Chapter 12

12:1] Leave your land

• v1: Lord spoke to Abram
• v2: I will make you into a great nation
• v3: I will bless you++
• v4: Abraham was 75 years old

A new creation The sidrah begins a new birth for mankind. The 1st 2000 years from creation is known as the Era of Desolation. Adam had fallen, Abel had been murdered, idolatry was introduced, the deluge occurred and the dispersion of Babel. Abraham was born in the year 1948 from Creation. In the year 2000 — four years after the Dispersion and six years before the death of Noah — he started to influence disciples to serve HaShem. With the emergence of Abraham, the Era of Desolation came to an end, and the Era of Torah began.
—Avodah Zarah 9a

Profound change With Abraham there began a profound change in the spiritual nature of mankind. The plan of Creation was for all human beings to have an equal share in fulfilling the Divine mission. But after twenty generation of failure, the privilege of G-d’s Chosen People was earned by Abraham and his offspring. They would receive the Torah and they would be in the vanguard of perfecting the world and bringing all people to accept the sovereignty of the One G-d.
—Avos, ibid.; Derech Hashem

N Abraham must have been a mystic of great standing. Possibly his father Terach was a priest in Ur-Kadem. Abraham too was a man of learning and a priest.

♆ The concept of triail.

Abraham had to prove his greatness by passing ten tests of faith (Avos 5:4). The first trial is the command, in this Sidrah, that Abraham give up his entire past and follow G-d’s lead to a new land. A heavenly test is one that forces a person to choose between G-d’s will and his own nature or understanding of what is right.… Thus Abraham was tested by being forced to subordinate his wishes and wisdom to those of G-d. By doing so, he demonstrated his conviction that man’s highest goal is to accept the Divine wisdom as the sole truth.

N This is a rather pure view of Abraham’s choice to leave his past. He is firstly promised all the land of Israel, then he is told that he will have many offspring, and if he wants that to occur, he has to go to Canaan. G-d also promised him that he will not be diminished in any way by this move. If only we all could get those type of guarantees from G-d if we follow that “small, quiet voice” inside of us.

N Why did G-d need to test Abraham? Was it to display to the world how a great man obeys G-d? (Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim 3:24). Ramban argues that the outcome is not in doubt to G-d, and a just G-d will never impose trials that are beyond the capacity of the individual—G-d only tests righteous people who will do His will, not the wicked who will disobey. Thus all the Torah’s trials are for the benefit of the one being tested, who has free choice, and therefore he must find the strength and wisdom to choose correctly. If he does, then he has translated his potential into action and made himself a greater person, for actual deed far outweighs mere potential.

♆ Abraham comes to Canaan.

Though Abraham and Sara had many disciples, they were essentially alone; they could never blend into whatever culture surrounded them. Abraham was called an Ivri, from the word עבר, the other side. Literally that means he came to Canaan from the other side of the Euphrates, but there is a deeper sense as well. He was on one side of a moral and spiritual divide, and (much of) the rest of the world was on the other.

Righteous people must be ready to endure such isolation; popularity is pleasant, but it is also a snare, because the natural desire to win the approval of others can easily lead people to bend their principles.

Abraham and Sarah’s names were changed 24 years after they left for Canaan.

n12:1] לֶךְ־לְךָ — Go forth (for yourself). The seemingly superfluous לְךָ means “go for your own benefit and for your own good”. What is this benefit and good? “Go to you, for your benefit and for your good, and there I will make you into a great nation, but here, you will not merit to have children. Moreover, I will make your character known in the world.“
— (from Rosh Hashanah 16b, Tan)

12:2] Blessing and promise

12:5] The souls acquired

n12:5] וַיִּקַּ֣ח — Took. Abraham took Sarah through persuasion, because a man is forbidden to take a wife to a foreign land without her consent (Zohar).

N Canaan was already a nation. Though it was supposed to have emerged from one of the sons of Noah. Remember Seth is still alive. Here is another time span that is not explained.

N He must have shared with her what G-d said, if he was to persuade her. Thus later she sends Hagar in as she is obviously not going to give Abraham a child, and G-d predicted that he was to have many offspring. It shows that her faith is not passive, and that she believes that she has to participate in G-d’s plan for humanity.

n12:5] הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ — The souls they made. The souls refer to the those whom they had converted to faith in HaShem.
— Rashi.

N This is a reference to all the souls that Abraham had convinced to believe in G-d as One. They thus became his disciples. (Do we not still have to convince people of this today?)

