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(לא) וַיִּקַּ֨ח תֶּ֜רַח אֶת־אַבְרָ֣ם בְּנ֗וֹ וְאֶת־ל֤וֹט בֶּן־הָרָן֙ בֶּן־בְּנ֔וֹ וְאֵת֙ שָׂרַ֣י כַּלָּת֔וֹ אֵ֖שֶׁת אַבְרָ֣ם בְּנ֑וֹ וַיֵּצְא֨וּ אִתָּ֜ם מֵא֣וּר כַּשְׂדִּ֗ים לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ אַ֣רְצָה כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ עַד־חָרָ֖ן וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃ (לב) וַיִּהְי֣וּ יְמֵי־תֶ֔רַח חָמֵ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים וּמָאתַ֣יִם שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּ֥מׇת תֶּ֖רַח בְּחָרָֽן׃ {פ}
(31) Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan; but when they had come as far as Haran, they settled there. (32) The days of Terah came to 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.
(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃ (ב) וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃ (ג) וַאֲבָֽרְכָה֙ מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖ אָאֹ֑ר וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָֽה׃ (ד) וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ אַבְרָ֗ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר אֵלָיו֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִתּ֖וֹ ל֑וֹט וְאַבְרָ֗ם בֶּן־חָמֵ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ וְשִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה בְּצֵאת֖וֹ מֵחָרָֽן׃ (ה) וַיִּקַּ֣ח אַבְרָם֩ אֶת־שָׂרַ֨י אִשְׁתּ֜וֹ וְאֶת־ל֣וֹט בֶּן־אָחִ֗יו וְאֶת־כׇּל־רְכוּשָׁם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָכָ֔שׁוּ וְאֶת־הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ בְחָרָ֑ן וַיֵּצְא֗וּ לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ אַ֣רְצָה כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַ֥רְצָה כְּנָֽעַן׃ (ו) וַיַּעֲבֹ֤ר אַבְרָם֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ עַ֚ד מְק֣וֹם שְׁכֶ֔ם עַ֖ד אֵל֣וֹן מוֹרֶ֑ה וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י אָ֥ז בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
(1) יהוה said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (2) I will make of you a great nation,
And I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
And you shall be a blessing.
(3) I will bless those who bless you
And curse the one who curses you;
And all the families of the earth
Shall bless themselves by you.” (4) Abram went forth as יהוה had commanded him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. (5) Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed, and the persons that they had acquired in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in the land of Canaan, (6) Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, at the terebinth of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land.
Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah, p. 48
Much has been made of the second word in this phrase, lecha, which means 'for you.' No translation quite captures the sense of the Hebrew ('Go you,' 'Get you,' 'Go for yourself'). [Note: Everett Fox translates it as 'Go-you-forth']
Much has been made of the second word in this phrase, lecha, which means 'for you.' No translation quite captures the sense of the Hebrew ('Go you,' 'Get you,' 'Go for yourself'). [Note: Everett Fox translates it as 'Go-you-forth']
Mei HaShiloach, Vol I, Genesis, Lech Lecha 1
(1) ...God said to him, “Lech L’cha,” move yourself forward, meaning to yourself, to your true source, for truly all the matters of this world cannot be termed “life,” and the main point of life you shall find in yourself.
(1) ...God said to him, “Lech L’cha,” move yourself forward, meaning to yourself, to your true source, for truly all the matters of this world cannot be termed “life,” and the main point of life you shall find in yourself.
Dr. Avivah Zornberg, The Beginning of Desire, p. 86
The emphasis here is on Abraham's quest for himself, for the root of his own life. This is the literal rendition of lekh lekha - 'Go to yourself'; only in the movement inwards is the God-joy that is true life to be found.
The emphasis here is on Abraham's quest for himself, for the root of his own life. This is the literal rendition of lekh lekha - 'Go to yourself'; only in the movement inwards is the God-joy that is true life to be found.
USCJ and RA, Etz Chayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 70, citing Alshekh
Physically we leave our home first, then our neighborhood, and finally our country. Emotionally, however, leaving one's geographic country of origin is easier than leaving one's family
Physically we leave our home first, then our neighborhood, and finally our country. Emotionally, however, leaving one's geographic country of origin is easier than leaving one's family
Richard Eliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah, p. 48
The point of this order is not geographical. It is emotional…arranged in ascending order of difficulty…It is hard to leave one’s land, harder if it is where one was born, and harder still to leave one’s family
The point of this order is not geographical. It is emotional…arranged in ascending order of difficulty…It is hard to leave one’s land, harder if it is where one was born, and harder still to leave one’s family
Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Bereshit, p. 113
We are referring to a spiritual rather than physical withdrawal, beginning with the periphery and ending with the inner core.
