(יז) וַיֵּצֵ֣א מֶֽלֶךְ־סְדֹם֮ לִקְרָאתוֹ֒ אַחֲרֵ֣י שׁוּב֗וֹ מֵֽהַכּוֹת֙ אֶת־כְּדׇרְלָעֹ֔מֶר וְאֶת־הַמְּלָכִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתּ֑וֹ אֶל־עֵ֣מֶק שָׁוֵ֔ה ה֖וּא עֵ֥מֶק הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ (יח) וּמַלְכִּי־צֶ֙דֶק֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ שָׁלֵ֔ם הוֹצִ֖יא לֶ֣חֶם וָיָ֑יִן וְה֥וּא כֹהֵ֖ן לְאֵ֥ל עֶלְיֽוֹן׃ (יט) וַֽיְבָרְכֵ֖הוּ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר בָּר֤וּךְ אַבְרָם֙ לְאֵ֣ל עֶלְי֔וֹן קֹנֵ֖ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃ (כ) וּבָרוּךְ֙ אֵ֣ל עֶלְי֔וֹן אֲשֶׁר־מִגֵּ֥ן צָרֶ֖יךָ בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וַיִּתֶּן־ל֥וֹ מַעֲשֵׂ֖ר מִכֹּֽל׃ (כא) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־סְדֹ֖ם אֶל־אַבְרָ֑ם תֶּן־לִ֣י הַנֶּ֔פֶשׁ וְהָרְכֻ֖שׁ קַֽח־לָֽךְ׃ (כב) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אַבְרָ֖ם אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ סְדֹ֑ם הֲרִמֹ֨תִי יָדִ֤י אֶל־יְהֹוָה֙ אֵ֣ל עֶלְי֔וֹן קֹנֵ֖ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃ (כג) אִם־מִחוּט֙ וְעַ֣ד שְׂרֽוֹךְ־נַ֔עַל וְאִם־אֶקַּ֖ח מִכׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־לָ֑ךְ וְלֹ֣א תֹאמַ֔ר אֲנִ֖י הֶעֱשַׁ֥רְתִּי אֶת־אַבְרָֽם׃ (כד) בִּלְעָדַ֗י רַ֚ק אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָֽכְל֣וּ הַנְּעָרִ֔ים וְחֵ֙לֶק֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָלְכ֖וּ אִתִּ֑י עָנֵר֙ אֶשְׁכֹּ֣ל וּמַמְרֵ֔א הֵ֖ם יִקְח֥וּ חֶלְקָֽם׃ {ס}
(17) When he returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh, which is the Valley of the King. (18) And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High. (19) He blessed him, saying,
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth. (20) And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your foes into your hand.”
And [Abram] gave him a tenth of everything. (21) Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the possessions for yourself.” (22) But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I swear to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth: (23) I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’ (24) For me, nothing but what my servants have used up; as for the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre—let them take their share.”
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth. (20) And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your foes into your hand.”
And [Abram] gave him a tenth of everything. (21) Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the possessions for yourself.” (22) But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I swear to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth: (23) I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’ (24) For me, nothing but what my servants have used up; as for the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre—let them take their share.”
(יג) וְאַנְשֵׁ֣י סְדֹ֔ם רָעִ֖ים וְחַטָּאִ֑ים לַיהֹוָ֖ה מְאֹֽד׃
(13) Now the inhabitants of Sodom were very wicked sinners against the LORD.
(ב) עָשׂ֣וּ מִלְחָמָ֗ה אֶת־בֶּ֙רַע֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ סְדֹ֔ם וְאֶת־בִּרְשַׁ֖ע מֶ֣לֶךְ עֲמֹרָ֑ה שִׁנְאָ֣ב ׀ מֶ֣לֶךְ אַדְמָ֗ה וְשֶׁמְאֵ֙בֶר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ צְבֹיִ֔ים וּמֶ֥לֶךְ בֶּ֖לַע הִיא־צֹֽעַר׃
(2) made war on King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar,
קנה שמים וארץ. כְּמוֹ עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ (תה' קל"ד); עַל יְדֵי עֲשִׂיָּתָן קְנָאָן לִהְיוֹת שֶׁלּוֹ:
קנה שמים וארץ MAKER, or POSSESSOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH — similar to (Psalms 134:3) עשה שמים וארץ “Maker of heaven and earth”: through His having made them He acquired them as His possession.