12:6] Deeds of the Patriarchs, portents for the children.

n12:6] מה שׁאירע לאביות סימן לבנים — Whatever happened to the Patriarchs is a portent for the children…

The story of the Patriarchs is replete with such symbolic acts in order to couple the particular Divine decree with a physical deed, following the principle that whenever a prophecy is clothed in a symbolic act, the decree becomes permanent and unalterable (see Jeremiah 51:63-64; see also n13:17 below).

12:7] “To your seed I will give this land”

n12:7] וַיֵּרָ֤א יְהֹוָה֙ — HaShem appeared. G-d is not physical, so the means by which He “speaks” and makes Himself “visible” to people is an eternal mystery. Nevertheless, He appeared in a way that was tangible to Abraham.
— R’ Hirsch

יֵּרָ֤א This is one of the deep mysteries of the Torah: G-d appeared to… וַיֵּרָ֤א יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל. That form is the form from the root ירא, which means fear, yet it has the meaning of “appeared” in this context. Appeared would be derived from ראה, see. A more accurate translation might be “And the fear of G-d (appeared in)”…

12:8] 2nd Altar (Beth-El)

n12:8] Abraham builds a second altar at which he invoked Hashem by Name.

12:9] Continued south

Q He did not settle at Bet El. He just pitched his tent, and continued southwards… why? He was in the Land of Canaan. What was he looking for?

12:10-20] Abraham in Egypt. This is another test

N He lies about Sarai being his sister, because he is scared. Then he benefits from the Pharoah’s attraction to Sarai – who he takes into his house, and gifts Abraham for the privilege.

12:11-13] Sarai is my sister

N Abram asks Sarai to lie for him so that it might go well with him. He is scared that they will kill him for Sarai, because she is so beautiful… but she is already 65! Was she still even menstruating?

Q There is an even more interesting twist here. Abraham lived till 175 years of age. Was this common at the time or not? If common, then it could be that Sarai was still fertile at 65 years of age. If not common, then that opens another line of investigation – was it a lineage, etc.

n12:13] May it go well with me, for your sake.

12:14-20] Sarai is Taken

12:14] Sara is pretty

12:15] Sarai taken to the house of Pharoah

12:16] Abraham benefited

N He receives gifts from Pharoah through his subterfuge.

12:17] HaShem intervenes **

N Strange. She is a woman in her 60’s. What would the Pharoah want with her? He reprimands Abraham. Why did you lie to me?

12:20] Abraham kicked out of Egypt ** (cont)

n12:20] וַיְשַׁלְּח֥וּ — And they escorted.

Pharaoh hastened to rid himself of the cause of his Divine affliction, but, not wishing to incur G-d’s further wrath by mistreating Abraham and Sarah, he sent them away in honour, guaranteeing that no evil would befall them. N Pharoah caring about G-d? Abraham was obviously a priest/shaman/holy man.

Chapter 13 - Abraham & Lot separate

13:1] Go south from Egypt

n13:1] וַיַּ֩עַל֩ אַבְרָ֨ם — So Abraham went up.

It is true that Abraham ascended because the terrain of Eretz Yisrael is higher than that of Egypt, the Zohar perceives in the verb an addition indication that Abraham ascended spiritually from the “lower degrees” of Egypt. He left a place of spiritual pollution and returned to his former, higher condition. He emerged from Egypt unscathed and undiminished.

Q If they came up from Egypt, how come they were going south? South is referred to as the Negev in the Torah. Does not south mean a place, which is south of Israel, but north of Egypt?

13:3-4] Calls in the Name of the Lord $\downarrow$

n13:3] לְמַסָּעָ֔יו — On his journeys

One should not change his customary lodgings unless he has suffered harassment and anguish there. Otherwise, he discredits himself — as he will be considered hard to please or direputable, or he will give the impression that his lodgings were unsatisfactory, thus harming his host’s reputation.

N They were much wealthier upon their return from Egypt. Abraham was heavy with cattle and silver and gold (v2), Lot was too - with flocks and cattle and tents (v5). They could not dwell together (v6). Their herdsmen start quarrelling (v7), and Abraham asks Lot to part from him (v8). Is that not often the result of affluence? It seems that there had been enough pasture for the two of them and their entourage.

13:10-13] Lot

13:10] Like the garden of the Lord

N The commentators assume this was the Garden of Eden, but how could that be, since we were banished from that Garden? Then Abraham dwells in Canaan, and Lot on the plain (v12), near Sodom – wherein the people were evil and sinful (v13). But Canaan is not a mountainous plateau. And it says later (v18), that Abram pitched his tents on the plain of Mamre, near Hebron. Rashi says that they were evil with their bodies, and sinful with their money (Sanh. 109a). They were also against the Lord. Rashi claims that "they recognised their Master and intended to rebel against Him” (Sifra, Bechukothai 2). So, they knew G-d too? It is an interesting that in the Torah often a whole tribe or town is called evil. But we know that not everyone is bad, and this sinfulness is mostly because of the rulers of the said tribe or place. Is that true?

13:11] Lot chooses money over morality

n13:11] מִקֶּ֑דֶם — From the east.

Lot chose the richest part of the country, although it was also the cruellest and most corrupt. Perhaps, he thought, that he could enjoy the Sodomites’ wealth without being affected by their evil. As usually happens, he was wrong.

13:14-17] The repetition of the promise

N He promises all that he sees (v15) to Abraham and his seed for eternity (v16). He says that his seed will be “like the dust of the earth” (v16). Then He tells Abraham to walk the length and breadth of the land (v17). How will Abraham be able to do that? It would take many days to walk the land, and how would he determine where it ended? Where was Abraham at the time he was told that all that he sees is his inheritance?

13:16] Like the dust of the earth

13:18 Another altar

n13:18] Abraham builds an altar in gratitude for what G-d has promised him. In this case, first G-d speaks to Abraham, then he builds the altar.

Chapter 14 - War of the Kings

N The names are fascinating.

v14:1:

• Amraphel, king of Shinar — אַמְרָפֶ֣ל מֶֽלֶךְ־שִׁנְעָ֔ר
• Arioch, king of Ellasar — אַרְי֖וֹךְ מֶ֣לֶךְ אֶלָּסָ֑ר
• Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, — כְּדׇרְלָעֹ֙מֶר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ עֵילָ֔ם
• Tidal, king of Goyim — תִדְעָ֖ל מֶ֥לֶךְ גּוֹיִֽם

N Here is the word goyim again, but as the name of a place, unless we assume that Tidal was the king of nations.

waged war against (v2): עָשׂ֣וּ מִלְחָמָ֗ה אֶת

• Bera, king of Sodom — בֶּ֙רַע֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ סְדֹ֔ם
• Birsha, king of Gomorrah — ־בִּרְשַׁ֖ע מֶ֣לֶךְ עֲמֹרָ֑ה
• Shineab, king of Admah — שִׁנְאָ֣ב ׀ מֶ֣לֶךְ אַדְמָ֗ה
• Shemeber, king of Zeboiim — שֶׁמְאֵ֙בֶר֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ (צביים) [צְבוֹיִ֔ם]
• the king of Bela, which is Zoar — מֶ֥לֶךְ בֶּ֖לַע הִיא־צֹֽעַר

v14:3: - The latter joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (which is the Dead Sea) — עֵ֖מֶק הַשִּׂדִּ֑ים

It was a revolt. For 12 years they served Chedorlaomer. In the 13th they rebelled. In the 14th year, Chedorlaomer and his allies defeated: (v5-6)

• the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim — רְפָאִים֙ בְּעַשְׁתְּרֹ֣ת קַרְנַ֔יִם
• the Zuzim in Ham — זּוּזִ֖ים בְּהָ֑ם
• the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim — אֵימִ֔ים בְּשָׁוֵ֖ה קִרְיָתָֽיִם
• and the Horites in their mountain Seir — חֹרִ֖י בְּהַרְרָ֣ם שֵׂעִ֑יר

until the plain of Paran, El-paran, which is by the wilderness. On their return, they came to: (v7)

• Ein Mishpat, which is Kadesh,

and they subdued

• the Amalekites, and

• the Amorites who dwelt in Hazezon Tamar.

• Engaged in the Valley of Siddim with Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam (v8) and

• Tidal the king of Goyim and

• Amraphel the king of Shinar and

• Arioch the king of Ellasar.

13: The fugitive comes, and tells Abraham. Who was living on the

• plain of Mamre the Amorite,
• brother of Eshkol,
• and brother of Aner

n14:3-5] Joined together

n14:13a] The Fugitive is Og.

n14:13b] העברי: Hebrew, from eber

14:14-16] Saves Lot

14:14] Trained men (or disciples)

n14:14] 318 disciples: Eliezar’s name. ילידי: children - like reborn Christians.

N The commentators claim that it was Eliezer who rescued Lot. Firstly because “his trained men” is in the singular, and the number mentioned 318 is the numerical value of his (Eliezer’s) name.

14:18-20] Melchezidek’s blessing

n14:18-24] Honours

n14:18] מלכי־צדק

n14:20] וברוך אל

Chapter 15 - Strange chapter

15:1-9] Words of HaShem in a vision (מחזה)

15:1] Lord comes to Abraham

n15:1] אחר הדברים האלה — After these incidents. Wherever the term אַחַר is used, it signifies immediately afterwards; אַחֲרֵי signifies a long time afterwards (Gen. Rabbah 44:5).

After this miracle had been wrought for him, that he slew the kings, he was worried and said, “Perhaps I have received reward for all my righteous deeds.” Therefore, the Omnipresent said to him, “Fear not Abram, I am your Shield” from punishment, that you will not be punished for all those souls that you have slain, and as far as your being worried about receiving reward, your reward is exceedingly great.
— from Aggadath Bereishith 16:2; Tan. Buber, Lech Lecha 15; Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer ch. 27.

N When these sections start with the words "the Lord came to … in a vision”, it makes me think of a shamanic journey.

15:2-3] Childless & Steward

Q Why compare being childless to his steward? He had no children (Ishmael was not yet born), and seemed to be worried that his steward would receive his inheritance.

n15:2] הולך ערירי — since I am going childless. It appears to me, however, that עֵר וְעֹנֶה is derived from the same root as (Song of Songs 5:2): “but my heart is awake (עֵר),” whereas עֲרִירִי is an expression of destruction, as in (Ps. 137:7): “Raze it, raze it (עָרוּ עָרוּ)” and as in (Hab. 3:13): “destroying (עָרוֹת) the foundation,” and as in (Jer. 51:58): “shall be completely destroyed (עַרְעֵר תִּתְעַרְעַר),” and as in (Zeph. 2:14): “for the cedar work will be destroyed (עֵרָה).”
— Rashi

15:5] Count the stars

n14:5] ויוצא אתו החוצה — And He took him outside. According to its simple meaning: He took him out of his tent, outdoors, to see the stars. But according to its midrashic interpretation, He said to him, “Go out of your astrology,” for you have seen in the signs of the zodiac that you are not destined to have a son. (Ned. 32a, Gen. Rabbah 44:10) Another explanation: He took him out of the terrestrial sphere and lifted him above the stars. This explains the expression of הַבָּטָה, looking down from above (Gen. Rabbah 44:12).
— Rashi

N(K) Here we have another esoteric explanation. God "lifted him above the stars. This would be a reference to a shamanic journey.

N This is a continuation of His promise to Abraham to have many offspring. In the first case, He compares his offspring to the dust of the earth (v13:16). Now He compares it to the starts in the heavens.

15:6] Trusted in G-d

N It does not say that Abraham was righteous, but that “He accounted it to him as righteousness”. In other words, his action (or response) here was “righteous". A subtle difference in wording. Only Noah was known as righteous (in his generation).

15:10-11] Ceremony

15:8-9] Instructions $\downarrow$

N Did this occur in a vision too? Was this part of the vision (journey) that he was experiencing? In journey work, if there is something a person is working on, it might take him more than a single journey to complete the task.

n15:10] ויבתר אותם — and he divided them. It is the custom of those who form a covenant to divide an animal and to pass between its parts, as it is written (Jer. 34:19): “who passed between the parts of the calf.” Here too, “a smoking furnace and a fire brand, which passed between the parts,” was the agent of the Shechinah, which is [referred to as] fire. (from Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer , ch. 28).
— Rashi

N He carries out the ceremony, according to G-d’s instructions. Was this a real ceremony, or did he carry it out during his “vision”.

n15:11] הָעַיִט — And the birds of prey. This is a bird, and (it is called עַיִט) because it swoops down (עָט) and seeks the carcasses. Like (Job 9:26): “to swoop upon food,” and like (I Sam. 15:19): “and you flew (וַתַּעַט) upon the spoil.”
— Rashi

15:12-16] Prophecy

15:12] Deep Sleep

N(K): This is often looked at as a metaphor for a journey as well.

15:13] Strangers in a foreign land

n15:13] כי גר יהיה זרעך — that your seed will be strangers. From the time that Isaac was born until the Israelites left Egypt was four hundred years. How so? Isaac was sixty years old when Jacob was born, and Jacob, when he went down to Egypt, said, “The days of the years of my sojournings are one hundred and thirty years,” which total 190. They were in Egypt 210 years, like the numerical value of רְדוּ (see Rashi, below 42:2; ר = 200, ד = 4, ו = 6, totaling 210). Thus, the total is 400 years. Now, if you should say that they were 400 years in Egypt, [this is not so] because Kehath was one of those who descended to Egypt. If you compute the years of Kehath (133) and those of Amram (his son, 137), and the 80 years of Moses, his age when they left Egypt, you will find only 350 [years]. And you must still subtract from them all the years that Kehath lived after the birth of Amram and that Amram lived after the birth of Moses. [from Seder Olam ch. 3]
— Rashi

N Perhaps, after coming out of the vision, Abraham remembers it as 400 years.

