AS THEY JOURNEYED FROM THE EAST. Rashi comments: “They journeyed from where they were then dwelling, as it is written above, And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest toward Sephar, unto the mountain of the east.³³³ From there they journeyed to search out for themselves a place that would accomodate them all, but they found none except Shinar.” But this is not correct for this is the account of the children of Shem only, concerning whom it was so said [that they dwelled at “the mountain of the east”], and why should Scripture attribute the dispersion to the descendants of Shem when the children of Japheth and of Ham were more numerous than they? Besides, their habitation in their countries was from Mesha to the mountain of the east,³³³ and the dispersion of the nations took place before they settled there, for the children of Japheth surely did not come from the isles of the sea³³⁴, Verse 5. to the land of Shinar; rather, it was during the dispersion that G-d scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth,³³⁵ and at that time they were settled in their lands, after their nations.³³⁶ And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that the mountains of Ararat are in the east. [Thus the verse before us which states, as they journeyed from the east, means as they journeyed from the mountains of Ararat.] That which he said is correct for the mountains of Ararat are in the east near Assyria, as it is said, And they escaped into the land of Ararat.³³⁷ And when Noah came down from the mountain [upon which the ark had rested],³³⁸ he and his sons settled in those lands, and when they increased they journeyed from there to this valley called Shinar. According to our Rabbis,³³⁹ the men of the dispersion rebelled against their Creator. But those who pursue the plain meaning of Scripture say³⁴⁰ that their idea was only to be closely united, for Scripture declares their intention, lest we be scattered,³⁴¹ and does not relate any other matter [motive] concerning them. But if it be as those commentators say, then the men of the dispersion were fools for how could one city and one tower suffice for all people of the world? Or perhaps they thought that they would not be fruitful and multiply, as it is written, and the seed of the wicked will be cut off.³⁴² However, he who knows the meaning of the word “name” — as they said, and we will make for us a name³⁴¹ — will understand their intent and will know the extent of their evil intention in constructing the tower. And then he will understand the whole subject, namely, that theirs was an evil thought, and the punishment that came over them — to be dispersed in their languages and countries — was meted out measure for measure for “they mutilated the shoots” [of faith by seeking to undermine the principle of the Unity]. Thus their sin was comparable to that of their father Adam.³⁴³ Perhaps on account of this the Sages expounded:³⁴⁴ “And the Eternal came down to see… which the children of men had built.³⁴⁵ Said Rabbi Berachyah, ‘[Whose children could they have been but the children of men?] Perhaps the children of donkeys or camels? Rather it means the children of the first man, etc.’” Contemplate further that in the entire subject of the flood, Scripture mentions Elokim (G-d), while in the entire matter of the dispersion it mentions the Tetragrammaton; the flood came on account of the corruption of the land, and the dispersion came because “they mutilated the shoots” of faith and therefore their punishment was meted out by His Great Name. This explains the “coming down”³⁴⁵ and also the Divine measure meted out in Sodom.³⁴⁶ The student learned [in the mystic lore of the Cabala] will understand.

footnotes: ³³³ Above, 10:30. ³³³ Above, 10:30. ³³⁴ Ibid. ³³⁵ Verse 9 here. ³³⁶ Above, 10:31. ³³⁷ II Kings 19:37. The reference there is to the sons of Sennacherib of Assyria, who slew their father and fled to the nearby land of Ararat. ³³⁸ Above 8:4. ³³⁹ Sanhedrin 109a. ³⁴⁰ This opinion is found in R’dak. ³⁴¹ Verse 4 here. ³⁴² Psalms 37:28. ³⁴¹ Verse 4 here. ³⁴³ See Ramban above, 3:22. ³⁴⁴ Bereshith Rabbah 38:12. ³⁴⁵ Verse 5 here. ³⁴⁵ Verse 5 here. ³⁴⁶ See Ramban further, 19:24.

