וישלח אבימלך מלך גרר ויקח את שרה, “Avimelech the King of Geror sent (servants) and he abducted Sarah.” Seeing that Sarah had once before been abducted by Pharaoh in Egypt and G’d had performed great miracles punishing Pharaoh by means of afflictions so that he had returned her to Avraham, why did Avraham repeat the same mistake in Gerar which he had committed once before and which had resulted in Sarah’s almost being raped? Why did he again describe Sarah as his sister? Was he really entitled to assume that G’d would once again perform a miracle for him to extricate him from a situation which he had brought about by his own machinations?

Rabbeinu Chananel wrote that this time Avraham divorced Sarah when he came to Geror because he was afraid that the local people might kill him if he were to admit that Sarah was his wife. Nonetheless, G’d did not allow her to be separated from Avraham. Neither did He allow the righteous woman Sarah to remain with the wicked Avimelech as it is not G’d’s way to “allow the scepter of the wicked to rest upon the land allotted to the righteous” (Psalms, 125,3). The divorce was considered invalid as it had been prompted only by Avraham fearing for his life. This is what the Torah meant when G’d described Sarah as בעולת בעל, a married woman,” in the dream in which He appeared to Avimelech. He made it plain to Avimelech that the technical status of Sarah as a divorced woman was caused only by circumstances over which Avraham had not had any control at the time. When Avimelech challenged G’d by saying: “will You kill people although they are innocent?” He referred to the status of Sarah as a divorced woman, claiming that he could not have known that her divorce was legally invalid. By using the expression הגוי, he implied that amongst the Gentiles there is no distinction between divorces which result from the free will of the husband and others which were the result of duress. Furthermore, he claimed that he was totally righteous not having violated her. So why would G’d threaten to kill him? Another factor in his favour was that her brother Avraham had personally told him that Sarah was his sister, something which Sarah herself had confirmed time after time so that he could claim he had taken her not only in innocence but that even his hands were clean seeing he had not forced his attentions upon her!

הגוי גם צדיק תהרוג,“are You going to kill also innocent people?” It is entirely possible that Avimelech referred to himself when he said: “are You going to kill a “people?” He meant that as a result of killing him, G’d would cause the death of the צדיק, the righteous Avraham, seeing that the king’s servants would then kill Avraham.

וגם אמנם, “and besides, indeed, etc.” The word אמנם is equivalent to אמונה בפי, “I spoke truthfully; she is my sister seeing that she is the daughter of my father.” Actually this was not quite so seeing Sarah was a daughter of Haran, Avraham’s brother, a son of Terach, as we know from Genesis 11,29 “the daughter of Haran, father of both Yiskah (Sarai) and Milkah.” We learn from here that grandchildren may be described as children. The words “daughter of my father” therefore meant “daughter of my father’s son.”

.ויהי כאשר התעו אותי אלוקים מבית אבי , “it was when G’d made me wander from my father’s home, etc.” By the choice of the word התעו, which also means “led me astray,” Avraham hinted that his father Terach was an idolater and that his emigration was due to his father’s teachings and the making of strange gods he had been forced to leave that environment and to move to another country and to say to his wife: “this is the loving kindness you can perform for me, etc.”

הנה נתתי אלף כסף , “here I have already paid one thousand pieces of silver to your brother, etc.” Avimelech mentioned this seeing that the Torah had reported earlier (verse 14) that he had given to Avraham both livestock and both male and female slaves at the time he returned his wife Sarah to him (as compensation for mental anguish?). Here the Torah put a value on these gifts Avimelech had given to Avraham, i.e. that the combined value was 1,000 pieces of silver. The word “your brother” may be understood as a form of sarcasm, i.e. the one whom you described to me as your “brother.” Avimelech described this money as הוא לך כסות עינים, “it will serve you as vindication.” He meant that the fact that he gave this money to Avraham instead of to her would make it plain to all who became aware of this that it was not a payment for sexual favours received.” Now that he had given the money (or the presents) to Avraham instead, it would be plain to all that he, Avimelech, had been forced to part with this money against his will, as a penalty for having illegally abducted Sarah. People know that their King hates Avraham and wishes him dead. The object of the exercise was to convince the entourage of Avraham and Sarah as well as everybody else in the world that she was quite blameless in the whole episode.

ואת כל ונוכחת, “and you are cleared before everyone.” Neither Avimelech’s gifts to Avraham nor his conciliatory words to Sarah had sufficed to put her at ease. In spite of all this Sarah still argued with Avimelech and was not willing to forgive him for the shame of having been abducted. This was due to Sarah’s extreme modesty. If we understand the verse in this fashion the words ואת כל belong to the following word ונוכחת. Another way of understanding these words is to assume that they belong to the previous words לכל אשר אתך, “for all the people that form part of your entourage.” In that case the word ונוכחת means that “as of now you are vindicated.” The Talmud Baba Kama 93 understands the words כסות עינים, “cover for the eyes,” as a curse Avimelech applied to Sarah’s offspring. The Talmud claims that this curse was fulfilled when Yitzchak became blind in his old age (Genesis 27,1). The Talmud uses this example to teach that one should never discount the curse uttered even by seemingly unimportant people. Another lesson learned from this incident is that Avimelech criticized Sarah with these words saying: “let the fact that you incorrectly described your husband as your brother be a lesson to you. Act more honestly in the future.”

From a moralistic point of view the words לכל אשר אתך imply that in the future if you want to call Avraham “my brother,” do so within the confines of your home, people who are familiar with you. As far as the world at large is concerned do not make such misleading statements, as they are apt to boomerang and you will become their victim.

Bereshit Rabbah 52,12 takes the words literally and interprets that Avimelech advised Sarah to keep even her eyes covered so that her dazzling beauty should not arouse sinful thoughts in those who looked at her. Still another meaning of the words כסות עינים is: “something made of embroidered material with patterns known as עינים.”

ויתפלל אברהם אל האלוקים, “Avraham prayed to G’d, etc.” Using a kabbalistic approach, the (unusual) name for G’d used here by Avraham is a reference to the tenth emanation. [this is the “lowest” of the ten emanations and therefore closest to our world. Ed.] As a result, his prayer was answered immediately as we read in the very same verse that “G’d healed Avimelech, his wife, his maidservants, and all those who were expecting to give birth could do so again and did so successfully.” As a result of Avraham’s prayer the attribute of Justice which had been active in that region was supplanted by the attribute of Mercy. We had previously read that the attribute of Mercy i.e. ה', had been exchanged for the attribute of Justice as you will see by reading the text carefully. In verse three G’d appears to Avimelech as אלוקים, i.e. as the attribute of Justice in honour of Avraham. When Avimelech justified his behaviour he addressed the attribute א-דני. G’d responds to him as ה-אלוקים, the definite article ה indicating that it was the same attribute that had appeared to him in verse three. At that point G’d tells Avimelech that He too is aware of Avimelech’s thoughts as well as his deeds. G’d used the אנכי rather than the pronoun אני when referring to Himself. This word אנכי refers to the One who is invisible, who was instrumental in preventing Avimelech from committing any sin with Sarah. This aspect of G’d is less manifest than that represented by the term אני when employed as G’d speaking, or identifying himself to His creatures. Perhaps the absence of the letter א in the word מחטו-לי in verse 6 is a hint that when someone commits a sin against G’d [as distinct from a sin against his fellow man, Ed.] he actually rebels against G’d in His Uniqueness, Oneness, i.e. against the invisible non-manifest G’d.

כי עצור עצר ה' בעד כל רחם ”for the Lord had closed fast every womb, etc.” This refers both to large and small orifices. This is why the Torah repeats the verb עצר. The words בעד כל רחם are a reference to the closing of the birth-canal; it included all orifices amongst man and beast. Our sages in Baba Kama 92 state that even the hens in Avimelech’s palace stopped laying eggs. At this point the Torah spelled out the afflictions suffered by both Avimelech and his household, whereas up until now it had not specified the nature of these afflictions. It had also not mentioned Avimelech by name until he was healed in order to preserve as much of the Royal Dignity and as a sign of respect for Sarah. These names were mentioned only when they served the immediate purpose of enhancing the stature of Sarah.