AND THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO ABRAHAM ‘LECH LECHA’ (GET THEE OUT). This means, “For your own benefit and for your own good. And there I will make of you a great nation whilst here you will not merit the privilege of having children.” Thus the language of Rashi. Now there is no need for it¹ (literally, “to you”) as meaning “for your own benefit” for it is merely the idiomatic usage of the Hebrew language, as explained further in the text. for such is the normal expression of the Hebrew language as in the verses: *The rain is over and gone ‘lo’;*² *I will get ‘li’ unto the great men;*³ *Rise up, and get ‘lachem’ over the brook Zered;*⁴ and many similar examples. Our Rabbis, however, have made a Midrash — (a homiletical interpretation) — concerning the verses [addressed to Moses] which state, And thou shalt make ‘lecha’ an ark of wood,⁵, meaning Moses, but in Exodus (25:10) it states, And ‘they’ shall make an ark! This teaches us that the people of a community are commanded to do the work of a Torah-scholar who resides in their midst.” (Yoma 72b.) and Make ‘lecha’ two trumpets of silver,⁶ since it was not his work and it would have been proper for these verses to be stated in the same way as that concerning the tabernacle, i.e., And thou shalt make the tabernacle.⁷

footnotes: ¹ Ramban’s intent is that it is unnecessary to explain the word lecha ² Song of Songs 2:11. Literally, “gone to itself.” ³ Jeremiah 5:5. Literally, “get to me.” ⁴ Deuteronomy 2:13. Literally, “and get to you.” ⁵ Deuteronomy 10:1. Literally, “make to thee.” The Midrash of the Rabbis is as follows: “Here the verse states, And ‘thou’ shalt make an ark ⁶ Numbers 10:2. Literally, “make to thee.” The Rabbis commented: “As though it were possible, I would prefer it to be from that which is thine to that which is theirs.” (Yoma 3b.) ⁷ Exodus 26:1.

OUT OF THY COUNTRY, AND FROM THY BIRTHPLACE. Rashi wrote,⁸ “But had he not already departed from there together with his father and reached as far as Haran?⁹ But thus, in effect, did the Holy One, blessed be He, say to him, ‘Go still further away from thy father’s house.’” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained the verse as follows: “And G-d had already said to Abram, ‘Get thee out of thy country,’ since this command came to him when he was still in Ur of the Chaldees, and there He commanded him to leave his country, his birthplace and his father’s house, in which he was.” But this is not correct, for if so, it would follow that Abram was the central figure in the journey from his father’s house by command of G-d, while Terah his father voluntarily went with him. Yet Scripture says, And Terah took Abram his son,⁹ which teaches us that Abram followed his father and that it was by his counsel that Abram went forth from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan! Furthermore, [according to Ibn Ezra, who says that the above command came to Abram when he was still in Ur of the Chaldees], the verse stating, And I took your father Abraham from beyond the river and led him throughout all the land of Canaan,¹⁰ should have stated, “And I took your father from Ur of the Chaldees and led him throughout all the land of Canaan,” for it was from there that he was taken, and it was there that he was given this command. In addition, the following difficulty may be put to Rashi and Ibn Ezra: when Abraham commanded Eliezer to get a wife for his son, he said to him, *‘But thou shalt go unto my country and to my birthplace,’*¹¹, generally translated “my kindred,” connotes, according to Ramban, both “my birthplace” and “my family.” This is made clear further on in the text. and he went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor.¹², Verse 10. Aram-naharaim is Mesopotamia. See Ramban above, 11:28. If so, that is his “country” and his “birthplace!” And there, Scripture further says [when Eliezer recounts Abraham’s charge to him], But thou shalt go unto my father’s house and to my family,¹³, Verse 38. thus clearly indicating that there (in Mesopotamia) were his father’s house and his family which is “his kindred.” This is not as Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra erred in interpreting, “Unto my country,¹¹, generally translated “my kindred,” connotes, according to Ramban, both “my birthplace” and “my family.” This is made clear further on in the text. Haran; and to my birthplace, Ur of the Chaldees.” Now since Ibn Ezra says here that in Ur of the Chaldees it was said to Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, Abraham would thus have many countries!¹⁴. And further (Chapter 24, Verse 4) Ibn Ezra interprets my country as meaning “Haran,” which is Mesopotamia! Thus Ibn Ezra has “many countries” assigned to Abraham. But the essential principle you already know from what we have written in the preceding Seder,¹⁵ namely, that Haran is Abraham’s country, and there is his birthplace, it having always been his father’s country, and there Abraham was commanded to leave them. In Bereshith Rabbah,¹⁶ the Rabbis similarly say “Lech lecha: one departure from Aram-naharaim, and one from Aram-nahor.” The reason for mentioning out of thy country, and from thy birthplace, and from thy father’s house is that it is difficult for a person to leave the country wherein he dwells, where he has his friends and companions. This is true all the more if this be his native land, and all the more if his whole family is there. Hence it became necessary to say to Abraham that he leave all for the sake of his love of the Holy One, blessed be He. UNTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW THEE. He wandered and went about from nation to nation, from kingdom to another people,¹⁷ until he came to the land of Canaan, where He said to him, Unto thy seed will I give this land.¹⁸ Then the promise, Unto the land that I will show thee, was fulfilled, and Abraham tarried and settled there. The verse which states, And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan,¹⁹ means that he was not heading for Canaan for the purpose of settling there since he did not as yet know that he had been commanded concerning this land. Rather, the righteous one²⁰ set his goal towards the land of Canaan for that was his intention as well as that of his father when they originally set forth from Ur of the Chaldees. This is the reason why Abraham later said, *And it came to pass, when G-d caused me to wander from my father’s house:*²¹ he was indeed gone astray like a lost sheep.²² It is possible to say that Abraham knew from the first that the land of Canaan was “the inheritance of the Eternal,” destined that His special Providence be bestowed upon it, and he believed that the Divine promise, Unto the land that I will show thee, alluded to the land of Canaan either in its entirety or to one of all those lands [which together comprise Canaan]. He set his direction towards the land of Canaan generally for [he was certain that] there was the land which He would indeed show him.

footnotes: ⁸ In Verse 2 here. ⁹ Above, 11:31. ⁹ Above, 11:31. ¹⁰ Joshua 24:3. ¹¹ Genesis 24:4. The word moladeti ¹² Ibid. ¹³ Ibid. ¹¹ Genesis 24:4. The word moladeti ¹⁴ Ramban points out the following contradiction in Ibn Ezra’s interpretation: Here in our verse he says that the command was given to Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees. Accordingly, Ur of the Chaldees is Abraham’s “country” for the verse says, from thy country ¹⁵ Above, 11:28. ¹⁶ 39:8. The Rabbis here interpret the double expression of the verse as signifying two departures which Abraham is to make: one from Mesopotamia generally, and one from his city in particular. ¹⁷ Psalms 105:13. ¹⁸ Verse 7 here. ¹⁹ Verse 5. ²⁰ Abraham. ²¹ Further, 20:13. ²² Psalms 119:176.

UNTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW THEE. He wandered and went about from nation to nation, from kingdom to another people,¹⁷ until he came to the land of Canaan, where He said to him, Unto thy seed will I give this land.¹⁸ Then the promise, Unto the land that I will show thee, was fulfilled, and Abraham tarried and settled there. The verse which states, And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan,¹⁹ means that he was not heading for Canaan for the purpose of settling there since he did not as yet know that he had been commanded concerning this land. Rather, the righteous one²⁰ set his goal towards the land of Canaan for that was his intention as well as that of his father when they originally set forth from Ur of the Chaldees. This is the reason why Abraham later said, *And it came to pass, when G-d caused me to wander from my father’s house:*²¹ he was indeed gone astray like a lost sheep.²² It is possible to say that Abraham knew from the first that the land of Canaan was “the inheritance of the Eternal,” destined that His special Providence be bestowed upon it, and he believed that the Divine promise, Unto the land that I will show thee, alluded to the land of Canaan either in its entirety or to one of all those lands [which together comprise Canaan]. He set his direction towards the land of Canaan generally for [he was certain that] there was the land which He would indeed show him.

footnotes: ¹⁷ Psalms 105:13. ¹⁸ Verse 7 here. ¹⁹ Verse 5. ²⁰ Abraham. ²¹ Further, 20:13. ²² Psalms 119:176.

AND BE THOU A BLESSING. You will be the blessing by whom people will be blessed, saying, “G-d make thee as Abraham.” To this He added that all families of the earth²³ will cite him in blessing, not just the people of his country alone. It may be that the expression, And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed,²³ means that they will all be blessed on his account. Now this portion of Scripture is not completely elucidated. What reason was there that the Holy One, blessed be He, should say to Abraham, “Leave your country, and I will do you good in a completely unprecedented measure,” without first stating that Abraham worshipped G-d or that he was a righteous man, [and] *perfect?*²⁴ Or it should state as a reason for his leaving the country that the very journey to another land constituted an act of seeking the nearness of G-d.²⁵ The custom of Scripture is to state, “Walk before Me,²⁶ and hearken to My voice, and I will do good unto you,” as is the case with David²⁷ and Solomon,²⁸, 3:13-14. as well as throughout the Torah: *If ye walk in My statute;*²⁹ And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Eternal thy G-d.³⁰ And in the case of Isaac, it says, For My servant Abraham’s sake.³¹ But there is no reason for G-d to promise [Abraham a reward merely] for his leaving the country. However, the reason [for G-d’s promising Abraham this reward] is that the people of Ur of the Chaldees did him much evil on account of his belief in the Holy One, blessed be He, and he fled from them to go to the land of Canaan, tarrying for a time at Haran, whereupon the Eternal told him to leave these places as well and to fulfill his original intention that his worship be dedicated to Him alone and that he call upon people [for the worhip of] the Name of the Eternal in the Chosen Land. There He would make his name great, and these nations would bless themselves by him, not as they treated him in Ur of the Chaldees, where they abused and cursed him, put him in prison or in the fiery furnace. He further told Abraham that He will bless those who bless him, and if some individual will curse him, he will be cursed in turn. This then is the meaning of this portion of Scripture. The Torah, however, did not want to deal at length with the opinions of idol worshippers and explain the matter between him and the Chaldeans in the subject of faith, just as it dealt briefly with the matter of the generation of Enosh³², Note 280. and their thesis concerning the idol-worship which they instituted.

footnotes: ²³ Verse 3 here. ²³ Verse 3 here. ²⁴ Above, 6:9. As was the case with Noah. ²⁵ Psalms 73:28. This may indeed be an illuminating personal remark shedding light on Ramban’s journey, towards the end of his life, to the Land of Israel; the very journey constituted to him a religious experience of “seeking the nearness of G-d.” ²⁶ Genesis 17:1. ²⁷ See I Kings 2:4. ²⁸ Ibid. ²⁹ Leviticus 26:3. ³⁰ Deuteronomy 28:1. ³¹ Genesis 26:24. ³² Above, 4:26. See also above in Seder Noach

AND ABRAM PASSED THROUGH THE LAND. I will tell you a principle by which you will understand all the coming portions of Scripture concerning Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is indeed a great matter which our Rabbis mentioned briefly, saying:³³, 9. “Whatever has happened to the patriarchs is a sign to the children.” It is for this reason that the verses narrate at great length the account of the journeys of the patriarchs, the digging of the wells, and other events. Now someone may consider them unnecessary and of no useful purpose, but in truth they all serve as a lesson for the future: when an event happens to any one of the three patriarchs, that which is decreed to happen to his children can be understood. Concerning all decisions of “the guardians [angels],”³⁴ know that when they proceed from a potential decree to a symbolic act, the decree will in any case be effected. It is for this reason that the prophets often perform some act in conjunction with the prophecies, just as Jeremiah commanded Baruch his disciple, And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and thou shalt say: Thus shall Babylon sink.³⁵ Likewise is the matter of Elisha when he put his arm on the bow [held by Joash, King of Israel]: And Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The Eternal’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory against Aram.³⁶ And it is further stated there, And the man of G-d was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldst have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Aram till thou hadst consumed it whereas now thou shalt smite Aram but thrice.³⁷, Verse 19. It is for this reason that the Holy One, blessed be He, caused Abraham to take possession of the Land and symbolically did to him all that was destined to happen in the future to his children. Understand this principle. Now, with the help of G-d, I will begin to explain in detail the subject matter of the verses. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem. This is the city of Shechem for such was the name of this place,³⁸ and Shechem the son of Hamor³⁹ was called by the name of his city. Now Rashi wrote, “He entered it unto the place of Shechem in order to pray on behalf of Jacob’s sons when they would come grieved from the field.”⁴⁰, 34:7. In our text of Rashi: “when they would come to fight against Shechem.” This is correct. And I add that Abraham took possession of this place at the very beginning, even before the land was given to him.⁴¹ It was thus hinted to him that his children would first conquer this place⁴² before they would merit it and before the guilt of the dwellers of the land was full⁴³ to warrant their exile therefrom. It is for this reason that the verse here states, And the Canaanite was then in the land.⁴⁴ And when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him the land by His Word, Abraham journeyed from there and pitched his tent between Beth-el and Ai for this was the place that Joshua captured first.⁴⁵ It is possible that Scripture mentions, And the Canaanite was then in the land, to teach us concerning the substance of this chapter, i.e., to state that Abram came into the land of Canaan, but G-d did not show him the land He had promised him. He passed to the place of Shechem while the Canaanite, that bitter and impetuous nation,⁴⁶ was yet in the land, and Abram feared him. Therefore he did not build an altar to G-d. But when he came to the vicinity of Shechem at the oak of Moreh, G-d appeared to him and gave him the land, and as a result his fear departed from him for he was already assured in the land that I will show thee, and then he built an altar to G-d in order to worship Him openly. Now eilon Moreh (the oak of Moreh) is in the vicinity of Shechem and is also called eilonei Moreh, as it is written *over against Gilgal, beside ‘eilonei Moreh.’*⁴⁷ There in Shechem, near the Jordan, are Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, where the Israelites arrived at the beginning of their entrance into the land.⁴⁸ Eilonei Mamre,⁴⁹ however, is a place in the land of Hebron,⁵⁰. (Ibid., 35:27.) far from the Jordan. Know that wherever Scripture states, eilonei Mamre, the name Mamre is on account of an Amorite by that name to whom the place belonged, just as it says, And he dwelt at the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshkol and brother of Aner,⁵¹, 14:13. and wherever it says, eilon moreh or eilonei moreh,⁵² the places were so called on account of a man by the name of Moreh, but he was a Canaanite from the land of the Canaanites, who abide in the plains.⁵³ The end of this verse reads: beside the oaks of Moreh. From this Ramban derives the fact that Moreh was a Canaanite, unlike Mamre who was an Amorite. When Scripture mentions Mamre alone, it means the name of a city, just as it is said: *And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, the city of Arba, which is Hebron;*⁵⁴ Before Mamre which is Hebron.⁵⁵, 23:19. The man to whom the oaks belonged was called after the name of the city. A similar case is that of Shechem the son of Hamor, who was called Shechem after the name of the city Shechem. In Bereshith Rabbah⁵⁶ it is said, “In the opinion of Rabbi Yehudah, Mamre is the name of a place, and in the opinion of Rabbi Nechemyah, it is the name of a person.”

footnotes: ³³ Tanchuma Lech Lecha ³⁴ Daniel 4:14. ³⁵ Jeremiah 51:63-64. ³⁶ II Kings 13:17. ³⁷ Ibid. ³⁸ Ramban differs with Ibn Ezra’s comment that the name Shechem was non-existent in the days of Abraham but is used here because Moses called it by the name by which it was known in his time. ³⁹ Genesis 34:2. ⁴⁰ Ibid. ⁴¹ As told later in Verse 7. His taking possession of Shechem is stated in the preceding Verse 6. ⁴² Reference is to the capturing of the city by the sons of Jacob. See further, 34:25. ⁴³ Further, 15:16. ⁴⁴ He took possession of this place even though the Canaanite was yet in the land. (Tur.) ⁴⁵ In battle. (Joshua 8:1-24.) The capture of Jericho earlier was effected by a miracle. ⁴⁶ Habakkuk 1:6. ⁴⁷ Deuteronomy 11:30. ⁴⁸ Sotah 36 a: “On the day Israel crossed the Jordan, they came to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.” ⁴⁹ “The oaks of Mamre.” (Genesis, 18:1.) ⁵⁰ As is clearly stated: Mamre… the city of Arba which is Hebron ⁵¹ Ibid. ⁵² Deuteronomy 11:30. ⁵³ Ibid. ⁵⁴ Genesis 35:27. ⁵⁵ Ibid. ⁵⁶ 42:14.

The sense of the expression, And there he built an altar unto the Eternal, who appeared unto him,⁵⁷ is that he gave praise to the Glorious Name⁵⁸ and offered unto Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving for His having appeared to him. Until now G-d had not appeared to him neither in a mar’eh nor in a machzeh.⁵⁹ and Machzeh are terms for different degrees of prophetic vision. See Ramban further, 15:1. See also Moreh Nebuchim, II, 41-5, for full discussion of these terms and other prophetic experiences. Rather, the command, Get thee out of thy country, was said to him in a nocturnal dream or through Ruach Hakodesh.⁶⁰, Chapter 45, beginning: “second degree of prophecy.” It is possible that the expression, Who appeared unto him, alludes to the mystery of the sacrifice. The one enlightened [in the mysteries of the Torah] will understand.

footnotes: ⁵⁷ Verse 7 here. ⁵⁸ Deuteronomy 28:58. ⁵⁹ Mar’eh ⁶⁰ Literally, “The Holy Spirit.” See ibid.

AND HE CALLED UPON THE NAME OF THE ETERNAL. Onkelos explained it as meaning that he prayed there, just as in the verse, I called upon Thy name, O Eternal, out of the lowest dungeon.⁶¹ The correct interpretation is that Abraham loudly proclaimed the name of the Eternal there before the altar, informing people of Him and of His Divine essence. In Ur of the Chaldees he taught people but they refused to listen. Now, however, that he had come to the land concerning which he had been promised, And I will bless them that bless thee,⁶² he became accustomed to teach and to proclaim the Deity. Scripture likewise tells of Isaac — when he went to the valley of Gerar where he was promised, Fear not, for I am with thee⁶³ — that he built an altar there and invoked the name of the Eternal⁶⁴, Verse 25. since he had come to a new place where they had not heard of His fame or seen His glory, and he proclaimed His glory among these nations.⁶⁵ Now a similar statement is not made concerning Jacob, [i.e., that he proclaimed the name of the Eternal before the peoples of the land of Canaan], for since he begot many children — all of whom were worshippers of G-d — and he had a great community, which was called “the congregation of Israel,”⁶⁶ it was through them that the Faith was proclaimed and became known to all people. Besides, the Faith had been proclaimed throughout the entire land of Canaan since the days of his ancestors. In Bereshith Rabbah⁶⁷ the Rabbis similarly say, “And he called upon the name of the Eternal. This teaches us that he caused the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, to be in the mouth of all people.”

footnotes: ⁶¹ Lamentations 3:55. ⁶² Verse 3 here. ⁶³ Further, 26:24. ⁶⁴ Ibid. ⁶⁵ See Isaiah 66:19. ⁶⁶ Exodus 12:3, et al. ⁶⁷ 39:24.

TOWARDS THE SOUTH. Rabbeinu Shlomo [Rashi] wrote, “To go to the southern part of the land of Israel, which is in the territory of the sons of Judah who took their portion in the south of the land of Israel.” This was also to happen to Abraham’s offspring in the future, as it is said, Judah shall go up⁶⁸ first.

footnotes: ⁶⁸ Judges 1:2.

AND THERE WAS A FAMINE IN THE LAND. Now Abraham went down to Egypt on account of the famine to dwell there in order to keep himself alive in the days of the drought, but the Egyptians oppressed him for no reason [and attempted] to take his wife. The Holy One, blessed be He, avenged their cause with great plagues, and brought him forth from there with cattle, with silver, and with gold,⁶⁹ and Pharaoh even commanded his men to escort them from the land.⁷⁰ He thereby alluded to Abraham that his children would go down to Egypt on account of the famine to dwell there in the land, and the Egyptians would do them evil and take the women⁷¹ from them, just as Pharaoh said, And every daughter ye shall save alive,⁷² but the Holy One, blessed be He, would avenge their cause with great plagues until He would bring them forth with silver and gold, sheep and oxen, very rich in cattle, with the Egyptians pressuring to send them out of the land.⁷³, 12:33. Nothing was lacking in all the events that happened to the patriarch that would not occur to the children. The Rabbis have explained this subject in Bereshith Rabbah:⁷⁴ “Rabbi Pinchas said in the name of Rabbi Oshaya that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, ‘Go forth and tread out a path for your children!’ Thus you find that whatever is written concerning Abraham is also written concerning his children. In connection with Abraham it is written, And there was a famine in the land; in connection with Israel, it is written For these two years hath the famine been in the land.”⁷⁵ Know that Abraham our father unintentionally committed a great sin by bringing his righteous wife to a stumbling-block of sin on account of his fear for his life. He should have trusted that G-d would save him and his wife and all his belongings for G-d surely has the power to help and to save. His leaving the Land, concerning which he had been commanded from the beginning, on account of the famine, was also a sin he committed, for in famine G-d would redeem him from death.⁷⁶ It was because of this deed that the exile in the land of Egypt at the hand of Pharaoh was decreed for his children.⁷⁷ In the place of justice, there is wickedness⁷⁸ and sin.

footnotes: ⁶⁹ Genesis 13:2. ⁷⁰ Verse 20 here. ⁷¹ Shemoth Rabbah 1:22. See also following note. ⁷² Exodus 1:22. They were to be saved alive for unchaste purposes. ⁷³ Ibid. ⁷⁴ 40:8. ