of the Philistines on account of having been found out as a liar. (Gen. 20:15)
It is even possible that the fact that
Sarah twice found herself in the position of a sota, a woman
unjustly suspected of marital infidelity, once in the palace of Pharaoh, and
then again in the palace of Abimelech, resulted in her ability to conceive and bear a child.
Rabbi Yitzchok (a teacher of Rashi) suggests that when
the Torah appears to repeat itself: "if the woman has
not become defiled and has remained pure" (Numbers
5:28) this refers to her neither having
been unfaithful with the man with whom she is now suspected to have been
unfaithful, nor with any other man. In such a case she will be unharmed by the
waters she had drunk and able to retain seed. Accordingly, Sarah became
pregnant and bore Isaac to prove that she had been faithful to her
husband each time she found herself in the situation of a sota. The
expression "my soul will live" would refer to Abraham having children
due to the chaste conduct of Sarah.
The First
Priest
Malki-Tzedek
lost his priesthood because he blessed Abraham before he blessed G-d.
Our Sages claim that Malki-Tzedek was
identical with Noah's son Shem. (Midrash Aggadah) The
reason that the Torah interrupts the report of Lot's rescue by
reporting Malki-Tzedek's arrival is to contrast his behavior with that of the
king of Sodom. Whereas Malki-Tzedek came with gifts and a blessing
though Abraham had done nothing for him, the king of Sodom came
empty-handed, although he owed Abraham a great debt of gratitude for having saved both his life and his
kingdom. The Torah is only showing the difference between the behavior of the wicked
and that of the just.
Malki-Tzedek conferred the priesthood upon Abraham...
"..and he was a priest of the
Supreme G‑d." (ibid)
The emphasis on the word he indicates
that only he was a priest, not his descendants. The priesthood was conferred
upon Abraham as we know from the verse: "You are a priest forever." (Psalms
110:4) The Psalmist refers to the
blessing conferred upon Abraham by Malki-Tzedek. I will still explain that
Malki-Tzedek conferred the priesthood upon Abraham willingly. The words
"of the Supreme G‑d," are necessary as there were many priests of many deities.
Our Sages claim that Malki-Tzedek lost
his priesthood because he blessed Abraham before he blessed G‑d. [(Ibid.
14:19), (Ibid. 14:20), as in (Nedarim 32)] Accordingly we
would have to understand the words: "and he was a priest" to mean
that his priesthood was something of the past. He forfeited it by slighting G‑d.
The fact that the Torah did not report the unfortunate wording of
Malki-Tzedek's blessing until after hinting that he had
already forfeited the priesthood is irrelevant because the Torah was not
written till after the event.
We must try to understand what prompted
Malki-Tzedek to commit such an error. Perhaps he thought that inasmuch as
Abraham had come to recognize G‑d without parental or anyone else's guidance,
he deserved to receive a blessing first and foremost. Afterwards he blessed the
L-rd who had found pleasure in a human being such as Abraham. Malki-Tzedek may
have wanted to teach us that G‑d only truly enjoys human beings who have first made
it their business to please Him.
He expressed this thought by saying:
"Blessed Abraham to the Supreme G‑d because he made himself be fit to be a
servant of the L-rd. As a result he is blessed by the Supreme G‑d who had
committed your enemies into your hands." [According
to this, Malki-Tzedek's error consisted in using chronology as a guideline for
the order in which he formulated his blessing. E.M.] Despite the good
intention of Malki-Tzedek, this was an improper way of blessing. The servant
never takes precedence over his master.
"And he blessed him and said,
'Blessed be Abram to G‑d' etc." (Gen.
14:19)
Here we need to understand whether the
"Blessed be Abram" is the gist of the blessing intended by "And he blessed
him"? For if so, why did the Torah have to use such introductory words?
Rather, I believe that the words 'bless Abram' allude to an additional
blessing. Were this not so, the expression 'And he blessed him' should have
been followed by the word 'lemor/saying.'
...but for Abraham, G‑d would not really have a true possession in
either heaven or earth.
We must understand the matter as
follows. First Malki-Tzedek bestowed a blessing on Abraham which pertained to
his personal wellbeing such as that his enemies should not be able to harm him,
etc. Next he blessed him wishing him spiritual development – which was a
blessing directed to G‑d who should allow Abraham to be His true servant. By
being successful as a servant of the L-rd, G‑d Himself would be perceived by
man as the owner of not only the heavens but also of the earth. He wished him
that through him his descendants would acquire eternal life so that heaven and
earth would endure forever. Our
Sages (compare Zohar 1:89) have expressed all this when
they said that but for Abraham, G‑d would not really have a true possession in
either heaven or earth.
Even the closing words of
Malki-Tzedeks' blessing, i.e. "Who delivered your enemies into your
hands" which ostensibly seems to be a blessing conferred by G‑d to
Abraham, are a blessing conferred upon G‑d. G‑d considers Himself blessed
through the existence of a human being such as Abraham.
Son of Sarah
Holy
Isaac was Abraham and Sarah's true progeny.
"…Your name will no longer
be Abram, but Abraham." (Gen. 17:5)
The Midrash already stated
that when Abram cited that he had seen in his horoscope that he would not father
any children, G‑d agreed with him and told him that he was correct,
since as "Abram" he would not father children but as "Abraham" he would. The same would apply to "Sarai", as opposed
to "Sarah". (Bereishit Rabba 44:10)
Whatever he had foreseen in his horoscope applied to himself in
conjunction with his wife….
This Midrash is very difficult, since the Torah reports Abram as
siring Ishmael, not Abraham! Besides, why did the Midrash
mention that Sarai did not bear children when Abraham had never even raised the
problem of Sarai not having children? We must conclude therefore that Abraham
already knew at that time or at least surmised that any meaningful seed of his
could only be conceived through Sarah because (presumably) whatever he
had foreseen in his horoscope applied to himself in conjunction with his
wife. G‑d confirmed this when He told him that his seed would be known
through Isaac. This is why the Midrash included the name Sarah when
describing a prophecy primarily directed at Abraham. Abraham realized that the
need for Ishmael to be his son was to rid his sperm of any residual contamination
of the original serpent. Fathering Ishmael, then, was not "fathering"
in the true sense of the word.