We are referring to a spiritual rather than physical withdrawal, beginning with the periphery and ending with the inner core.
Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah, p. 51
The narrative conveys far more that the mark of Abraham is obedience. Leave your land: 'And Abram went.' Sacrifice your son: 'Abram got up early.' The tests that Abraham undergoes are not necessarily tests of faith but are certainly tests of obedience. At this stage in relations between God and humans, God appears to single out a human who will do what he is told. This will change gradually in the Tanak, as humans grow and mature and God cedes more responsibility for the world to them. But for now, obedience is sought.
The narrative conveys far more that the mark of Abraham is obedience. Leave your land: 'And Abram went.' Sacrifice your son: 'Abram got up early.' The tests that Abraham undergoes are not necessarily tests of faith but are certainly tests of obedience. At this stage in relations between God and humans, God appears to single out a human who will do what he is told. This will change gradually in the Tanak, as humans grow and mature and God cedes more responsibility for the world to them. But for now, obedience is sought.
Dr. Avivah Zornberg, The Beginning of Desire, p. 74
For the first time, a journey is undertaken not as an act of exile and diminuition (Adam, Cain, and the dispersed generation of Babel), but as a response to a divine imperative that articulates and emphasizes displacement as its crucial experience. For what is most striking here is the indeterminacy of the journey...his destination is merely 'the land that I shall show you': from 'your land,' the landscape of your basic self-awareness, to a place that you will know only when the light falls on it with a difference.
For the first time, a journey is undertaken not as an act of exile and diminuition (Adam, Cain, and the dispersed generation of Babel), but as a response to a divine imperative that articulates and emphasizes displacement as its crucial experience. For what is most striking here is the indeterminacy of the journey...his destination is merely 'the land that I shall show you': from 'your land,' the landscape of your basic self-awareness, to a place that you will know only when the light falls on it with a difference.
Paul Simon, Me & Julio Down By the Schoolyard
Well I'm on my way
I don't know where I'm going
I'm on my way
I'm taking my time
But I don't know where
Well I'm on my way
I don't know where I'm going
I'm on my way
I'm taking my time
But I don't know where
Dr. Avivah Zornberg, The Beginning of Desire, p. 75
This directionless traveling is in one sense a travailing [Fr. for childbirth is 'travail'] that is intimately connected with the quest for birth. The Oxford English Dictionary glosses travel: '1. torment, distress, suffer afflictions, suffer pains of parturition. 2. make a journey, from one place to another.'
This directionless traveling is in one sense a travailing [Fr. for childbirth is 'travail'] that is intimately connected with the quest for birth. The Oxford English Dictionary glosses travel: '1. torment, distress, suffer afflictions, suffer pains of parturition. 2. make a journey, from one place to another.'
USCJ and RA, Etz Chayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 69
Instead of asking one individual or one family to be good in isolation, God seeks to create a community, a people, descendants of a God-fearing couple, in the hope that the members of that community would sustain and reinforce each other. In that way, ordinary people would be capable of displaying extraordinary behavior.
Instead of asking one individual or one family to be good in isolation, God seeks to create a community, a people, descendants of a God-fearing couple, in the hope that the members of that community would sustain and reinforce each other. In that way, ordinary people would be capable of displaying extraordinary behavior.
Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Genesis, p. 112
Abraham, as he left for the promised land, was to be considered the only glimmer of light wandering through a world of thick darkness, eventually spreading, illuminating the whole of mankind, enveloping the whole world with its glow, 'from the shining of the sun to its going down' - 'in thee shall be blessed all the families of the earth.'
Abraham, as he left for the promised land, was to be considered the only glimmer of light wandering through a world of thick darkness, eventually spreading, illuminating the whole of mankind, enveloping the whole world with its glow, 'from the shining of the sun to its going down' - 'in thee shall be blessed all the families of the earth.'
Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah, p. 49-50
The Tanak is so focused on the people of Israel that one can underestimate the overwhelming significance of its opening section...God leaves the species alive but chooses and individual who will produce a family that will ultimately bring blessing to all the families of the earth. To make sure we get it, it is the final point of God's first revelation to Abraham:..To make sure we do not forget it, it is repeated four times - and also in crucial moments of revelation...The social and moral point is that Abraham's descendants are not to live by themselves or only for themselves.