Lech Lecha by Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld, Published in the Jewish Chronicle, 15 October, 2021
Rashi argues that the phrase in Melchitzedek’s blessing, koneh shamayim va’eretz, literally “the one who acquired heaven and earth,” means that God owns the world, by virtue of having created it.
But the Midrash identifies a bit of syntactic ambiguity in this blessing. Although “creator” seems like an apt description of God, in fact, the statement is explicitly framed as a blessing for Abraham.
According to the Midrash, when Abraham welcomed guests to his open tent, he would instruct them to offer blessings to God in thanks for that which they had eaten.
The Midrash continues: “Because you made my name known to my creations, said God, it is as if you partnered with Me in the creation of the world. And this is why it says ‘creator of heaven and earth’” (Bereshit Rabbah 43:7).
Abraham exercised his power in the world not through physical creation, but by sparking recognition of the Divine within all those who passed through his home. Heaven and earth, God’s grand creations, were imbued with deeper meaning through Abraham’s thoughtful hospitality.
Rashi argues that the phrase in Melchitzedek’s blessing, koneh shamayim va’eretz, literally “the one who acquired heaven and earth,” means that God owns the world, by virtue of having created it.
But the Midrash identifies a bit of syntactic ambiguity in this blessing. Although “creator” seems like an apt description of God, in fact, the statement is explicitly framed as a blessing for Abraham.
According to the Midrash, when Abraham welcomed guests to his open tent, he would instruct them to offer blessings to God in thanks for that which they had eaten.
The Midrash continues: “Because you made my name known to my creations, said God, it is as if you partnered with Me in the creation of the world. And this is why it says ‘creator of heaven and earth’” (Bereshit Rabbah 43:7).
Abraham exercised his power in the world not through physical creation, but by sparking recognition of the Divine within all those who passed through his home. Heaven and earth, God’s grand creations, were imbued with deeper meaning through Abraham’s thoughtful hospitality.
קונה שמים וארץ כתב רש"י (רש"י על בראשית י״ד:י״ט) קונה כמו עושה על ידי עשייתו קנאן להיות לו ואלה שני פנים הם ואולי כן הדבר שיבא לשון קנין בענין העשייה וכן כי אתה קנית כליותי (תהלים קלט יג) שיכפול תסוכני בבטן אמי וכן הלא הוא אביך קנך הוא עשך ויכוננך (דברים לב ו) כי הלשון יאמר "קנין" בעשייה וההפך אשר עשו בחרן (בראשית י״ב:ה׳) קנו ומאשר לאבינו עשה (בראשית ל״א:א׳) והנכון מה שאמר עוד קנאן להיות לו כי כל אשר לאדם יקרא קנינו ויקראו הצאן "מקנה" בעבור היותו עיקר רכוש האדם ולשון חכמים (ב"מ י) המגביה מציאה לחבירו קנה חבירו הבטה בהפקר קניא (שם קיח) חצרו של אדם קונה לו שלא מדעתו (שם יא) וכן בכל מקום תבוא להם במקום זכיה כלומר שהוא שלו ולזה נתכוין אונקלוס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית י״ד:י״ט) שתרגם דקניניה ולא אמר "קנה":
KONEI (POSSESSOR) OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. Rashi wrote: “Konei is similar to osei (maker); through His having made them He acquired them as His possession.”