"G‑d said: 'But your wife Sarah
will bear a son for you.'" (Gen.
17:19)
Why did G‑d add the word
"but"? G‑d may have wanted to explain to Abraham that if the gift of
a son was something intended only for Abraham, it would suffice to grant his
prayer and assist Ishmael to become worthy. However, there was another person
to be considered, his wife Sarah. Inasmuch as Sarah was destined to bear a son,
he, Abraham, had no right to waive the gift of a son by Sarah in order for Ishmael
to grow up worthy of his father.
The Torah was very particular using the word "lecha",
meaning "for you", in connection with the son Sarah would bear. She
would bear this son in answer to her prayer.
It is also possible that the Torah here
hinted at G‑d's displeasure that Abraham was satisfied with Ishmael, someone
who contained residual poisonous material from the original serpent. Had it not
been for Abraham's prayer (in the
previous verse) regarding the future of Ishmael, his son Isaac might not have originated in what kabbalists know as the "Sitra
Denukva", an emanation on the left and female side of the sefirot.
Had Isaac originated in the other side of the sefirot, he might never have fathered an Esau. The matter had
ramifications at the time of the Binding of Isaac, when Isaac received the soul
who would bear children for him, i.e. the moment at which Rebecca, his
life-partner, was born.
The Soul of
Mashiach
The
four kings represented forces of evil which prevented the revelation of
G-dliness in the world.
Once Abraham settled in the
land of Israel, along with his nephew Lot, he was forced to engage in a
war involving five kings who rebelled against four Canaanite kings. (Gen.
ch. 14)
Abraham went to war in order to rescue Lot, who, by mutual agreement, had
made his homestead away from his uncle. (ch. 13) The Sages say that
Lot had become involved in immorality, and therefore Abraham preferred that
they live separately. But, if that's the case, why did Abraham see fit to
rescue him afterwards from the four Canaanite kings who had captured him?
...because of the soul of King David who was within Lot at the
time.
Here, the Maharal of Prague proposed a
fascinating explanation. Abraham did this, "because of the soul of King David who was within Lot at the time." According to the Maharal,
the soul of King David was dwelling in Lot, and for this reason
Abraham had to rescue him.
It is well established that many very
lofty souls would descend from Lot through one of his daughters. From her son
named Moab, and from the nation he founded would come the convert Ruth,
who would become the great-grandmother of King David, the progenitor of Mashiach ben David. But the idea that
the actual soul of King David was en-clothed in an immoral person like Lot is
hard to fathom.
Shem miShmuel explains:
We know that the four kings represented
forces of evil which prevented the revelation of G‑dliness in the world. Three
of the kings corresponded to the cardinal sins of idolatry, murder, and sexual
offenses (such as incest). The fourth king was as bad as all of them combined,
though we're not told exactly what his transgressions were.
Spiritually opposing these wicked kings
were the three forefathers – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob – and King
David. But, each of them, in his turn, had to go through purification, in order
to become the tzadik that we now know him as, and to rectify
these terrible sins.
Abraham, the man of loving-kindness,
had to go through the trial of sojourning in Egypt, which on the surface looked
like a beautiful place, but really captured and concealed anything spiritual or
G‑dly. By briefly sojourning in Egypt (and by undergoing circumcision), he
rectified the transgression of sexual immorality.
Isaac, the man known for his fear of G‑d, had to confront the
Philistines, a people known for their habit of scoffing and laughing at
everything – the opposite of standing in awe of G‑d. By spending a period of time among the Philistines, Isaac rectified
the transgression of idol worship.
And Jacob, the man of truth, had to undergo the tests
of Esau and Laban, both of them liars and murderers. Thus, he
rectified the transgression of murder. Having undergone these tests and
overcome them, the forefathers became the paragons of their respective paths of
service of G‑d.
Finally, we come to King David, who had
to undergo the most unique type of purification.
King David narrates over and over again how humble his life experiences
have made him.
When we examine
the Psalms authored by King David, the trait that stands out is his
humility. King David narrates over and over again how humble his life
experiences have made him. Whether he is being pursued by Saul, or
fighting Goliath, or repenting over his sins, he is the most humble and
self-effacing of men.
But, in Lot we see the opposite. Lot
saw himself as the heir to Abraham, and indeed, as the father of the world. It
was his haughtiness and arrogance which qualified him as the fourth and worst
of the negative forces. Arrogance includes, and leads to, all of the other
cardinal sins mentioned above. King David's soul had to be clad in Lot's arrogant
body in order for King David to undergo the necessary purification and emerge
as the humble King of Israel from whom Mashiach would come.
Abraham understood that, and this is
why he went to war in order to rescue his nephew. And it is because of him that
we find ourselves living today "on the heels of Mashiach," as we
await the final redemption.
[From "Inner Lights
from Jerusalem": based on the Shem miShmuel and other Chassidic and
Kabalistic Sources, by Rabbi David Sterne, who also authored "Love Like
Fire and Water: A Guide to Jewish Meditation."]
Corporal Love
of the Infinite
It
is not enough to serve G-d with the soul alone.
