Parashat Lech Lecha
פרשת לך לך
בראשית Genesis 12:1 to 17:27
While the previous two parashot were a preamble, setting the stage so to speak, now we begin the saga of the Jewish people in earnest, beginning with the patriarchs. According to the orthodox Artscroll edition, Abraham was born in the year 1948 after creation. Make of that what you will!
Chapter 12, verses 1 through 9 – Abram and his entourage journey to an unfamiliar destination
Abram ( – אברםHe is not yet Abrahamאברהם – ) is ordered by G-d to leave his father’s house and journey to a yet unidentified land, with the promise that his descendants will grow to be a great and blessed nation. Abram is not simply commanded to “go” (לך) but is commanded to “go for yourself” (לך לך). Is G-d reassuring Abram that this displacement is really for his own benefit? Perhaps there was something (undefined in the Torah) physically or spiritually unhealthy in Haran (חרן). There is no hint in the Torah as to whether Abram was hesitant to begin this adventure or apprehensive of going into the unknown.
His wife, Sarai ( – שרי not yet renamed Sarah – שרה) and his nephew Lot (לוט) accompany him as does his household and his servants. It is unclear if the servants went willingly or were coerced. We are not told what Sarai felt about this upheaval to their settled lives, or why Lot tagged along on this journey.
It is not clear why G-d chose Abram for this mission. Also, why did He wait until Abram was of advanced age (75)? The Torah is silent as to whether Abram or Sarai questioned this strange and inconvenient command or had any reluctance. After all, they were told to uproot their lives, part from all that was familiar, and depart into the unknown. We are not told anything about this long and difficult journey, only that Abram and his entourage arrived in stages, from Shechem to Beth El, and finally to the Negev.
Verses 10 through 20 – Famine forces Abram to seek refuge in Egypt; he is morally compromised
Famine forces Abram and his entourage to seek temporary refuge in Egypt. Abram is concerned that because of Sarai’s beauty (she is 65, hardly in the prime of her life!), as her husband, he will be killed, and she will be taken as an Egyptian’s wife. He decided to present her as his sister. Orthodox commentators are troubled with the idea that a patriarch, who they insist must be a near flawless person, would resort to a ruse such as this (albeit perhaps not a complete ruse as we shall see in chapter 20, verse 12). Presuming that Abram is being truthful with Avimelech, Sarai is not only his wife but his half-sister (they share the same father). Indeed, Sarai was taken into Pharaoh’s palace. The Torah is silent as to what went on there! Abram, for his part was showered with gifts, including both male and female slaves (concubines?).
As a result, G-d afflicted Pharaoh’s household with (unspecified) plagues, and Abram’s ruse was revealed. Strange that instead of doing away with Abram, Pharaoh simply kicks him out of Egypt but allows him to keep his retinue and all the goodies that were showered upon him. Why? Possibly, after experiencing the plagues, he was afraid that harming Abram or his entourage may result in further misfortunes from an angry god. Maimonides, in his commentary on this section, postulates that Abram’s morally questionable behavior may have been what led to the future enslavement of his descendants in Egypt.
Chapter 13, verses 1 through 18 – Abram and Lot go their separate ways
Upon return to Canaan, it was decided that the land was not big enough to contain both Abram’s flocks and Lot’s, and so they decided to split up, with Lot choosing to go down to the Jordan Valley, near Sodom (of that, more later). Later commentators have surmised that Abram, with his strong sense of justice and ethical behavior could not get along with a more morally compromised Lot, although the Torah text does not support this.
Gd renews his promise of the land to Abram and his progeny in perpetuity. Abram moves his tent to Hebron, and he builds there an altar.