The Tanak is so focused on the people of Israel that one can underestimate the overwhelming significance of its opening section...God leaves the species alive but chooses and individual who will produce a family that will ultimately bring blessing to all the families of the earth. To make sure we get it, it is the final point of God's first revelation to Abraham:..To make sure we do not forget it, it is repeated four times - and also in crucial moments of revelation...The social and moral point is that Abraham's descendants are not to live by themselves or only for themselves.
Genesis Rabbah 39:14, cited in Bialik & Ravnitsky, Sefer Ha-Aggadah: Legends from the Talmud and Midrash, p. 351
'The souls that they had made in Haran'- (Genesis 12:5) these are the proselytes they welcomed, which shows that he who brings a stranger near and causes him to become a proselyte is deemed as though he had created him.
'The souls that they had made in Haran'- (Genesis 12:5) these are the proselytes they welcomed, which shows that he who brings a stranger near and causes him to become a proselyte is deemed as though he had created him.
Rabbi David Kasher, ParshaNut, p. 24, 26
[Rashi writes] up to the place of Shekhem - In order to pray for the Children of Jacob, when they would eventually go and do battle in Shekhem...So again, following Rashi's transhistorical reading of the journey, Abraham went to Shekhem, saw his great-grandchildren fighting, and prayed for them. And then he went to visit Alon Moreh, and there were his descendants, now a whole people, accepting the Oath of the Torah as they prepared to enter the land. And then he saw, as he peered through this window into the future, that the Canaanaites would then be in the land. And he knew, already in the first moments after hearing God's command, everything about how that command would echo through the generations. He could see the Torah straight through to the end.
[Rashi writes] up to the place of Shekhem - In order to pray for the Children of Jacob, when they would eventually go and do battle in Shekhem...So again, following Rashi's transhistorical reading of the journey, Abraham went to Shekhem, saw his great-grandchildren fighting, and prayed for them. And then he went to visit Alon Moreh, and there were his descendants, now a whole people, accepting the Oath of the Torah as they prepared to enter the land. And then he saw, as he peered through this window into the future, that the Canaanaites would then be in the land. And he knew, already in the first moments after hearing God's command, everything about how that command would echo through the generations. He could see the Torah straight through to the end.
(ט) וַיִּסַּ֣ע אַבְרָ֔ם הָל֥וֹךְ וְנָס֖וֹעַ הַנֶּֽגְבָּה׃ {פ} (י) וַיְהִ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיֵּ֨רֶד אַבְרָ֤ם מִצְרַ֙יְמָה֙ לָג֣וּר שָׁ֔ם כִּֽי־כָבֵ֥ד הָרָעָ֖ב בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
(9) Then Abram journeyed by stages toward the Negeb. (10) There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.
USCJ and RA, Etz Chayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 72
This is the first mention of Egypt in Israelite history, foreshadowing the ambiguous nature of their future relationships. On the one hand, it was a place of shelter in time of distress; on the other, a region of mortal danger.
This is the first mention of Egypt in Israelite history, foreshadowing the ambiguous nature of their future relationships. On the one hand, it was a place of shelter in time of distress; on the other, a region of mortal danger.
Genesis Rabbah 40:6, cited in Bialik & Ravnitsky, Sefer Ha-Aggadah: Legends from the Talmud and Midrash, p. 34
'And Abraham went down to Egypt' (Gen 12:10) - The Holy One said: Go and tread out a path for your children.
'And Abraham went down to Egypt' (Gen 12:10) - The Holy One said: Go and tread out a path for your children.
(יב) אַבְרָ֖ם יָשַׁ֣ב בְּאֶֽרֶץ־כְּנָ֑עַן וְל֗וֹט יָשַׁב֙ בְּעָרֵ֣י הַכִּכָּ֔ר וַיֶּאֱהַ֖ל עַד־סְדֹֽם׃ (יג) וְאַנְשֵׁ֣י סְדֹ֔ם רָעִ֖ים וְחַטָּאִ֑ים לַיהֹוָ֖ה מְאֹֽד׃
(12) Abram remained in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the Plain, pitching his tents near Sodom. (13) Now the inhabitants of Sodom were very wicked sinners against יהוה.
(יד) וַֽיהֹוָ֞ה אָמַ֣ר אֶל־אַבְרָ֗ם אַחֲרֵי֙ הִפָּֽרֶד־ל֣וֹט מֵֽעִמּ֔וֹ שָׂ֣א נָ֤א עֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ וּרְאֵ֔ה מִן־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֣ה שָׁ֑ם צָפֹ֥נָה וָנֶ֖גְבָּה וָקֵ֥דְמָה וָיָֽמָּה׃ (טו) כִּ֧י אֶת־כׇּל־הָאָ֛רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה רֹאֶ֖ה לְךָ֣ אֶתְּנֶ֑נָּה וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֖ עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃ (טז) וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֖ כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר ׀ אִם־יוּכַ֣ל אִ֗ישׁ לִמְנוֹת֙ אֶת־עֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ גַּֽם־זַרְעֲךָ֖ יִמָּנֶֽה׃ (יז) ק֚וּם הִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ בָּאָ֔רֶץ לְאׇרְכָּ֖הּ וּלְרׇחְבָּ֑הּ כִּ֥י לְךָ֖ אֶתְּנֶֽנָּה׃
(14) And יהוה said to Abram, after Lot had parted from him, “Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west, (15) for I give all the land that you see to you and your offspring forever. (16) I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring too can be counted. (17) Up, walk about the land, through its length and its breadth, for I give it to you.”
(ה) וַיּוֹצֵ֨א אֹת֜וֹ הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֗יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ׃ (ו) וְהֶאֱמִ֖ן בַּֽיהֹוָ֑ה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ לּ֖וֹ צְדָקָֽה׃
(5) [Then in the vision, God] took him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them”—continuing, “So shall your offspring be.” (6) And he put his trust in יהוה, who reckoned it to his merit.
Rashi on Genesis 15:5
(1) ויוצא אתו החוצה AND HE BROUGHT HIM FORTH OUTSIDE — Its real meaning is: He brought him outside his tent so that he could look at the stars. Its Midrashic explanation is: Go forth from (give up) your astrological speculations — that you have seen by the planets that you will not raise a son; Abram indeed may have no son but Abraham will have a son: Sarai may not bear a child but Sarah will bear. I will give you other names, and your destiny (מזל planet, luck) will be changed.
(1) ויוצא אתו החוצה AND HE BROUGHT HIM FORTH OUTSIDE — Its real meaning is: He brought him outside his tent so that he could look at the stars. Its Midrashic explanation is: Go forth from (give up) your astrological speculations — that you have seen by the planets that you will not raise a son; Abram indeed may have no son but Abraham will have a son: Sarai may not bear a child but Sarah will bear. I will give you other names, and your destiny (מזל planet, luck) will be changed.
USCJ and RA, Etz Chayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 83
From an earth-bound perspective, a star looks tiny. From the viewpoint of heaven, each star is a world by itself. The descendants of Abraham seem insignificant in terms of numbers and power, but each one is an indispensable part of God's plan. Each individual Jew, each individual human being, is a world by himself or herself.
From an earth-bound perspective, a star looks tiny. From the viewpoint of heaven, each star is a world by itself. The descendants of Abraham seem insignificant in terms of numbers and power, but each one is an indispensable part of God's plan. Each individual Jew, each individual human being, is a world by himself or herself.
Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 1:3
He would go out and call to the people, gathering them in city after city and country after country, until he came to the land of Canaan - proclaiming [God's existence the entire time] - as [Genesis 21:33] states: "And He called there in the name of the Lord, the eternal God."When the people would gather around him and ask him about his statements, he would explain [them] to each one of them according to their understanding, until they turned to the path of truth.
He would go out and call to the people, gathering them in city after city and country after country, until he came to the land of Canaan - proclaiming [God's existence the entire time] - as [Genesis 21:33] states: "And He called there in the name of the Lord, the eternal God."When the people would gather around him and ask him about his statements, he would explain [them] to each one of them according to their understanding, until they turned to the path of truth.
Dr. Avivah Zornberg, The Beginning of Desire, p. 85
Here, we approach the essence of the lekh lekha experience....the first trial was tiltul, which is the hardest of all. Tiltul is a kind of harassed, distracted, even confused movement. Is Abraham's journey indeed a movement of distraction, in the full irony of its two senses: a drawing away, a truancy from the fruitful pursuits of life, and, ultimately, a madness? Tiltul is the word that is most vividly descriptive of exile; to be in exile is to be 'off the point,' it is to be reduced to a handled passivity in which drives and compulsions dominate freely regulated motion. Like a ball, says the midrash, which is caught in the air, and can never touch ground. Or like a dove that never rests; folds one wing at a time and flies on, obedient to some instinct of the species. Tiltul is the hardest experience of all, and it is this that is the measure of Abraham's passion.