There was a famine in the
land. Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a time, since the
famine in the land had grown severe. As they approached Egypt, he said to his
wife Sarai, "Look, I know you to be a woman of beautiful appearance. When
the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife,' and they will kill me
and allow you to live. If you would, say that you are my sister, so that it may
go well with me for your sake, and through you my life will be spared." (Gen. 12:10-13)
"Say that you are my sister…": Spiritually, Abraham signifies the soul
and Sarah the body. Sending Sarah into the "lion's den" reflects the idea that it is not
enough to serve G‑d with the soul alone, depriving the body of its
physical fulfillment. Rather, the body must be sent into the dangerous air of
"Pharaoh's house" - i.e., engage in physical pursuits, such as
eating, earning a living, and marrying. When a person engages in these pursuits
and not only emerges unscathed by them but succeeds in spiritualizing them,
therein lies the greatest benefit for both body and soul.The body must emulate the holiness of the soul…
However, in order to successfully
contend with the physical world, the body must emulate the holiness of the
soul. A person's love for G‑d can be an expression of his soul's closeness to G‑d or of his
body's distance from G‑d. The soul's love of G‑d is like that of a sister for a
brother: natural and consistent. The body's love for G‑d, on the other hand, is
like the love of one spouse for another: not innate, and therefore
theoretically terminable. True, the body's love for G‑d, like spousal love, is
more dramatic and powerful, precisely because the inherent
distance between lover and beloved allows them to bond with concomitant
intensity, to "become one flesh" (unlike sibling love). Nevertheless,
in order for the body to succeed in its mission, it must remain conscious of
the advantage of the constancy of the soul's love of G‑d. Thus: it must enter
"Pharaoh's house", but pose as a sister rather than a wife. (Likutei
Sichot, vol. 20, p. 40-44)
"…so that it will good for me
on your account": Abraham understood that his sojourn in Egypt was to play a role in the
fulfillment of G‑d's promise: "I will bless you and make your name
great," which included monetary success. (Rashi ad loc.)
He also understood that this would happen through Sarah. As the sages* say,
"Blessing is present in the home on account of the woman, as it is
written, And he treated Abram well on her account."(Bava
Metzia 59a) Abraham also saw an angel walking before Sarah; said
he: "She is protected, not I." [Zohar 3:51a, cited
in Igrot Kodesh, vol. 2, p. 181. Likutei Sichot, vol.
20, p. 39]
*
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneersohn points out that it is
specifically Rava who makes this pronouncement, since as
the Arizal explains, Rava and
Abram share the same soul (Likutei Levi Yitzchak, Igrot Kodesh, p. 377).
Spiritually, Abraham recognized his
descent to Egypt as a means to elevate the sparks of holiness there. That is
what he meant by "so that they will give me gifts": the wealth of
Egypt would enter the realm of holiness. (Likutei Sichot, vol.
20, p. 39) This served as a precedent for the
wealth-laden exodus of the Jews from Egypt some 400 years
later. (Likutei Sichot, vol. 5, p. 61. See commentary to Exodus
11:2)
Attaining the
Real You
When
the Jewish people conquered the Land of Israel, they changed its spiritual
nature and it thereby became forever the "Jewish" land.
"G‑d said to Abram,
"Go: from your land, from
your birthplace, from your father's house — to the land that
I will show you." (12:1)
"Go": Literally, this command reads,
"Go to you." This instruction to Abram is also an instruction for every individual: "Go to you"
—- return and connect to the real you, to your essence and spiritual root.1
...our challenge is to connect the earthly dimension of our soul...with
its transcendent root.
Only a small part of the soul enters
the body and enlivens it. The greater part of the soul, its root, remains
above, transcending the limitations of the physical world and experiencing
Divinity as clearly and naturally as we experience materiality. During our stay
in this world, our challenge is to connect the earthly dimension of our soul
(whose physical perception has blinded it to Divinity) with its transcendent
root. "The more we connect with our root, the more we, too, will be able
to see Divinity." 2 Thus,
the Torah tells us:
"Go to yourself": return to your inner core, by going—
"From your land": that is, by transcending your earthly desires,
"From your birthplace": by overcoming your natural habits and inclinations, and
"From your father's house": by transcending the intellectual limitations of your animating
soul (since the intellect "fathers" ideas and, eventually, emotions
as well).
"Leaving our birthplace" (overcoming our natural habits and inclinations) means first and
foremost overcoming negative inclinations, such as anger and jealousy. 3 But beyond this, we must also
"overcome" our good inclinations, such as the desire to give charity;
we must do good deeds because this is God's command and not only because our
natural inclination to do good drives us to. Only then can we be sure that we
are transcending our earthly selves and connecting with the higher dimension of
our soul. 4
There is a healthy, holy type of lowliness, which encourages us to
fulfill God's will...
"From your land...to the
land": Land, which is constantly
trampled underfoot, symbolizes lowliness. There is a healthy, holy type of
lowliness, which encourages us to fulfill God's will, and there is an
unhealthy, negative type of lowliness, which prevents us from fulfilling our Divine
mission. Healthy lowliness is the humility we feel when we realize that we are
standing in God's presence at all times. Unhealthy lowliness is the slavish
submission to our animalistic cravings for the lowly, physical aspects of life,
such as food. We, as human beings, the apex of creation, should rightfully rule
over the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms; when we allow them to wield
power over us, we succumb to the ultimate in self-degradation. This unhealthy
lowliness is actually a product of unhealthy haughtiness: our
inflated sense of self-worth convinces us that we deserve whatever form of
indulgence we can enjoy without consequences.
The Torah therefore instructs us: "Go from your land,"
i.e. from unhealthy lowliness, "to the land that I will show you," to
the healthy lowliness that stems from Divine awareness. 5
"Go…that I will show you": Just as, in order to spread the
message of God to all humanity, it became necessary to isolate a unique nation
from all others and dedicate it as God's messengers, it also became necessary
to isolate a unique homeland for that nation from all other countries and
designate it as the stage from which God's nation would deliver His message to
the world.
Inasmuch as the purpose of creation was
to reveal Divinity in a realm innately not conducive to such a revelation, the
Land of Israel had to parallel this dynamic. Therefore, even though
God designated it as the Jewish homeland as soon as it was created, He first
gave it to pagan nations, intending that the Jewish people later conquer it
from them.
When the Jewish people conquered the
Land of Israel, they changed its spiritual nature and it thereby became forever
the "Jewish" land. Even during their exiles, the Land of Israel
remains the Jewish people's land. 6
* * *
God's command to Abraham in
this verse can additionally be seen as a command to us to leave the comfort of
our own insulated lives and venture out to the world-at-large in order to
transform it into a Godly place. Naturally we would rather remain apart from
the world, instead sequestering ourselves in our cocoon of prayer and Torah
study. God therefore tells us that if we enter the real world, our full inner
potential will be realized and our true, best selves will be manifest; this
never could have happened had we stayed focused solely on our own
self-improvement.
