“And God said to Avram, get yourself from your country ….” (Bereshit, 12:1) It is written (Yesahya, 44:3), “When I will pour water on the thirsty, and drip moisture on the dry lands, thus I will pour My Spirit ….” Avraham Avinu began to investigate and seek after the own source of his life, for he realized that it is inconceivable that all the lusts of this world could be called true life, for all worldly desires and lusts only serve to remove the numerous anxieties and obstacles we face. Then once all anxieties are negated, what will be the true core of life upon which the world was created? Concerning this 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. “You will rejoice in God, in the holy One of Israel you will glory” (Yesahya, 41:16), this is the life.

On this it is written in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabba, Ch. 39:1), “Rabbi Yitzchak said a parable. A traveler was passing from place to place, and saw a city burning in flames. He said, ‘shall you say that this city has no master?’ The master of the city glanced upon him and said, ‘I am the master of the city.’ So it was that since our forefather Avraham said, ‘shall you say that this world has no master?’ the Holy One, blessed be He, glanced upon him and said, ‘I am the master of the world.’” At first glance it would seem that the Midrash should have said “He looked unto him,” and not “upon him.” However, when our forefather Avraham saw the actions of the generation of the tower of Babel (who thought they could overthrow God Himself), which is the meaning of the city burning in flames, it was a great wonder in his eyes, and his soul was disturbed from pondering who could create this. Then the master of the city glanced upon him, meaning that the Holy One, blessed be He, answered him, “Do you not see on your own that the whole world is not stumped by this difficulty, and there is not one among them who considered asking who made this. Yet for you it is a wonder. In being so disturbed by this you may estimate that certainly there must be a Creator who suffers the entire world and fills the entire world, and He is the one who awakened your heart to this.” And this is the specific use of “upon you,” meaning that from your very question you yourself managed to come up with a sufficient answer. More on the same Midrash. “He saw a city burning in flames, and began to ask, ‘could it be that this city has no master?’ So the master of the city glanced upon him ….” Concerning this, when Avraham Avinu began to contemplate the great changes that swept the world with the generation of the flood and the generation of the tower of Babel, he then became deeply agitated and had to understand who created these. The Holy One, blessed be He, answered him that the portion of Jacob was different from the rest of the world. It is the way of the nations that when they see a major change in the management of the world, then they begin to amend their ways and want to understand the reason for the change. Yet when the world runs according to the way of nature (without any apparent changes), then none among them take it upon themselves to understand, for they do not believe in God to the extent that the ways of nature are also in His hands. They do not know that without Him nothing has dominion in the world. Yet the portion of Jacob are not like these, for we recognize that He has formed all, meaning that Israel believes that were God not to suffer the world (and all its imperfections), then nothing would be able to exist even for a moment. Thus it is, when Avraham Avinu wanted to apprehend his Creator based on changes in the natural order, God said to him, “Lech L’cha, go forward,” to the portion of Jacob who recognizes that even the natural order of things are a product of God’s greatness.¹ [individual providence], “He sees everything, He knows everything. He knows how many times the leaf will turn over in the dust before the wind comes to take it away.”