Here, we approach the essence of the lekh lekha experience....the first trial was tiltul, which is the hardest of all. Tiltul is a kind of harassed, distracted, even confused movement. Is Abraham's journey indeed a movement of distraction, in the full irony of its two senses: a drawing away, a truancy from the fruitful pursuits of life, and, ultimately, a madness? Tiltul is the word that is most vividly descriptive of exile; to be in exile is to be 'off the point,' it is to be reduced to a handled passivity in which drives and compulsions dominate freely regulated motion. Like a ball, says the midrash, which is caught in the air, and can never touch ground. Or like a dove that never rests; folds one wing at a time and flies on, obedient to some instinct of the species. Tiltul is the hardest experience of all, and it is this that is the measure of Abraham's passion.
(יב) וַיְהִ֤י הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ לָב֔וֹא וְתַרְדֵּמָ֖ה נָפְלָ֣ה עַל־אַבְרָ֑ם וְהִנֵּ֥ה אֵימָ֛ה חֲשֵׁכָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה נֹפֶ֥לֶת עָלָֽיו׃ (יג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְאַבְרָ֗ם יָדֹ֨עַ תֵּדַ֜ע כִּי־גֵ֣ר ׀ יִהְיֶ֣ה זַרְעֲךָ֗ בְּאֶ֙רֶץ֙ לֹ֣א לָהֶ֔ם וַעֲבָד֖וּם וְעִנּ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָֽה׃ (יד) וְגַ֧ם אֶת־הַגּ֛וֹי אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲבֹ֖דוּ דָּ֣ן אָנֹ֑כִי וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵ֥ן יֵצְא֖וּ בִּרְכֻ֥שׁ גָּדֽוֹל׃ (טו) וְאַתָּ֛ה תָּב֥וֹא אֶל־אֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ בְּשָׁל֑וֹם תִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָֽה׃ (טז) וְד֥וֹר רְבִיעִ֖י יָשׁ֣וּבוּ הֵ֑נָּה כִּ֧י לֹא־שָׁלֵ֛ם עֲוֺ֥ן הָאֱמֹרִ֖י עַד־הֵֽנָּה׃ (יז) וַיְהִ֤י הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ בָּ֔אָה וַעֲלָטָ֖ה הָיָ֑ה וְהִנֵּ֨ה תַנּ֤וּר עָשָׁן֙ וְלַפִּ֣יד אֵ֔שׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָבַ֔ר בֵּ֖ין הַגְּזָרִ֥ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃ (יח) בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא כָּרַ֧ת יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־אַבְרָ֖ם בְּרִ֣ית לֵאמֹ֑ר לְזַרְעֲךָ֗ נָתַ֙תִּי֙ אֶת־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את מִנְּהַ֣ר מִצְרַ֔יִם עַד־הַנָּהָ֥ר הַגָּדֹ֖ל נְהַר־פְּרָֽת׃
(12) As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great dark dread descended upon him. (13) And [God] said to Abram, “Know well that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years; (14) but I will execute judgment on the nation they shall serve, and in the end they shall go free with great wealth. (15) As for you, You shall go to your ancestors in peace; You shall be buried at a ripe old age. (16) And they shall return here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” (17) When the sun set and it was very dark, there appeared a smoking oven, and a flaming torch which passed between those pieces. (18) On that day יהוה made a covenant with Abram: “To your offspring I assign this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates—
Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah, p. 58
The presence of God is expressed through fire here in the covenant with Abraham. Fire will be the expression of God's presence many more times, including most notably the miraculous burning bush when Moses first meets God, and the fire on Sinai in the covenant with Israel.
The presence of God is expressed through fire here in the covenant with Abraham. Fire will be the expression of God's presence many more times, including most notably the miraculous burning bush when Moses first meets God, and the fire on Sinai in the covenant with Israel.
Midrash Tanhuma, Vayashev 4
The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to fulfill the decree Ye shall surely know that thy seed shall be a stranger (Gen. 15:13), but He resorted to subterfuge in every instance to accomplish it. He made Jacob love Joseph, so that his brothers hated him, and as a result they sold him to the Ishmaelites, who brought him to Egypt. When Jacob heard that Joseph was alive in Egypt, he descended there with his descendants. Later they were enslaved there. Though it says: And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, the word should not be read as hurad (“brought down”) but as horid (“he caused”) his father and the tribes to descend to Egypt.
The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to fulfill the decree Ye shall surely know that thy seed shall be a stranger (Gen. 15:13), but He resorted to subterfuge in every instance to accomplish it. He made Jacob love Joseph, so that his brothers hated him, and as a result they sold him to the Ishmaelites, who brought him to Egypt. When Jacob heard that Joseph was alive in Egypt, he descended there with his descendants. Later they were enslaved there. Though it says: And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, the word should not be read as hurad (“brought down”) but as horid (“he caused”) his father and the tribes to descend to Egypt.