With this explanation in mind, God's
words can now be read, "Go…that I may show [the world the real]
you." 7
Metaphorically, this command is given to every soul about to be born, which must then
descend from its source in the heavenly spheres through progressively lower
gradations, gaining more definition, self-awareness, and distance from God at
each step, until it reaches the physical plane. Its next step is to begin the
process of ascent, traveling back in the opposite direction to transcend the
shortsighted perspective of the body. Finally, it must then transcend even its
own holy inclinations. This verse can thus be explained as follows:
"Go": Descend from the highest levels —
"From your land": The word for "land" (eretz) is related to the
word for "will" or "desire" (ratzon).
"Land" therefore alludes to God's will, which is identified with
the sefira of keter. The soul is thus told to take
leave of its lofty roots (keter) and descend to
the next level, chochma.
"From your birthplace": Divine insight (chochma) is called
"father," since chochma "fathers" and
gives birth to ideas. The soul must leave this level as well and descend even further,
into the realm of understanding (bina).
"From your father's house": Bina is the womb where the seed of chochma is
developed and expanded, which is why it is called "your father's
house." The soul must descend even further —
"to the land": i.e. to the physical world: This is the ultimate, most difficult
descent, yet through it the soul arrives in this world, which is the
"land"—
"that I will show you": The non-descriptive "I" refers to God's essence, which
is likewise beyond description. God promises the soul that in the merit of
descending into this world and fulfilling the commandments, it will be shown
the "I" of God, enabling it to cleave to God's essence.
Once the soul enters this world and
becomes garbed in a human body, it is commanded and given the strength to —
"Go": this time in the opposite
direction, from the lowest sphere to the highest —
...the soul must transcend the animalistic desires of the body.
"From your land": "Land," as we have explained above, alludes to will and
desire. Firstly, the soul must transcend the animalistic desires of the body.
It is then told to go —
"From your birthplace": i.e. to transcend the assumptions and limited perspective of the
intellect and emotions of the ego. It must then go —
"From your father's house": i.e. to transcend those
behavioral habits that it acquired and became accustomed to due to a faulty
education and less-than-perfect environment. It must go beyond all of these
limitations—
"to the land that I will show you": to a holy place, such as a synagogue or place of Torah study,
where the desires of the Divine soul dominate and prevail.
Only after we have successfully
transcended the limitations of the body's animating soul can we then proceed to
the next task, that of transcending even the inclinations of the Divine soul,
its own ratzon (land), chochma (birthplace),
and bina (father's house), and reach a level that is beyond
reason, "the land that I will show you," a
place where the soul does not merely comprehend Divinity but
actually sees it. 8
From another perspective:
"From your land": from the coarseness of the netzach, hod,
and yesod of the animating soul;
"From your birthplace": from the habits of the animating soul, its chesed, gevura,
and tiferet;
"From your father's house": from the chochma, bina and da'at of
the animating soul.
Reward for
Selflessness
Somewhere
hidden within our selfish motives, all of us have the proper selfless ones.
In this week's Torah reading,
after Abraham's defeat of the four kings, G‑d assures him,
"Don't be afraid…your reward is very great". (Gen. 15:1) Rashi explains that Abraham was concerned that he had received all of his reward for his
righteousness, and G‑d was allaying these fears. This seems puzzling, since it is known
that Abraham's divine service was totally selfless, only for the sake of
Heaven. One very famous example was Abraham's willingness to
sacrifice Isaac, his only son. If Abraham was so selfless, why did G‑d
need to assure Abraham of his reward?
There is a similar comment at the
beginning of the parasha, when G‑d told Abraham to move
to Israel, saying that Abraham's name would be made great. (Gen. 12:2) Abraham had said of himself he was 'dust and ashes' (Gen.
18:27), so why would someone so humble need
to be aggrandized? And if he did not need it, why did G‑d do it?
Because of Abraham's immense humility, he considered himself only a tool
for performing G‑d's will….
The Lubavitcher Rebbe answers
that, because of Abraham's immense humility, he considered himself only a tool
for performing G‑d's will. His life's work was teaching G‑d's Oneness to the
world. Any honor given to him personally, Abraham automatically attributed to G‑d
and credited himself with nothing. Since even the mention of Abraham went
hand-in-hand with recognition of G‑d, when G‑d said he would make Abraham's
name great, it was understood that through Abraham's fame, G‑d was being made
great.
This also explains Abraham's concern
over his reward. He was not worried about his reward for personal reasons, but
rather for sake of "public opinion". If he was doing well it would be
a glorification of G‑d. His desire was that people in the world would also
understand that serving G‑d was not only the way of truth but would also
benefit them. Therefore, Abraham was concerned that he had received all of his
reward and he therefore would no longer merit riches and honor. He worried that
people would hear of his newfound poverty and shame and interpret it to mean
that belief in G‑d would be to their physical detriment-that G‑d could not
grant material goodness. Therefore, G‑d assured him "…your reward is
great."
When we focus on the selfless aspect of our own behavior, then our
children also will integrate this into their lives….
From the above, we understand that
Abraham was a great man. What can the rest of us, not yet on his level learn
from this? The Sages of the Talmud have taught us that "From
doing things 'not for the sake of Heaven', one will come to do them 'for the
sake of Heaven'"(Pesachim 50b). Somewhere hidden within our
selfish motives, all of us have the proper selfless ones. When a person does
positive things, whether helping a neighbor or studying Torah, for some personal benefit, this is only a reflection of the needs of
the body. Simultaneously, deep down, the soul wants the reward for G‑d's sake
so the world will see that serving Him has auxiliary benefits.
When we understand our mixed
motivation, we do not have to be put off because of our apparent need for a
reward. Rather we have to force ourselves to see past the surface and focus on
the soul's positive side. We thereby fulfill the Talmudic dictum, that doing
things not for the sake of Heaven will bring us to doing things for the sake of
Heaven.
There is a comparable lesson here in
how to raise our children. Parents are often disappointed because they cannot
convey to their children the values they see as important. As long as we see
ourselves as being motivated for personal reward, no matter what we tell our
children, that will be their starting point. But when we focus
on the selfless aspect of our own behavior, then our children also will
integrate this into their lives.