AND HARAN DIED IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS FATHER TERAH IN THE LAND OF HIS BIRTH IN UR OF THE CHALDEES. In accordance with the words of our Rabbis, Rashi wrote, “Terah accused his son Abram before Nimrod of having broken his idols, and he cast him into a fiery furnace. Meanwhile Haran waited and said to himself, ‘if Abram proves triumphant I will be on his side, and if Nimrod wins I shall be on his.’ When Abram was saved, they said to Haran, ‘On whose side are you?’ He replied, ‘I am on Abram’s side.’ They therefore cast him into the fiery furnace, and he was burnt to death. It is to this event that the name Ur Kasdim (fire of the Chaldees) alludes. Menachem ben Saruk,³⁴⁷ however, explained the word ur as meaning ‘valley.’ So also, Therefore glorify ye the Eternal ‘ba’urim’ (in the valleys),³⁴⁸ and also, ‘me’urath’ (the den of) the basilisk.³⁴⁹, 11:8. Every hole or deep cleft may be called ur.” This matter received by our Rabbis through tradition is the truth, and I will elucidate it. Our father Abraham was not born in the land of Chaldaea. His ancestors were descendants of Shem, and Chaldaea and the whole land of Shinar were countries inhabited by the sons of Ham,³⁵⁰ and Scripture states, *And he told to Abram the ‘Hebrew,’*³⁵¹ not Abram the Chaldean. And it is further written, Your fathers dwelt in days of old beyond the river, Terah the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor,³⁵² the word mei’olam (of old) teaching that his origins were always from there. And again Scripture states, And I took your father Abraham from beyond the river.³⁵³ 3. Proof of the matter is that we find Nahor [Abraham’s brother] in Haran.³⁵⁴ Now if Terah’s place were in Ur of the Chaldees in the land of Shinar and Scripture relates that upon Terah’s going forth from Ur of the Chaldees he took with him only his son Abram, his grandson Lot the son of Haran, and Sarai his daughter-in-law,³⁵⁵ then Nahor was left in the land of Chaldaea, [and yet we find that he was in Haran,³⁵⁴ which is in the land of Mesopotamia, as explained further]. But the truth of the matter is that the country of the birth of Abraham’s ancestors was the land of Aram, which is beyond the River Euphrates; this was always the habitat of his ancestors. Thus Scripture says concerning the children of Shem, And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest toward Sephar, unto the mountain of the east,³³³ this being a generic name applicable to all their countries, as it is written there, in their land, after their nations,³³⁶ and again it is written, From Aram Balak bringeth me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the east,³⁵⁶ [proving that Aram is in the land of “the mountains of the east”]. Thus it is clear that Abram and his ancestors always lived in the land of Aram. Furthermore, we find in the Talmud³⁵⁷ that Abraham was imprisoned [by Nimrod because he broke the idols] in Cuthah, and that city is not in the land of Chaldaea, for it is written, And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath,³⁵⁸ and it is further written, And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal.³⁵⁹, Verse 30. But it would appear that Cuthah is a city beyond the river, in the land of Mesopotamia, for Haran is the name of a city in the land of Mesopotamia, as it is written, And he went to Aram-naharaim [Mesopotamia], unto the city of Nahor,³⁶⁰ which is Haran. Furthermore, we have investigated and know it from the word of many students³⁶¹ who lived in that country that Cuthah is a large city between Haran and Assyria, far from the country of Babylon. The distance between it and Haran is about that of a six-day journey. It is, however, included in the term, “beyond the river,”³⁵³ 3. because it lies between Mesopotamia and the River Euphrates — which is the border of the land of Israel³⁶² — and the Tigris which goeth towards the east of Assyria.³⁶³ Thus Terah begot his older sons, Abraham and Nahor, in the area “beyond the river,” the land of his ancestors. He then went with his son Abram to the land of Chaldaea, where his youngest son, Haran, was born. His son Nahor, however, remained “beyond the river,” in the city of Haran. It may be that he was born there or that he came to settle there from Cuthah. This is the meaning of [the verse here which says of Haran], in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees, since that was the birthplace of Haran alone [among Terah’s children]. This matter received through tradition [that Cuthah was the birthplace of Abraham] is also found in a book called The Antiquities of the Nations, as the Rabbi²⁶⁷, Note 139. wrote in the Moreh Nebuchim³⁶⁴ that in the book of Egyptian Agriculture it is mentioned that Abraham, who was born³⁶⁵ in Cuthah, differed with the opinion of the people who worshipped the sun, and the king put him in prison, but he continued to argue against them for many days. At last the king was afraid that he might corrupt his land and turn the people away from their religion, and so he expelled him to the far land of Canaan, after confiscating all his wealth. Thus in any case it was in this place, the land of Chaldaea, that a miracle — or more exactly a hidden miracle³⁶⁶ — was done to our father Abraham, for G-d put it into the heart of that king to save him and not to kill him, and so he released him from prison to go where he desires. It may be that it was an overt miracle,³⁶⁶ i.e., that the king threw him into a fiery furnace, and he was saved, as our Rabbis have stated.