Genesis Rabbah 44:18, cited in Bialik & Ravnitsky, Sefer Ha-Aggadah: Legends from the Talmud and Midrash, p. 385
'Know, yea, know, that thy seed shall be a stranger' (Gen 15:13): 'Know' that I shall disperse them, but 'know' that I will gather them together; 'know' that I shall give them in pledge, but 'know' also that I will redeem them; 'know' that I will allow them to be enslaved, but 'know' also that I will deliver them.
'Know, yea, know, that thy seed shall be a stranger' (Gen 15:13): 'Know' that I shall disperse them, but 'know' that I will gather them together; 'know' that I shall give them in pledge, but 'know' also that I will redeem them; 'know' that I will allow them to be enslaved, but 'know' also that I will deliver them.
Genesis Rabbah 44:21, cited in Bialik & Ravnitsky, Sefer Ha-Aggadah: Legends from the Talmud and Midrash, p. 377
'Behold a smoking furnace and a torch of fire' (Gen 15:17). Simeon bar Abba said in the name of R. Yochanan: The Holy One showed four things to our father Abraham: Gehenna [kind of like hell], [the yoke of]the kingdoms, the giving of the Torah, and the Temple. And He said to him: As long as your children occupy themselves with the latter two, they will be saved from the former two. If they neglect the latter two, they will be punished by the former two.
'Behold a smoking furnace and a torch of fire' (Gen 15:17). Simeon bar Abba said in the name of R. Yochanan: The Holy One showed four things to our father Abraham: Gehenna [kind of like hell], [the yoke of]the kingdoms, the giving of the Torah, and the Temple. And He said to him: As long as your children occupy themselves with the latter two, they will be saved from the former two. If they neglect the latter two, they will be punished by the former two.
Rabbi Dr. Sue Reinhold, Lekh Lekha: Go to Yourself, October 2007 talk
At this point of the story, in Chapter 15, Abram has asked God, “How shall I know that I am to possess [the land]?” (15:8). Abram is no longer just setting out not knowing where he is going. He is now asking God for the details. The story continues: “As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great dark dread descended upon him…When the sun set and it was very dark, there appeared a smoking oven, and a flaming torch which passed between those pieces.” (15: 12-17) What does this mean? The sun going down, the darkness, the dread, and then the flaming torch that comes to him in what seems to be a dream? The light that “passes between pieces,” light shining through an enclosed space? I can only surmise that along the way, Abram worried, and struggled, and dreamed of illumination where sometimes there seemed to be none. At what points do we feel as if everything has gone dark, that there is dread, and no hope? And at what point is there light, and a flaming torch shines brightly on our truth, at times when we least expect it? At what points along the way do we achieve moments of utter clarity? Abram’s journey is not unlike many of our journeys. And, perhaps like Abraham, our land is “the landscape of [our] basic self-awareness.”
At this point of the story, in Chapter 15, Abram has asked God, “How shall I know that I am to possess [the land]?” (15:8). Abram is no longer just setting out not knowing where he is going. He is now asking God for the details. The story continues: “As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a great dark dread descended upon him…When the sun set and it was very dark, there appeared a smoking oven, and a flaming torch which passed between those pieces.” (15: 12-17) What does this mean? The sun going down, the darkness, the dread, and then the flaming torch that comes to him in what seems to be a dream? The light that “passes between pieces,” light shining through an enclosed space? I can only surmise that along the way, Abram worried, and struggled, and dreamed of illumination where sometimes there seemed to be none. At what points do we feel as if everything has gone dark, that there is dread, and no hope? And at what point is there light, and a flaming torch shines brightly on our truth, at times when we least expect it? At what points along the way do we achieve moments of utter clarity? Abram’s journey is not unlike many of our journeys. And, perhaps like Abraham, our land is “the landscape of [our] basic self-awareness.”