Think Before
You Speak
To
separate from the Baal Shem Tov was very hard, but the joy was that he was
moving to the Holy Land.
Rabbi Ze'ev-Wolf Kitzis, a close disciple of the Baal Shem Tov, came to say
good-bye to his master. It was both a sad and happy moment. To separate from
the Baal Shem Tov was very difficult, but the joyful reason was that
he was leaving for the Holy Land. The Baal Shem Tov spoke to him seriously:
"You should keep in mind that everything that happens in life,
whether seemingly significant or not, is part of the Divine Plan. So in every
situation it is important to think first before acting or even speaking. And if
you should encounter someone on the way and he should ask you something, be
sure to think carefully before answering him."
...the ship pulled into a small port on a tiny, uninhabited island...
Early in the morning after two weeks at
sea, with a good part of the journey yet ahead, the ship pulled into a small
port on a tiny, uninhabited island, for a short stop to pick up supplies. The
passengers disembarked, to stretch their legs and break the monotony of the
long voyage.
The peaceful solitude and striking
scenery stirred in R. Wolf powerful emotions and appreciation of the beauty
of G‑d‘s creation. Adorned in tallis and tefillin he
stood in a secluded idyllic spot, absorbed in his Morning Prayer.
When R. Wolf was "absorbed"
in prayer, it meant just that: absolute total involvement.
Nothing could break into his concentration, not even the ship‘s horn and the
calls of the captain and the sailors for all passengers to return aboard. When
he finally finished he looked up, but instead of his ship on the dock, all he
could see was a shrinking dot on the horizon.
Realizing the desperateness of his
situation, he began to explore the island, hoping to find signs of human
civilization. "Boruch HaShem–Blessed be G‑d" he thought, at least he had his tallis and tefillin with him. He certainly did not expect to find another Jew on this
tiny speck in the ocean.
Shortly before nightfall he noticed a
wispy column of smoke, rising over the trees. He excitedly walked towards this
beacon of hope, and finally came upon a small house tucked into the slope of a
steep mountain. He knocked on the door several times and after a long while it
swung open. A distinguished elderly man emerged. He had a distinctive Jewish
look!
He greeted R. Wolf warmly and calmed
his fears. "Don’t worry," he said. "There will be another ship
heading for Eretz Yisroel in a few days." He explained that
although very few people lived on the island, it was part of the Turkish empire
and used mainly as a stopping place and supply depot for passing ships.
"Meanwhile," he said, "Shabbos approaches. Let’s prepare
and enjoy it together."
The man was clearly learned in Torah and
observant of the commandments, and it was a pleasure to converse with him. But
every attempt by R. Wolf to find out some detail of his host’s life was
rebuffed by a mysterious smile, a shrug, or a change of subject. Nevertheless
the Shabbos was a delight, with most of the time spent in prayer and Torah study.
"...perhaps you can tell me briefly how is life for the Jews
there?"
Sunday morning another ship arrived,
and since it was going in the right direction, R. Wolf arranged to continue his
voyage on it. His host came to see him off. As he set foot on the ramp to go up
to the ship, the man said to him: "By the way, seeing as you passed
through Russia and Poland on your way here, perhaps you can tell me briefly how
is life for the Jews there?"
"Life for the Jews there?"
repeated R. Wolf, pre-occupied with his boarding. "Boruch HaShem,
they live, day by day, ‘thanks be to G‑d for He is good and His mercy is
everlasting’" (Ps. 136:1), he answered briefly.
As the ship pulled anchor and edged its
way out to the ocean’s deep waters, R. Wolf continued to stare at the vanishing
features of his distinguished host. Suddenly the thought crashed into his
reverie: perhaps that last question he asked me is what the Baal Shem Tov had
in mind when he cautioned me. With a sinking feeling, he realized his pious
response did not measure up to his master’s instructions. His apprehension
grew. At the next stop he decided to disembark, and to return home without even
reaching the Holy Land. He had to apologize to the Baal Shem Tov and find out
from him how to rectify the matter.
A few weeks later, a dismayed and
humble R. Wolf presented himself with foreboding before his master. The Baal
Shem Tov asked for a detailed report of his voyage. When he got to his final
conversation with the mysterious man of the island, the Baal Shem Tov seemed to
be hanging on every word.
"Stop!" he cried out.
"Enough! Such a great opportunity reared its head to you and you let it go
by!" Two tears rolled down the tzaddik’s cheeks. R. Wolf
shuddered in remorse and fear. "I came back as quickly as possible in
order to fix whatever damage I caused," he choked out.
The Baal Shem Tov dismissed his plea
with a wave of his holy hand. "There is nothing for you to do. You already
"paid" for it by giving up your voyage to Israel in order
to return here.
"I’ll explain it all to you,"
he continued. "Our forefather, Avraham, complained sharply to the One
Above about the long duration of bitter exile. The Holy One, blessed-be-He
answered him that the situation of the Jews is not so bad as he implied. To
clarify the matter it was decided to have Avraham our forefather meet with an honest Jew, someone who had never
uttered a false word his entire life. You, my friend, merited to spend a Shabbos
with Avraham our forefather himself. But when he asked you about the welfare of
the Jews, you should have answered that we are suffering heavily and are
outcasts, and that we all desperately look forward to our complete redemption.
Instead you automatically answered, ‘Everything is fine Boruch HaShem,’
and now we have to remain sunk in our exile even longer," sighed the Baal
Shem Tov - May it end soon.
Translated from Sichat
HaShavuah and Sipurei Chasidim.
Biographical note:
Rabbi Yisrael [18 Elul 1698 – Shavuot 1760],
son of Eliezer and Sara, known as the Baal Shem Tov ("Master
of the Good Name"), formally revealed the Chassidic movement in 1734.
Shortly thereafter, he moved to Medzibuz. One work based on his
teachings, Tzava’at Ha-Rivash, has been published (Kehot) in
annotated English translation.
Lech Lecha | לך לך
| “Go
forth “” –
On hearing the still voice of our Most High
The reading from the book
of Genesis is named Lech Lecha (לך לך).