footnotes: ¹ As in the saying of the holy Baal Shem Tov on hasgacha pratit

“Go away from your land ….” (Bereshit, 12:1) Meaning, from your place. Avraham Avinu was renowned throughout the entire world for his great wisdom, and there was no other sage like him knowledgeable in all manners of wisdom, as the Midrash states (Gemara Yoma, 28b), “his heart possessed a great knowledge of astronomy [and astrology. All the kings of the east and west would arrive early at his door to inquire about the constellations. See Rashi ad. loc.].” There was a need for this since he was the first vessel that the Holy One, blessed be He, used to reveal His presence in the world, and corresponding to this He said, “Go away from your land [and reveal this new consciousness in the world].” (The verse continues) “And from your place of birth,” in other words, to get away from his habits, and in this he was tested with the incident, “and there was a famine …” (Bereshit 12:10). This is as it is written in the small tractate Sofrim (Ch. 21, halacha 9), “[Avraham was as tall as seventy-four men] and he ate as much as seventy-four men.” This command of God was in order for to thoroughly refine the way he ate, for the later generations of Avraham Avinu would eat in a place of holiness, as among his descendants would be the Cohanim in the Holy Temple who ate only from the kodshei shamayim, the holy sacrifices. “From your father’s house.” In other words, not to look at the way things seem at first glance but rather into the root of the matter. This corresponds to the whole incident of “please separate from me,” which he said to Lot (to resolve the conflict between the shepherds of Avraham and the shepherds of Lot). Lot was very similar to Avraham in appearance, which means that in any situation Lot acted like Avraham (on the surface). Then God Himself looked and “smelled” his actions, which were not good, and accordingly enlightened Avraham’s heart so he knew he had to separate from him, not to heed his wisdom or actions, for they are not coming from the depth of his heart. This is like the Gemara’s explanation of the verse (Hoshea, 14:10), “Who is wise and will understand these things? Who is brilliant enough to know them? For the ways of God are direct and honest …” (Nazir, 23a), “concerning Lot and his daughters, ‘for the ways of God are straightforward.’” Even though it seemed that they had lust like their father Lot, God testified that it was not like the lust of their father, and even though it was favorable in Avraham’s eyes to be connected to Lot, God commanded him to distance himself from him. “To the land which I will show you” corresponds to the section dealing with the wars of the Canaanite kings, for there God showed him all the secrets. It would seem that he should not have saved Lot, for the nations that would later oppress Israel would come from his descendants, and further we are commanded, “an Ammonite shall not enter into congregation …” It seems as if nothing good would come out of their association with Israel. The Holy One, blessed be He, showed him that their women would be permitted immediately, and from their offspring would come the kingdom of David and Shlomo, as is explained that he only went to save two “virtuous fledglings” (Ruth and Naomi, compared to the fledglings that a woman who gave birth would offer in the Temple. Lot’s daughters would give birth to Moab, and thus Ruth, and then King David’s line. Baba Batra, 38b). “And I will make you a great nation” corresponds to the section that announces that he will have children, where it says, “I will be a shield for you.” “And I will bless you” corresponds to the section on Yishmael. “And I will make your name great” corresponds to the additional Hei added in his name. The first Hei in the Tetragrammaton was added to Avraham’s name, and it signifies cleaving to the life of the world to come. Whereas added to Yoseph’s name (Yehoseph) was the second Hei in God’s name, which signifies the wisdom of conduct in this world, as is said in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabba, Ch. 89:8), “five [hei] sages are established in each nation.” “And it shall be for a blessing” means that he will be a vessel of reception to receive more and more each time, and this corresponds to the beginning of the next Parsha, “Vayeira eilav,” “And God appeared unto him.”

“… to the land which I will show you.” Avraham Avinu wanted to know just where the essence of his life was intensely joined to God and how far it reached. Thus God responded to him, “to the land which I will show you,” meaning that you are joined to me in a place called “which I will show you.” For He has no end, His endless light will continually increase within you, and this you will find in the land of Israel.

“… and there he built an altar to Hashem, and he called in the name of Hashem.” (Bereshit, 12:8) The first test Avraham Avinu encountered was “lech l’cha,” “get thee away.” This represents poverty and constriction (that the journey would cause), for it must be first clarified in man that he will not hold grudges against God. Rather he should ask of God that He not bring him into dire straits, God forbid, which would cause a man to go against the His ways. Poverty means one who is not happy with his portion but rather seeks excessive luxury, and for this he must ask from God that he not covet luxury. As it is said of Yaakov (Bereshit, 25:27), “Yaakov was a simple man,” meaning that he was complete in his soul without any desire for excesses, just accepting everything with love according to the will of the blessed Creator. This was the prayer of Avraham Avinu at his first test, that he be happy with his portion and not experience any dire poverty, and this is the meaning of “and he called in the name of God,” that poverty not divert him from the God’s path. Therefore when he returned from Egypt it was said, “and Avram was very heavy [with cattle and silver and gold]” (Bereshit, 13:2). After he was completely clarified concerning poverty through his first test, it is said, “very heavy,” an expression related to seriousness. In his soul he feared wealth, like the prayer of King Shlomo (Mishlei, 30:8), “give me neither poverty or riches.” And with Lot the expression kaved, “heavy,” is not used. Rather it says, “and Lot, who went with Avraham, had sheep,” etc., and “had” (haya) always signifies rejoicing, for he had no fear whatsoever. This was not so with Avraham where it is written “heavy,” because of his fear. Therefore it follows immediately with, “and he went on his journeys … and there he called in the name of Hashem” (Bereshit, 8:3–4), for here too his soul feared wealth, as mentioned above. Thus he was clarified in all these matters.