(ד) וַיָּבֹ֥א אֶל־הָגָ֖ר וַתַּ֑הַר וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙ כִּ֣י הָרָ֔תָה וַתֵּקַ֥ל גְּבִרְתָּ֖הּ בְּעֵינֶֽיהָ׃ (ה) וַתֹּ֨אמֶר שָׂרַ֣י אֶל־אַבְרָם֮ חֲמָסִ֣י עָלֶ֒יךָ֒ אָנֹכִ֗י נָתַ֤תִּי שִׁפְחָתִי֙ בְּחֵיקֶ֔ךָ וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙ כִּ֣י הָרָ֔תָה וָאֵקַ֖ל בְּעֵינֶ֑יהָ יִשְׁפֹּ֥ט יְהֹוָ֖ה בֵּינִ֥י וּבֵינֶֽיׄךָ׃ (ו) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אַבְרָ֜ם אֶל־שָׂרַ֗י הִנֵּ֤ה שִׁפְחָתֵךְ֙ בְּיָדֵ֔ךְ עֲשִׂי־לָ֖הּ הַטּ֣וֹב בְּעֵינָ֑יִךְ וַתְּעַנֶּ֣הָ שָׂרַ֔י וַתִּבְרַ֖ח מִפָּנֶֽיהָ׃ (ז) וַֽיִּמְצָאָ֞הּ מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהֹוָ֛ה עַל־עֵ֥ין הַמַּ֖יִם בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר עַל־הָעַ֖יִן בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ שֽׁוּר׃ (ח) וַיֹּאמַ֗ר הָגָ֞ר שִׁפְחַ֥ת שָׂרַ֛י אֵֽי־מִזֶּ֥ה בָ֖את וְאָ֣נָה תֵלֵ֑כִי וַתֹּ֕אמֶר מִפְּנֵי֙ שָׂרַ֣י גְּבִרְתִּ֔י אָנֹכִ֖י בֹּרַֽחַת׃ (ט) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה שׁ֖וּבִי אֶל־גְּבִרְתֵּ֑ךְ וְהִתְעַנִּ֖י תַּ֥חַת יָדֶֽיהָ׃
(4) He cohabited with Hagar and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was lowered in her esteem. (5) And Sarai said to Abram, “The wrong done me is your fault! I myself put my maid in your bosom; now that she sees that she is pregnant, I am lowered in her esteem. יהוה decide between you and me!” (6) Abram said to Sarai, “Your maid is in your hands. Deal with her as you think right.” Then Sarai treated her harshly, and she ran away from her. (7) A messenger of יהוה found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the road to Shur, (8) and said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.” (9) And the messenger of יהוה said to her, “Go back to your mistress, and submit to her harsh treatment.”
(א) שׁפחה מצרית. בַּת פַּרְעֹה הָיְתָה, כְּשֶׁרָאָה נִסִּים שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לְשָׂרָה אָמַר: מוּטָב שֶׁתְּהֵא בִתִּי שִׁפְחָה בְּבַיִת זֶה וְלֹא גְבִירָה בְּבַיִת אַחֵר:
(1) שפחה מצרית A HANDMAID, AN EGYPTIAN — She was a daughter of Pharaoh; when he saw the miracles which had been performed for Sarah’s take he said, “It is better for my daughter to be a handmaid in this man’s house than be mistress in another man’s house” (Genesis Rabbah 45:1).
(א) וַיְהִ֣י אַבְרָ֔ם בֶּן־תִּשְׁעִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְתֵ֣שַׁע שָׁנִ֑ים וַיֵּרָ֨א יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־אַבְרָ֗ם וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָיו֙ אֲנִי־אֵ֣ל שַׁדַּ֔י הִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ לְפָנַ֖י וֶהְיֵ֥ה תָמִֽים׃ (ב) וְאֶתְּנָ֥ה בְרִיתִ֖י בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֑ךָ וְאַרְבֶּ֥ה אוֹתְךָ֖ בִּמְאֹ֥ד מְאֹֽד׃ (ג) וַיִּפֹּ֥ל אַבְרָ֖ם עַל־פָּנָ֑יו וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אִתּ֛וֹ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ד) אֲנִ֕י הִנֵּ֥ה בְרִיתִ֖י אִתָּ֑ךְ וְהָיִ֕יתָ לְאַ֖ב הֲמ֥וֹן גּוֹיִֽם׃ (ה) וְלֹא־יִקָּרֵ֥א ע֛וֹד אֶת־שִׁמְךָ֖ אַבְרָ֑ם וְהָיָ֤ה שִׁמְךָ֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם כִּ֛י אַב־הֲמ֥וֹן גּוֹיִ֖ם נְתַתִּֽיךָ׃ (ו) וְהִפְרֵתִ֤י אֹֽתְךָ֙ בִּמְאֹ֣ד מְאֹ֔ד וּנְתַתִּ֖יךָ לְגוֹיִ֑ם וּמְלָכִ֖ים מִמְּךָ֥ יֵצֵֽאוּ׃ (ז) וַהֲקִמֹתִ֨י אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֜י בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֗ךָ וּבֵ֨ין זַרְעֲךָ֧ אַחֲרֶ֛יךָ לְדֹרֹתָ֖ם לִבְרִ֣ית עוֹלָ֑ם לִהְי֤וֹת לְךָ֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֖ אַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃
(1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, יהוה appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Walk in My ways and be blameless. (2) I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will make you exceedingly numerous.” (3) Abram threw himself on his face; and God spoke to him further, (4) “As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You shall be the father of a multitude of nations. (5) And you shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of nations. (6) I will make you exceedingly fertile, and make nations of you; and kings shall come forth from you. (7) I will maintain My covenant between Me and you, and your offspring to come, as an everlasting covenant throughout the ages, to be God to you and to your offspring to come.