It means “Go
Forth.”
The verse says, “Now the Most High said to Abram, ‘Go forth
(lech lecha לך לך)
from your country.’” Section Lech Lecha introduces
Abraham and tells the story of his pilgrimage in pursuit of G-d.
Jewish people represented
by their forefather Abraham on the one hand and Most High on the other hand –
unites them forever into an indivisible oneness, As the Zohar says, “Israel,
Torah and Most High are all one.”
“Go Forth” to Make Torah
Disciples….
“Go Forth” to Teach(Torah
of Mashiach) all Nations.
– Matthew 28:19–20
Moses received the Torah
from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua (his disciple) Joshua to the elders;
the elders to the prophets, the prophets to the men of the Great Assembly. The
Men of the Great Assembly said three things, ‘Be deliberate in judgment, raise
up many disciples, and make a fence for the Torah.” (Avot 1:1, 2)
It was expressed as a Son to Father relationship. In Rabbinic
literature, the Torah sage is the Father and his disciples are called his
family, hence terms like Beit Hillel “The House of Hillel.” The collected words
of the Torah Masters are called “Sayings of the Fathers.” The sages say that
your Teacher is to be accorded higher honor than your birth father, because
your birth father brought you into this world, but your teacher brings you into
the next world. (Bava Metsi’a 2:11)
“Every disciple fully
trained will be like his teacher.” -Luke 6:40
For in the Messiah I
became your father through the Good News… – I Corinthians 4 : 15
Torah
——–
Genesis 12:1–17:27
Gen. 24:40
Genesis 17:7–8
Genesis 26:3
Genesis 28 : 13 – 14
Haftarah Portion
————————
Isaiah 40:27–41:16
Amos 9:14–15
Ezekiel 36:8–10
Jeremiah 29:13
Psalms 45:11
Ha-Berit ha-Hadashah
——————————–
Matthew 1:22–23
Romans 4:1-25
Galatians 3:27–29
Matthew 28:19–20
Hebrews 6:13–15
John 14:27
Hebrews 11 : 1
Notes:
This week’s parshah
(Torah Portion) Lech Lecha (Gen. XII,1–XVII,27) describe the Covenant between
the Parts (ברית בין הבתרים),
a.k.a. the Covenant of the Pieces, when G-d entered into eternal covenant with
Abraham (at the time called Abram).
Lech Lecha: Finding
Ourselves and Hearing the Call
This parsha, “Lech Lechah,” marks the beginning of Abraham’s
travels from a pagan land to the Land of Israel.
The journey of the Jewish
people begins with Abraham, whose own story begins with a physical and
spiritual journey.
It was said by the
prominent hassidic rabbi, Lubavitcher Rebbe, that Lech Lecha (“Go, to
you”)–“…are the most important words ever spoken in history. With these words,
G-d set Abraham on the course that would reverse the process of degeneration
that humanity had been locked into ever since the expulsion from the Garden of
Eden, a course that would eventually lead it to the Giving of the Torah on
Mount Sinai.
G-d tells Abraham: I need
you to leave your comfort zone. I need you to make efforts to come to me. I
need you to make changes in your life. And without a second thought, Abraham
follows — so much so, that the Torah records Abraham as describing himself as
“walking before G-d!” [see Gen. 24:40]
This is what spiritual
growth is all about — leaving our comfort zone, to be closer to G-d. And thanks
to the strength bestowed upon us by our forebears, G-d knows we are up to the
task. We merely need to put one foot in front of the other, to make the effort
to go towards Him.
To Abraham:
“I will establish My
covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants
after you for the generations to come, to be your G-d and the G-d of your
descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a
foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants
after you; and I will be their G-d.” (Genesis 17:7–8)
To Isaac:
“To you [Isaac] and your
descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to
your father Abraham.” (Genesis 26:3)
To Jacob:
“I am the Lord, the G-d
of your father Abraham and the G-d of Isaac. I will give you [Jacob] and your
descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the
dust of the earth, and … all peoples on earth will be blessed through you and
your offspring.” (Genesis 28:13–14)
“Arise, walk in the land
through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” (Genesis13:17)
“I will give you every
place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” (Joshua 1:3)
Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen- Hebrews
11:1
And I will bless you:
with money (Genesis Rabbah 39:11). and [you shall] be a blessing: The blessings
are entrusted into your hand. Until now, they were in My hand; I blessed Adam
and Noah. From now on, you may bless whomever you wish. (Gen. Rabbah) (ad
loc.). Another explanation: “And I will make you into a great nation”: This is
[the basis] of saying the G-d of Abraham. “And I will bless you”: This is [the
basis] of saying the G-d of Isaac. “And I will aggrandize your name”: This is
[the basis] of saying the G-d of Jacob [in the initial benediction of the
Silent Prayer.] You might think that [the first benediction of the Silent
Prayer] should be concluded [by mentioning] them all. Therefore, Scripture
states: and [you shall] be a blessing with you they will conclude, and not with
them. [i.e., The closing of the blessing is the shield of Abraham, and not the
shield of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.] [from Pes. 117b] shall be blessed in you:
There are many aggadoth, but this is its simple meaning: A man says to his son,
May you be like Abraham. And so is every instance of [the words] “shall be
blessed with you” in Scripture. And the following [text] proves this (below
48:20):“With you, Israel shall bless, saying: May G-d make you like Ephraim and
like Manasseh.” – [from Sifrei, Naso 18]
But he shall receive an
hundredfold now in This Time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers,
and children, and LANDS, with persecutions; and in the world to
come eternal life – Mark 10 : 30
“Listen daughter and
behold, incline your ear and forget your people and your father’s house.”
(Psalms 45:11)
The Midrash says that this verse is hinting at Avraham. Listen
refers to Avraham who listened to the voice of Hashem who said, “Lech Lecha.!
Go!” Behold also refers to Avraham who saw the Divine Presence when Hashem
appeared to him. Notice that the verse says, “Hear daughter and behold. . .”.
It reflects Avraham’s experience. He heard, he acted, (the word daughter which
separates between hear and behold), then he saw the Divine Presence.