³⁶⁷ Let not Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra mislead you with his questions,³⁶⁸ saying that Scripture has not narrated this wonder, for I will yet give you³⁶⁹ a reason for the omission and proof of the verity of this and other miracles like it. These peoples, however, did not mention it in their books because they differed with his [the Patriarch’s] opinion, and they thought his miracle was a deed of sorcery, just as was the case with our teacher Moses in his confrontation with the Egyptians at the beginning of his deeds. It is on account of this that Scripture no longer mentions this miracle [of Abraham] for it would have had to mention the words of those who differed with him, as it mentioned the words of the Egyptian magicians, and Abraham’s words were not as openly verified to them as were ultimately the words of our teacher Moses, [which were established by ten clearly revealed miracles]. Thus Scripture says, I am the Eternal that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees to give thee this land to inherit it,³⁷⁰ for the word hotzeisicha (brought thee out) points to a miracle. It does not say, “that took thee from Ur of the Chaldees;” instead it says, that brought thee out, meaning that He brought out a prisoner from the dungeon³⁷¹ just as in the verse: that brought thee out from the land of Egypt.³⁷² And He said to Abraham, to give thee this land to inherit it,³⁷⁰ because from the time that G-d brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, it was His Will, exalted be He, to make him into a great nation and to give him this land of Canaan. From that day on which Abraham was saved, Terah — his father — and Abraham had in mind to go to the land of Canaan, a distant point far from the land of Chaldaea, out of fear of the king, since Haran, [the city of their inhabitance], was near them [the Chaldeans], and they were one people with one language since Aramaic was their common language. They [Terah and Abraham] wanted to go to a nation where their speech would not be understood by that king and his people. This is the meaning of the verse, And they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan, and they came unto Haran³⁷³ where their families and ancestors ever lived, and they settled among them, staying there for many days. It was there that Abraham was commanded to do what he had intended, i.e., to go to the land of Canaan, and so he left his father, who later died there in Haran,³⁷⁴ his country, and went with his wife and Lot, his brother’s son, to the land of Canaan.³⁷⁵ Thus Scripture says, And I took your father Abraham from beyond the river, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan,³⁵³ 3. for Abraham was commanded concerning this when he was yet “beyond the river,” and from there G-d took him and led him throughout all the land of Canaan. Now according to the opinion of our Rabbis [that Nimrod threw Abraham into a fiery furnace, the name] Ur Kasdim will be understood as the plain meaning indicates, [namely, “Fires of the Chaldees”], from the same expression: *I am warm, I have seen ‘ur’ (the fire).*³⁷⁶ Scripture thus says, And they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees,³⁷³ even though Terah did not go forth from the fiery furnace. However, since Abram is the main [person of interest, it mentions Ur Kasdim although the name has reference to him alone]. It may be that on account of the miracle the place came to be so called, just as we find, And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah,³⁷⁷ and others. Scripture thus alludes that when Abram went forth from the fiery furnace, they all fled from that country. And the meaning of the verse, *Glorify ye the Eternal ‘ba’urim,’*³⁴⁸ is in my opinion consonant with that which the Rabbis have said [concerning Ur Kasdim, namely, that it means “the Fire of the Chaldees”], for urim are the high mountains on which they make fires and “kindle the flares”³⁷⁸ to make the new events known quickly in distant places, even as it says [in the second half of the verse]: In the isles of the sea, the name of the Eternal, the G-d of Israel.³⁴⁸ The sense of that verse is thus that for the glory of G-d they should let the whole world know the miracle and the wonder which had been done to them. So also, ‘Me’urath’ the basilisk³⁴⁹, 11:8. means his [the serpent’s] hole, where his fire and great heat are, just as he is indeed called saraph [the serpent, but literally, “the burning one”]. And I have seen in the Midrash:³⁷⁹ “Arise, ‘uri’ (shine).³⁸⁰ Therefore *glorify ye the Eternal ‘ba’urim.’*³⁴⁸ How do you glorify Him? Rabbi Yeivo bar Kahana said, ‘With these torches such as the lanterns which burn in synagogues³⁸¹ in all places, even in the isles of the sea,³⁴⁸ to the glory of G-d.’” Thus it is clear that the Rabbis understood the word ba’urim as an expression of fire, in accordance with its simple sense.