“And Malki Tsedek king of Shalem brought out bread and wine, and he was a priest of the supernal God.” (Bereshit, 14:18) It is written (Mishlei, 8:15), “Through Me kings will reign.” One might think it should have been written, “Kings will reign through Me.” This formulation hints that the Holy One, blessed be He, only makes a king out of someone who can first rule over himself, and if so He also makes him a king over others. Concerning this it is said (Pirke Avot, Ch. 4:1), “who is mighty? He who conquers his own evil nature.” This is “through Me, kings will reign,” meaning one who reigns over himself, and his intellect rules over his desires, he will reign, meaning he will be a king over all, and you do not have to pay attention to his opponents, since all his intentions are for the sake of Heaven. This is why it is written, “Malki Tsedek king of Shalem,” meaning that at first he was a righteous (Tsedek) king in that he ruled over himself in his righteousness, and afterwards he was “king of Shalem [meaning complete],” which is Jerusalem. For this reason the first of the month of Nissan is the New Year of the kings. It seems that the first of the month of Sivan would be more proper, for in this month the Torah was given in which it is written, “through Me kings will reign.” Yet still, because it says first “through Me kings,” and afterwards “will reign,” meaning that he will be a king over himself, which occurs in the month of Nissan, when Israel constricts themselves by eating the bread of affliction (matzah) and accepting upon themselves the yoke of the blessed Creator, eating from Him (as it were) dry bread without taste, and not eating delicacies under the yoke of flesh and blood. For in truth there was great plenty in Egypt, as it is said (Shemot, 16:3), “when we sat by the flesh pots.” So by means of this (the constrictions of Nissan), “they will reign,” meaning over the whole world, and this is in the month of Sivan for in it the Torah was given. This is as it is say here, “Malki Tsedek king of Shalem,” and for this he is called king of Shalem (complete). Shem, the son of Noach, whom the Gemara (Nedarim, 32b), identifies as Malki Tsedek, sought after the welfare of Jerusalem with great desire. Therefore when he saw that his student Avraham went to save Lot, he could not understand why. To the contrary, not saving him would have been more reasonable as his descendants were Ammon and Moav, called the “evil neighbors of Jerusalem” (Sanhedrin, 96b). Also, there is a sign that God hated them in warning that they should not be accepted into the congregation of Israel. How then could Avraham Avinu have dedicated himself to saving him? Yet since he knew his student Avraham, regarding him as a complete Tsaddik who would not fail, and he prayed to God shine into him the reasons for Avraham’s endeavors. This is why he was called “a priest to the most high God,” as when he brought out bread and wine he was a Cohen serving God and praying for to clearly understand that which was above his ability to comprehend. Afterwards God shined into him the understanding that Avraham Avinu did not, God forbid, do anything futile. Even though it was indeed so that from Lot would come Ammon and Moav, of whom it is said, “they shall not enter the congregation” (Lamentations, 1:10), this was only for the men, but the women were permitted to enter at once. Furthermore among their descendants was the House of David and Shlomo who are the principle ones to uphold sovereignty over Israel and Jerusalem. On this Malki Tsedek said, “blessed is Avram to the Supernal God!” Notice how he first blessed Avraham (and then afterwards God in verse 20), for Avraham also did something above his intellect, with God only arousing his heart, and he delivered over his soul. Since it was Avraham who first made this known to him, Avraham’s blessing came first, and by means of this he took the priesthood from himself and gave it to Avraham (Nedarim, 32b). That is, he admitted that Avraham was greater than him, as it is said (Tehilim, 110:4), “You are a priest forever, a king of righteousness [Malki Tsedek] according to My word.” “A king of righteousness [Malki Tsedek],” meaning that I (God) shined My light into Malki Tsedek in order for him to see that Avraham was greater than him and admit it to himself.