May we hear the call of
“Lech lecha,” hearing G-d’s desire that we bring our lives and our will into
partnership with the holy divine.
May we know when to trust
the sacred voice within, and may our journey bring us peace. Amein – GADDI
Lech Lecha –
Children of Abraham
Two Covenants
There are two covenants God made with
Abraham, namely:
1. Covenant between the pieces (Gen 15:18);
2. Covenant of circumcision (Gen 17:4).
These are the covenant of the tongue
and the covenant of the flesh (Sefer Yetzirah).
Brit Milah בְּרִית מִילָה
(circumcision of the flesh) below parallels Brit Lashon בְּרִית לָשׁוֹן
(circumcision of the tongue) above.
The covenant between the pieces involved three
animals, each cut in half and divided, paralleling the six Sefirot on the right
side and on the left side. The two birds were not divided, with turtledove
paralleling “Crown” and “Knowledge” in union, and pigeon paralleling
“Foundation” and “Kingdom” in union, all on the central axle of the Tree of
Life, as follows:
|
|
Turtledove
– Da’at in union with Keter |
|
|
Half
of heifer – Binah |
Half of heifter – Chochmah |
|
|
Half
of goat – Gevurah |
Half of goat – Chesed |
|
|
Half
of ram – Hod |
Half of ram – Netzach |
|
|
|
Pigeon – Yesod in union with Malchut |
The union between Keter (crown) and
Da’at (knowledge) is called the higher knowledge, and the union between Yesod
(foundation) and Malchut (kingdom) is called the lower knowledge.
Secret of Procreation
The union of “crown” and “knowledge” is of the
mind, which draws down soul from the light in the higher world. The average
number of “crown” and “knowledge” is 547, which is the gematria of “soul”
spelled out, as follows:
|
Crown |
כֶּתֶר |
620
/ 2 |
Soul
(Nefesh) |
נֶּפֶשׁ |
|
|
Knowledge |
דַּעַת |
474 / 2 |
Spelled out |
נון פא שין |
547 |
|
|
547 |
The union of “foundation” and “kingdom” starts from
the heart (emotions) but consummates in the flesh (action), which creates new
life in the lower world, their gematria is 576:
|
Yesod
(foundation) |
יְסוֹד |
80 |
|
Malchut
(kingdom) |
מַלְכוּת |
496 |
|
|
576 |
The lower union parallels the higher union in
perfect unison, as the highest of Crown is called Faith, and the marital
bonding between Yesod and Malchut is also called Knowledge, their gematria is
also 576:
|
Faith |
אֱמוּנָה |
102 |
|
Knowledge |
דַּעַת |
474 |
|
|
576 |
Abraham is the first man of faith,
the father of faith. Abraham is also the first man of circumcision, the father
of circumcision.
576 is also the gematria of the following phases,
all dealing with the secret of procreation:
|
High
(spiritual), low (physical) |
עֶלְיוֹן שָׁפָל |
576 |
|
And
fountain of the soul (Neshamah) |
וּמַעְיָן הַנְּשָׁמָה |
576 |
|
And
the mouth is female and the Milah is male |
וְהַפֶּה נְקֵבָה וְהֵמִילָה זָכָר |
576 |
|
And
give birth to male and give birth to female |
וּמוֹלִיד זָכָר וּמוֹלִיד נְקֵבָה |
576 |
|
And
there will be soul and there was body |
וְהָיָה נֶּפֶשׁ וַיְהִי גוּף |
576 |
The prefix Vav converts Hayah וְהָיָה from past to future, denoting gladness in the
process of drawing down soul. In contrast, the prefix Vav converts Yehi וַיְהִי from future to past, denoting anguish in the
process of soul being clothed in the body.
Secret of Brit Milah
Brit Milah בְּרִית
מִילָה in gematria is 697, which is the
same gematria of the following phrases:
|
Circumcise
skin and foreskin |
מָל מָעוֹר וְעָרְלָה |
697 |
|
Covenant
of the Yesod |
בְּרִית הַיְסוֹד |
697 |
|
Tongue
and foreskin |
לָשׁוֹן וְעָרְלָה |
697 |
|
50
gates of understanding |
שַׁעַר ה-נ הֲבִינָה |
697 |
|
Crown
of life |
עֲטֶרֶת חָי |
697 |
The secret of circumcision is the
revelation of the 50 gates of understanding, in that the veil (skin) מָעוֹר is removed, and the “crown of life” עֲטֶרֶת
חָי is revealed.
The spelling out of “skin” is 732, which is the
gematria of “foreskin of the heart” עָרְלַת
לֵב, as follows:
|
Skin |
מָעוֹר |
|
|
Spelled
out |
מם עין וו ריש |
732 |
This comes to teach that the deeper
meaning of “Brit Milah” is the circumcision of both the foreskin and the heart.
The gematria of “circumcise the foreskin of the
heart and foreskin” is 1118, which is the same gematria of the Shema, as
follows:
|
Circumcise
the foreskin of heart and foreskin |
מָל הָעָרְלַת לֵב וְעָרְלָה |
1118 |
|
Hear
Israel YHVH our God YHVH is one |
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד |
1118 |
The average number of the two circumcisions is:
1118 / 2 = 559, which is the gematria of “Knowledge” and “Milah”, where
knowledge corresponds to heart, and “Milah” corresponds to the male organ
(flesh), as follows:
|
Of
the heart (from the mind) |
Knowledge |
דַּעַת |
474 |
|
Of
the flesh (from the heart) |
Milah |
מִילָה |
85 |
|
|
559 |
The higher knowledge is of the mind
(intellect), which descends to heart (emotions) to arouse physical drive and to
induce the lower knowledge (marital bonding in action).
The gematria of “mind” and “heart” is 80, which is
the same of “foundation” יְסוֹד, the euphuism for the flesh, as
follows:
|
Mind |
מֹחַ |
48 |
|
heart |
לֵב |
32 |
|
|
80 |
The fruit of the “Foundation” is the seed, which
transmits to “Kingdom” to engender life. The gematria of “Foundation” and
“Knowledge” is exactly twice the gematria of “seed” זֶרַע, which is 277, as follows:
|
Knowledge |
דַּעַת |
484
/ 2 |
|
Foundation |
יְסוֹד |
80 / 2 |
|
|
277 |
And “seed” is the “secret of light” סּוֹד אוֹר,
which in gematria is also 277. The light descends from the mind, through the
heart, and condensed in the Foundation as the seed.