Chapter 14, verses 1 through 24 – Abram goes to war, rescues Lot
The narrative is interrupted for a story of civil strife in the regions and kingdoms around Sodom. Lot, who had in the meantime settled in the wicked city of Sodom, along with his possessions was also carried off as a prisoner or hostage. Abram (verse 13 here, for the first time, and without explanation), is referred to as “The Hebrew” – העברי), mustered an army of 318 men from his household and gave pursuit as far as Damascus. He brought back not only Lot and his possessions, but also the men and possessions that were taken from the King of Sodom. The King offered the possessions to Abram as thanks for bringing back his men. Abram refused to accept any, only allowing his men to take their share of the booty. He thus avoided the appearance of being beholden to the King of Sodom.
Chapter 15, verses 1 through 21 – God prophecies Abram’s destiny
Gd again delivers his promise to Abram that his progeny will be numerous and inhabit the land of Canaan.
Verse 13 prophecies or preordains the upcoming 400-year enslavement in Egypt. (“in a land not theirs”).
Strangely (verse 18), the promise includes territory from the Nile in Egypt to the Euphrates in Babylon. What is this? Some Rabbinic commentators contend that this refers to the boundaries in the days of the Mashiah.
Chapter 16, verses 1 through 16 – Sarai is baren, Abram has a child through her maidservant
Poor Sarai, still barren at such a ripe age, despairs of having a son and so graciously offers Abram to have a son through her Egyptian maidservant Hagar (הגר)At the age of 86, Abram was presented with a son, Ishmael (ישמעאל), by Hagar. It is telling that in this period, milleniums before Women’s Lib became an issue, a woman’s worth was largely measured by the fertility of her womb.
By the custom of the time, any children that a mistress’ maidservant bears shall be considered those of the mistress. Unfortunately, and probably foolishly, when Hagar does conceive, she lords it over Sarai. Perhaps understandably, Sarai has buyer’s remorse and is consumed by jealousy. Abram, rather than being a mensch and defending Hagar, tries to wash his hands of the affair and tells Sarai to deal with Hagar as she sees fit. Hagar flees from Sarai’s harsh treatment, but an angel finds her and instruct her to return to Sarai and suck it up. As a consolation of sorts, she is promised that her offspring, beginning with her son Ishmael will be a great nation. The angel further prophesies that Ishmael will be a ruffian (פרא אדם) and in conflict with those around him. According to both Jewish and Moslem traditions, Ishmael is the scion of the present-day Arabs. There is little substance in this text to support that. The intended prophetic reference to Ismael as a ruffian may mean that the proto-Bedouin nomadic tribes that inhabited the region at the time were descended from him.
Chapter 17, verses 1 through 27 – Abram and Sarai have name changes, males undergo circumcision
The narrative skips ahead 13 years, Abram being now 99 years old. For a third time, G-d recites the covenant with him. This time it is promised that he will father a multitude of nations (אב המון גוים).
As a sign of the covenant, Abram becomes Abraham (אברהם) and Sarai, now included in the covenant, shall become Sarah (שרה). The reason for the addition of the hey (ה) in both of their names is not explained in the text. The Rabbis and commentators assert that the ה represents G-d,
Abraham is commanded to circumcise himself and all his male offspring from this point on (זרעך אחריך) at the age of eight days, a practice that has continued to the present day. No explanation is given as to why this rite must be formed on the eighth day, not earlier, and not later. The command is retroactive, so now 13-year-old Ishmael is now circumcised (ouch!) along with the rest of the male members of his household. Why is circumcision prescribed as the sign of the covenant between the offspring of Abraham and G-d? Does this exclusively male ritual exclude women from the covenant?
Moslem males are circumcised, typically within the first 60 days of life. There is no prescribed day for circumcision, although it must be performed before the child reaches puberty.
G-d promised Abraham that Sarah shall bear him a son. One-hundred-year-old Abraham laughs out of disbelief, or possibly out of joy. Also, while Ishmael is promised to become a great nation, the covenant will be maintained through Sarah, the son to be names Isaac (יצחק).
Abraham circumcised himself, thirteen-year-old Ishmael, and all his male household. The Torah does not tell if they subjected themselves to this ritual willingly or if they were coerced. Also, as they were not parties to the covenant, why did they have to undergo this ordeal? As an aside, Christian sects have substituted the ritual of baptism for circumcision.
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