“And Avram said to the king of Sodom, I raise my hands to Hashem … that I will not take from you even a thread or a shoelace ….” (Bereshit, 14:22–23) The question is why didn’t Avraham Avinu want to benefit from the king of Sodom, even though he had benefited from Pharaoh and Avimelech? His efforts to save Lot were in the way of a birrur (clarification) as Lot possessed a good power, since Naomi the Ammonite and Ruth the Moabite were among his offspring, and the rest was evil, for Ammon and Moav were born of him. So it was necessary to clarify in himself that at the depths all his intentions were to save these two good fledglings (Baba Kama, 38b). Whenever man must undergo a birrur he is advised to stand back and remove any connection from personal benefit from his actions. After this, God will make it clear that even in the times where he had transgressed the law was also good, for, “it is a time to do for God, they have made void Your Torah” (Tehilim, 119:126). This is hinted at in the Gemara (Ketubot, 66a), “what a wife finds goes to her husband,” for the wife hints helping man in a place where he needs to listen to her, and then it is “a time to do.” This is akin to Adam and Chava where she was given to him so he would listen to her words. There he did not sin, and that which he desired did not come from her, only from the incitement of the snake. This is the explanation of “what a wife finds goes to her husband,” meaning when a man conducts himself not according to the judgment of the Torah, but only according to “a time to do for God,” then it is forbidden for him to receive benefit. “Rabbi Akiva said, what a wife finds is her own,” meaning that he may allow himself to receive benefit then as well. Since at the time Avraham Avinu went to rescue Lot the depth of the intention of the action was hidden from him, therefore he did not want to receive benefit. This is the same as the matter with King David and Achish king of Gat (Shmuel 1, Ch. 30; see this whole chapter for a clearer understanding), where he did not want to benefit from the war spoils, for this was also against the judgment of the Torah. Even though he did not share their intentions, still he refused to benefit from the war spoils for his intentions were for the sake of Heaven. This is as it is said (Mishlei, 1:15), “do not go in the way with them,” meaning that even though you do not go with them, yet still, act in a way that prevents them from even thinking that you are going with them. Therefore Amalek came to him at this time, for Amalek hates Israel at the depths, and one who hates another at the depths can immediately feel when the other is lacking something, as explained in Parshat Bereshit (see p. 16, “said the snake”). Therefore David haMelech sent away the war spoils and did not want to benefit from it. Then when they won the war against the Amalekites, it says (Shmuel 1, 30:19), “and there was nothing lacking in them, neither great nor small … David returned everything,” for such a case requires a great measure of help Heaven and careful guarding. Thus it says “there was nothing lacking,” for here were the salvations of God, and the Amalekites could not bring accusations against them, for whenever Israel makes mistakes, Amalek is there to bring accusations. This is as it is written (Bamidbar, 21:1), “and the Canaanite heard that Israel came derech ha’atarim, by way of the spies.” “derech ha’atarim” means by way of error, for at that time the children of Israel were not yet commanded to go to the land of Israel, but regardless they went by way of the spies, like one gets lost and then eventually goes to a place where God has not permitted him to go. Therefore Amalek immediately appeared to them, for “the Canaanite” mentioned is Amalek, as Rashi explains. But truly Israel’s heart was directed to Heaven, therefore when they won them in battle Israel vowed that their cities would be banned. In other words, they did not want to receive any benefit from this instance as it happened against the judgment of the Torah, and was decreed as “a time to do for God.”

“And Avram said, Lord Hashem, what will You give me, seeing as I go childless … And Avram said, behold, You have given me no seed ….” (Bereshit, 15:2–3) To understand the doubling of the language, for when Avraham Avinu said (Bereshit, 15:3), “and behold, the one who grew up in my house [his servant Eliezar] will inherit me,” he was not referring to his wealth and property in this world. Rather he was asking about the principle of Divine service. He desired that it be constantly revealed through him also in the physical world, that all would see how God controls and rules over all, that He is also the “God of the land.” This is as he said, “seeing I go childless,” meaning that there is no one to inherit my job of making Your Sovereignty known throughout the whole world the way I have done. He asked God not to pass this inheritance through his servant Eliezar. Even though it seemed that Eliezar drew from the wellsprings of his master’s teachings to give others to drink (see Yoma 28b), nevertheless Avraham Avinu was uncertain whether his intentions were truly for the sake of Heaven, as it is written (Mishlei, 18:2), “a fool does not desire wisdom, but rather to reveal his heart.” Therefore he first said, “and the steward of my house is Eliezar of Damascus,” and then after in a moment of repose he thought, “maybe it will be fitting in the eyes of God to make Eliezar the one to publicize Your oneness.” Only he did not look upon him with a good eye, so therefore added immediately after, “and behold the one who grew up in my house will inherit me.” With these words he was praying that God make Eliezar worthy in his own view, to look upon him with a good eye upon him and rejoice in him.¹⁷ Therefore it follows immediately with (Bereshit, 15:4), “And behold, the word of Hashem came to him saying, this will not be your heir.” This is phrased in a way to denote simcha (joy), that your one desire to promote the oneness of God in the world will not be fulfilled through him. This desire will only be fulfilled through your progeny.

footnotes: ¹⁷ This is the answer to the question at the outset of why the same thing seemed to be said twice, as if to say, “make him as the actual son of my house, so I will no longer suspect him.”

“And he said, whereby shall I know that I will inherit it?” (Bereshit, 15:8) After all of the birrurim (refinements) that Avraham endured, he asked God for the Shechina to be revealed in the world through him. Yet he asked, “Whereby shall I know,” I want this revelation to be forever fixed in my heart. Therefore God answered him, “take a heifer of three years [literally, ‘triple’],” meaning that you will need the book of Torat Cohanim (or Leviticus, the third book of the Bible, hence “triple”). This means, by means of Divine service (“the law of the Cohanim”) it shall be fixed into your heart more and more until it is fixed there forever, and thus it is truly called an inheritance.