The formula:
|
Light
(of the mind) |
אוֹר |
207 |
|
Mouth
(of the heart) |
פֶּה |
85 |
|
Brit
Milah (of the flesh) |
בְּרִית מִילָה |
697 |
|
|
989 |
989 = 1978 / 2, and 1978 is the gematria of the
higher knowledge and the lower knowledge, as follows:
|
Higher
knowledge (of the mind) |
דַּעַת עֶלְיוֹן |
640 |
|
Lower
knowledge (of the flesh) |
דַּעַת תַּחְתּוֹן |
1338 |
|
|
1978 |
Ishmael and Isaac
Abraham produced two seeds, one is of
the flesh, and one is of the promise.
The gematria of Ishmael יִשְׁמָעֵאל is 451, which is exactly the gematria of Abram
(prior to name change) and Hagar, as follows:
|
Abram |
אַבְרָם |
243 |
|
Hagar |
הָגָר |
208 |
|
|
451 |
“Ishmael the son of the bondwoman” יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן
הָאָמָה in gematria is 554, which is exactly
the gematria of “son
of flesh”
בֶּן בָּשָׂר,
for he was born to Abram when he was yet uncircumcised.
In contrast, Isaac is called the son of the
freewoman, יִצְחָק בֵּן
הַחָפְשִׁיָּה in Gal 4:21. The original name of Isaac
is spelled with
a Shin יִשְׂחָק and the gematria of “Isaac son of the freewoman” (with a Shin) יִשְׂחָק בֵּן
הַחָפְשִׁיָּה is 878, which is exactly the
gematria of the following verse:
|
כִּי בְיִצְחָק, יִקָּרֵא לְךָ זָרַע |
…for
in Isaac shall seed be called to you… (Gen 21:12) |
This “seed” is interpreted in Gal
3:16 as Mashiach, and 878 is exactly the gematria of Mashiach מָּשִׁיחַ spelled out (מם
שין יוד
חית).
The gematria of “Ishmael and Isaac” is exactly the
same gematria of “sons of flesh and sons of promise”, as follows:
|
Ishmael
and Isaac |
יִשְׁמָעֵאל וַיִּצְחָק |
665 |
|
Sons
of flesh and sons of the promise |
בְּנֵי הַבָּשָׂר בְּנֵי הַהַבְטָחָה |
665 |
Father of Faith
Abraham is the father of faith, and
“The faith of our father Abraham” הָאֱמוּנָה אַבְרָהָם
אָבִינוּ in gematria is 424, which is exactly the same
gematria of Mashiach ben David מָּשִׁיחַ
בֶּן דָּוִד.
Those that followed the footsteps of Abraham are
called: “The children of the freewoman” (Gal 4:31) and the gematria of “The
children of the freewoman to Abraham” בְּנֵי
הַחָפְשִׁיָּה לְאַבְרָהָם in gematria is 748, which is exactly the gematria
of the following key prophecy about faith:
|
וְצַדִּיק, בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה |
But
the righteous shall live by his faith (Hab 2:4) |
Abraham is called the father of many
nations, meaning all those from the nations that believe in the promise of God
in faith, which is Mashiach, as symbolized by Isaac.
“Father of many nations” has a gematria of 163, but
when each of the 10 letters is spelled out, the gematria becomes 916, as
follows:
|
Father
of many nations |
אַב-הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם |
163 |
|
Spelled
out |
אלף בית הה מם וו נון גמל וו יוד מם |
916 |
The pregnant (secret) letters in gematria therefore
is: 916 – 163 = 753, which is exactly the gematria of Abraham and Sarah, as
follows:
|
Abraham |
אַבְרָהָם |
248 |
|
Sarah |
שָׂרָה |
505 |
|
|
753 |
This comes to teach us that Abraham
and Sarah are the father and mother of all believers from all the nations.
Children of Abraham
Abraham is the first believer, and his faith is
counted to him as righteousness, as it is written:
|
וְהֶאֱמִן, בַּיהוָה; וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ, צְדָקָה |
And
he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness. (Gen
15:6) |
Those who follow the footsteps of
Abraham by faith are called “Children of Abraham” בְּנֵי אַבְרָהָם,
the gematria is 310, which is the gematria of “Something” יֵשׁ,
as in the phrase of “Something
from Nothing”
יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן,
which in gematria is 411.
Abraham and Sarah had no son, and
hence there is “nothing”, Ayin אַיִן.
By faith, they have received the son
of promise, hence “there is something”, Esh יֵשׁ.
The miracle of having a son for Abraham and Sarah
is therefore “something from nothing”, יֵשׁ
מֵאַיִן. The parallel is now clear:
|
From
Nothing |
Something |
|
מֵאַיִן |
יֵשׁ |
|
From
nothing |
Children of Abraham |
|
מֵאַיִן |
בְּנֵי אַבְרָהָם |
All those who believe are therefore
the “son” in the collective sense promised to Abraham, and they are called “Children
of Abraham”, representing the “Something” from “Nothing”.
“Nothing” denotes lowliness, and the
gematria of “Nothing” אַיִן is 61, which is exactly the same of
“In Nations” בַּגֹּויִם.
Astonishingly, the gematria of “children of Abraham
from nothing” is exactly the same gematria of “Abraham the father of many
nations” that called the believers “from all nations on earth”:
|
Something
from nothing |
יֵשׁ מֵאַיִן |
411 |
|
Abraham
father of many nations |
אַבְרָהָם אַב-הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם |
411 |
|
Children
of Abraham from nothing |
בְּנֵי אַבְרָהָם מֵאַיִן |
411 |
|
And
from all the nations of the earth |
וּמִכָּל גּוֹיֵ הָאָרֶץ |
411 |
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