But these are really two different interpretations. Perhaps it is indeed the case that the word kinyan (acquisition) is also used in the case of asiyah (making). Thus you find, For Thou ‘kanita’ (hast made) my reins, repeating the thought [expressed in the second half of the verse], Thou hast knit me together in my mother’s womb. A similar case is the verse, Is He not ‘konecha’ thy father? Hath He not made thee, and established thee? Thus the Sacred Language uses kinyan in the case of “making.” Conversely, And the souls which ‘asu’ [literally, they made] in Haran, means “they acquired.” And of that which was our father’s ‘asah’ (hath he made) — [here too it means “hath he acquired.”]
That which Rashi says further — “He acquired them as His possession,” is correct, for whatever belongs to a person is called kinyano (his acquisition). Sheep are called mikneh because they constitute the main wealth of a person. In the language of the Sages: “He who picks up a find for his friend, his friend kanah [has taken title to it];” “watching gives ‘keniya’ (the right of possession) in ownerless property;” “a man’s yard koneh (obtains title) for him without his knowledge.” Similarly, the Sages, in all places, use the expression of kinyan for taking possession, meaning that it is his. This was the intention of Onkelos when he translated konei (of heaven and earth) as d’kinyanei, [meaning “Whose possessions are heaven and earth”], and he did not say kanah (who acquired).
But these are really two different interpretations. Perhaps it is indeed the case that the word kinyan (acquisition) is also used in the case of asiyah (making). Thus you find, For Thou ‘kanita’ (hast made) my reins, repeating the thought [expressed in the second half of the verse], Thou hast knit me together in my mother’s womb. A similar case is the verse, Is He not ‘konecha’ thy father? Hath He not made thee, and established thee? Thus the Sacred Language uses kinyan in the case of “making.” Conversely, And the souls which ‘asu’ [literally, they made] in Haran, means “they acquired.” And of that which was our father’s ‘asah’ (hath he made) — [here too it means “hath he acquired.”]
That which Rashi says further — “He acquired them as His possession,” is correct, for whatever belongs to a person is called kinyano (his acquisition). Sheep are called mikneh because they constitute the main wealth of a person. In the language of the Sages: “He who picks up a find for his friend, his friend kanah [has taken title to it];” “watching gives ‘keniya’ (the right of possession) in ownerless property;” “a man’s yard koneh (obtains title) for him without his knowledge.” Similarly, the Sages, in all places, use the expression of kinyan for taking possession, meaning that it is his. This was the intention of Onkelos when he translated konei (of heaven and earth) as d’kinyanei, [meaning “Whose possessions are heaven and earth”], and he did not say kanah (who acquired).
קנה שמים וארץ שבחו בלשון זה לפי שראה בימיו עולם בנוי חרב ובנוי.
קונה שמים וארץ, “(the Lord) Who owns heaven as well a earth.” Malki Tzedek (Shem,son of Noach) used this formulation as he had witnessed in his own lifetime how a world which had been a going concern had been destroyed and rebuilt.
(ט) לוּלֵי֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת הוֹתִ֥יר לָ֛נוּ שָׂרִ֖יד כִּמְעָ֑ט כִּסְדֹ֣ם הָיִ֔ינוּ לַעֲמֹרָ֖ה דָּמִֽינוּ׃ {פ}
(9) Had not the LORD of Hosts
Left us some survivors,
We should be like Sodom,
Another Gomorrah.
Left us some survivors,
We should be like Sodom,
Another Gomorrah.
(מט) הִנֵּה־זֶ֣ה הָיָ֔ה עֲוֺ֖ן סְדֹ֣ם אֲחוֹתֵ֑ךְ גָּא֨וֹן שִׂבְעַת־לֶ֜חֶם וְשַׁלְוַ֣ת הַשְׁקֵ֗ט הָ֤יָה לָהּ֙ וְלִבְנוֹתֶ֔יהָ וְיַד־עָנִ֥י וְאֶבְי֖וֹן לֹ֥א הֶחֱזִֽיקָה׃
(49) Only this was the sin of your sister Sodom: arrogance! She and her daughters had plenty of bread and untroubled tranquillity; yet she did not support the poor and the needy.