Dr. Avivah Zornberg, The Beginning of Desire, p. 78
The promise/demand of God is 'I will make of you a great nation,' which the Tanhuma translates, 'I shall create you anew.' In this reding, the call of lekh lekha is an urging to self-transformation: at base, that is the meaning of a change of name, or a change of place.
The promise/demand of God is 'I will make of you a great nation,' which the Tanhuma translates, 'I shall create you anew.' In this reding, the call of lekh lekha is an urging to self-transformation: at base, that is the meaning of a change of name, or a change of place.
Bereishit Rabbah 30:10-12
(10) "With God walked Noah" (Genesis 6:9). [Midrash from] Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Nehemiah. Rabbi Yehuda said: [There is] a parable for a chief that had two sons, one big and one small. [The chief] said to the small [son], “Walk with me,” and he said to the big [son], “Go and walk before me.”
(11) Thus (i.e. like the big son), [was] Abraham, [whose] strength [was] beautiful: “Walk before me and be whole” (Genesis 17:1).
(12) But Noah’s strength was bad: “With God walked Noah.” Rabbi Nehemiah said: [There is] a parable for a citizen of the king that was sinking in thick mud. The king peeked and saw him. [The king] said, “Until you sink, walk with me.” Thus it is written: “With God walked Noah.”
(10) "With God walked Noah" (Genesis 6:9). [Midrash from] Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Nehemiah. Rabbi Yehuda said: [There is] a parable for a chief that had two sons, one big and one small. [The chief] said to the small [son], “Walk with me,” and he said to the big [son], “Go and walk before me.”
(11) Thus (i.e. like the big son), [was] Abraham, [whose] strength [was] beautiful: “Walk before me and be whole” (Genesis 17:1).
(12) But Noah’s strength was bad: “With God walked Noah.” Rabbi Nehemiah said: [There is] a parable for a citizen of the king that was sinking in thick mud. The king peeked and saw him. [The king] said, “Until you sink, walk with me.” Thus it is written: “With God walked Noah.”
(יח) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אַבְרָהָ֖ם אֶל־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים ל֥וּ יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל יִחְיֶ֥ה לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃
(18) And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live by Your favor!”
[Note: Friedman and Fox translations say 'If only Ishmael will live before you,' and 'If only Ishmael might live in your presence!']
(כג) וַיִּקַּ֨ח אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל בְּנ֗וֹ וְאֵ֨ת כׇּל־יְלִידֵ֤י בֵיתוֹ֙ וְאֵת֙ כׇּל־מִקְנַ֣ת כַּסְפּ֔וֹ כׇּל־זָכָ֕ר בְּאַנְשֵׁ֖י בֵּ֣ית אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיָּ֜מׇל אֶת־בְּשַׂ֣ר עׇרְלָתָ֗ם בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר דִּבֶּ֥ר אִתּ֖וֹ אֱלֹהִֽים׃ (כד) וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם בֶּן־תִּשְׁעִ֥ים וָתֵ֖שַׁע שָׁנָ֑ה בְּהִמֹּל֖וֹ בְּשַׂ֥ר עׇרְלָתֽוֹ׃ (כה) וְיִשְׁמָעֵ֣אל בְּנ֔וֹ בֶּן־שְׁלֹ֥שׁ עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה שָׁנָ֑ה בְּהִ֨מֹּל֔וֹ אֵ֖ת בְּשַׂ֥ר עׇרְלָתֽוֹ׃ (כו) בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה נִמּ֖וֹל אַבְרָהָ֑ם וְיִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל בְּנֽוֹ׃
(23) Then Abraham took his son Ishmael, and all his homeborn slaves and all those he had bought, every male in Abraham’s household, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins on that very day, as God had spoken to him. (24) Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, (25) and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. (26) Thus Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on that very day;