footnotes: ³⁴⁷ Menachem ben Saruk was a great grammarian who lived in the middle of the tenth century in southern Spain. He composed the first dictionary covering the entire field of the Biblical language. His work is called Machbereth (literally, “a joining of words”). Rashi, in his commentary on the Torah and other books of the Bible, made great use of this work. ³⁴⁸ Isaiah 24:15. ³⁴⁹ Ibid. ³⁵⁰ See above, 10:10-12. ³⁵¹ Further, 14:13. ³⁵² Joshua 24:2. ³⁵³ Ibid. ³⁵⁴ Genesis 29:4-5. ³⁵⁵ Verse 31 here. ³⁵⁴ Genesis 29:4-5. ³³³ Above, 10:30. ³³⁶ Above, 10:31. ³⁵⁶ Numbers 23:7. ³⁵⁷ Baba Bathra 91a. ³⁵⁸ II Kings 17:24. ³⁵⁹ Ibid. ³⁶⁰ Genesis 24:10. ³⁶¹ This alludes to the time during the last three years of his life when Ramban lived in the land of Israel and there gathered around him students from nearby countries. It was from these students, who came from the eastern countries, that he sought first-hand knowledge to illumine the problems he had in his commentary. Concerning this fascinating period in the life of Ramban, see his biography, pp. 191-206 in my Hebrew work, pp. 60-65 in the English edition. ³⁵³ Ibid. ³⁶² Genesis 15:18. ³⁶³ Above, 2:14. ²⁶⁷ Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam or Maimonides). See Seder Bereshith ³⁶⁴ III, 29. Ramban is following Al-Charizi’s translation, and not Ibn Tibbon’s. See notes in my Hebrew commentary, pp. 72-73. ³⁶⁵ “Born.” Ibn Tibbon has, “grew up.” ³⁶⁶ See Ramban further, 17:1, concerning the two kinds of miracles. ³⁶⁶ See Ramban further, 17:1, concerning the two kinds of miracles. ³⁶⁷ As mentioned in Rashi, quoted at the beginning of this verse. ³⁶⁸ In Verse 26. ³⁶⁹ See Ramban further, 46:15. ³⁷⁰ Genesis 15:7. ³⁷¹ See Isaiah 42:7. ³⁷² Exodus 20:2. ³⁷⁰ Genesis 15:7. ³⁷³ Verse 31 here. ³⁷⁴ Verse 32. ³⁷⁵ Further, 12:5. ³⁵³ Ibid. ³⁷⁶ Isaiah 44:16. ³⁷³ Verse 31 here. ³⁷⁷ Deuteronomy 9:22. — These places were so named because of the events that occurred there. See Numbers 11:3, 34. Exodus 17:7. ³⁴⁸ Isaiah 24:15. ³⁷⁸ Rosh Hashana 22b. The subject there concerns the kindling of flares on the tops of the hills to declare that the day of the New Moon had been declared. ³⁴⁸ Isaiah 24:15. ³⁴⁹ Ibid. ³⁷⁹ Pesikta d’Rabbi Kahana, 21. ³⁸⁰ Isaiah 60:1. ³⁴⁸ Isaiah 24:15. ³⁸¹ This is one of the earliest sources for establishing the religious duty of kindling lights in a synagogue. See my edition of Kithvei Rabbeinu Bechaya, pp. 89-90. ³⁴⁸ Isaiah 24:15.

AND THEY WENT FORTH WITH THEM FROM UR OF THE CHALDEES. Because Abram was more important than his father and those that followed his counsel and for whose sake they went, Scripture says, And they went forth, [rather than “he went forth”] even though it says at the beginning of the verse, And Terah took. Lot and Sarai, however, went with them to the land of Canaan on account of Abram, for even after Abram separated from his father they went along with him.³⁸²,’ that is with Abram. But out of respect to his father, Scripture ascribes it to both of them.”