15:17] Furnace and fire brand $\downarrow$

N The following two notes are included to present an example of the depth to which the Rabbi’s wrestled with the words of Torah.

n15:17] וַיְהִי הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בָּאָה — Now it came to pass that the sun had set. The subject apparently does not agree with the predicate, because שֶׁמֶשׁ is a feminine noun, whereas וַיְהִי is a masculine verb. Therefore, Rashi explains as follows: The subject of וַיְהִי is not הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ but דָבָר זֶה (i.e., it is as if the masculine noun דָבָר זֶה (this event) were inserted after וַיְהִי.] The same is true in the two instances quoted by Rashi, in which the subject is plural, whereas the predicate is singular. There too, the subject of וַיְהִי is דָבָר זֶה.

n15:17] בָּאָה — had set. Its accent is on the first syllable. Therefore, it is explained that it had already set; but if its accent were at the end, on the “alef,” it would be explained to mean: as it was setting. but it is impossible to say this, for it is already written (above verse 12): “Now the sun was setting,” and the passing of the smoking furnace happened after this. It is found that it had already set. And this difference exists in every word in the feminine gender, whose radical consists of two letters, such as בא (to come), קם (to arise), שב (to return). When the accent is on the first syllable, it is in the past tense, e.g., this case and e.g., (below 29:9): “and Rachel came (בָּאָה)”; (below 37:7): “my sheaf arose (קָמָה)”; (Ruth 1:15): “Lo! Your sister-in-law has returned (שָׁבָה).” However, when the accent is on the final syllable, it is in the present tense, denoting a thing that is happening now and is continuing to happen, like (below 29:6): “She is coming בָּאָה with the flocks”; (Esther 2:14): “In the evening she would come (בָּאָה), and in the morning she would return (שָׁבָה).”

15:18-21] Covenant (land)

15:19-21] Tribes that occupied the land

• Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites
• (v19) Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim
• (v20) Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, Jebusites

Chapter 16 - Hagar & Ishmael

16:1-3] Sends Hagar to Abraham

N “Abraham hearkened to Sarah’s voice…”. Just like Adam, who hearkened to Eve’s voice. Rashi says that he listened to the Divine Spirit within her (Gen. Rabbah 45:2). So, if that is the case, then so did Adam regarding Eve. Which makes an alternative reading of the story of Adam and Eve more probable.

N This speaks of a kind society, as she is sent in to Abraham as his wife. In other words, not just a concubine, but, once she shares his bed with him, she becomes his wife.

• sends Hagar to Abraham (v3)
• Hagar conceives
• becomes haughty
• Sarah treats her badly
• she flees

16:7-15] The Angel visits Hagar

Q Sarah drives Hagar out by afflicting her. Then an angel visits her 4 times. Each time prefixed with "An/the angel … found her, said to her” (x3). Was it the same angel? Or do angels come and go? Anyways, he prophesizes that she will have a child, and he will be called Ishmael.

The Angel tells her to return (v9), that she will be fruitful (v10), and that a son, Ishmael, will be born to her (v11). Thus she refers to G-d as the “G-d of Vision” (v13).

16:16] Abraham is 86

Chapter 17 - Journey

17:1] Abraham 99

• HaShem appears
• Abraham falls on his face
• El Shaddai

17:2-8] Covenant

17:4] Abram -> Abraham

17:9-14] Circumcision

17:15-16] Sarai -> Sarah -> child

17:17] Abraham falls on his face, and laughs, “How can an 89 year old woman have a child?“

17:18] Said to G-d: Ishmael… ל֥וּ יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל יִֽחְיֶ֥ה לְפָנֶֽיךָ

17:19-21] Blessing or offspring

17:22] G-d ascended: וַיַּ֣עַל אֱלֹהִ֔ים מֵעַ֖ל אַבְרָהָֽם

17:23-26] Circumcised everyone

Afternote

I, as an descendent of Abraham, thus the offspring G-d speaks of, hear G-d’s voice and the land He speaks of is not that of the land that emerged from the waters, but is the land of light, the Aether.

It is not a (single) temple of brick and mortar either that we need to build. But a temple of the spirit, or rather, a spiritual temple, created by the Light that gives life, that will spawn all the land that the waters uncovered, and the waters of the seas with all their seething life, and the air where the eagle and all the birds fly free.

It is a temple that is based on One Truth, that All is One. Coming from One Source, with One Purpose, and One Life, bless be all of creation, and to be grateful and celebrate all life and all existence. Halleluyah. Amen.