footnotes: ³⁸² The Tur concludes: “Thus it should have said, ‘and they walked with him

AND TERAH DIED IN HARAN. After Abram had left [Haran, as related in the next chapter, and had come to the land of Canaan], Terah remained alive for many years after that.³⁸³ Why then does Scripture mention the death of Terah before the departure of Abram? [The answer is that Scripture does so] in order that this matter [of leaving his home during his father’s lifetime] might not become publicized to all, lest people say that Abram did not show a son’s respect to his father and mother³⁸⁴ as he left his father in his old age and went his way. That is why Scripture speaks of Terah as dead. Moreover,³⁸⁵ for the wicked, even while alive, are called dead. Thus the words of Rashi which are found in Bereshith Rabbah.³⁸⁶ But I wonder about their words for this is the customary way for Scripture to relate the life of a father, his begetting a son, and his death, and afterwards to begin the narration of the son in all generations. This is the usual manner of Scripture. Noah himself lived yet in the days of Abraham,³⁸⁷ and his son Shem lived thoughout Abraham’s life span.³⁸⁸ Now it is possible that the Rabbis came to conclusion of this Midrash because with respect to Terah, Scripture departed from the format of the entire chapter. Regarding Shem and his descendants, Scripture did not mention their death at all, nor did it total the sum of their years. But here with Terah it again follows the first order it used concerning the longevity of the people from Adam to Noah³⁸⁹ and totals up all the days of Terah and mentions his death. In addition, it mentions the place of death as having been in Haran, the same place it had mentioned concerning Abraham, [i.e., that he had gone there, in Verse 31]. That is why the Rabbis expounded that all this was to make it easily apparent that Abraham was there with Terah when he died. Moreover, because Scripture had already begun the subject of Abraham and told how he had gone forth with his father from Ur of the Chaldees to go into the land of Canaan,³⁹⁰ the Rabbis found it difficult to understand why Scripture did not systematically arrange Terah’s life and death, and write it chronologically. [That is why they made the aforementioned interpretation.] And as for that which the Rabbis also said in Bereshith Rabbah³⁸⁶ — “First you interpret³⁹⁰ that the wicked, even while alive, are called dead” — this too I find surprising, for the Sages³⁹¹ have already deduced from the verse,³⁹² “And thou shalt come to thy fathers in peace. [His father was an idolater, and yet G-d informed Abraham that after death he would go to him! Clearly the verse teaches you] that He announced to Abraham that his father would have a portion in the World to Come.” Perhaps the intent of the Rabbis was that Terah repented at the time of death, but he lived all his days in wickedness and therefore was called “dead.” In the words of Rashi:³⁹² “Scripture teaches you that Terah did repentance at the time of death.” Perhaps it may be that our Sages, of blessed memory, say³⁹³ that Terah has a portion in the World to Come by virtue of his son. And that was the announcement, for Abraham did not know it until he was informed of it at the time G-d told him, And thou shalt come to thy fathers in peace.³⁹² And so I found in a Midrash:³⁹⁴ “All kinds of wood were valid for use in the altar fire save only the wood of the olive and the vine,³⁹⁵. for since oil and wine were offered upon the altar, the fruits save the trees. And so we find in the case of Abraham that he saved Terah, as it is said, And thou shalt come to thy fathers in peace.”³⁹² Lech Lecha

footnotes: ³⁸³ Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran (12:4), and Terah was seventy years of age when Abram was born (11:26), making Terah 145 years old at the time Abram left Haran. Terah thus lived for sixty more years as he died at the age of 205 (11:32). ³⁸⁴ “And mother.” Not in our text of Rashi. ³⁸⁵ “Moreover.” Not in our text of Rashi. ³⁸⁶ 39:7. ³⁸⁷ Noah lived 350 years after the flood (9:28), and the total number of years of all ten generations from Noah to Abraham was less than 300 years. Thus Noah was still alive in the time of Abraham. ³⁸⁸ Shem lived 500 years after the flood (11:11). See also Baba Bathra 121 b: “Jacob saw Shem.” ³⁸⁹ Above, 5:5-31. ³⁹⁰ Verse 31 here. ³⁸⁶ 39:7. ³⁹⁰ Verse 31 here. ³⁹¹ Bereshith Rabbah 34:4; 38:18. ³⁹² Genesis 15:15. ³⁹² Genesis 15:15. ³⁹³ Sanhedrin 104a. ³⁹² Genesis 15:15. ³⁹⁴ Possibly Ramban refers to Vayikra Rabbah at the beginning of Chapter 7. ³⁹⁵ Tamid 2:3. One of the reasons stated for this law is that it maintains the cultivation of Eretz Yisrael ³⁹² Genesis 15:15.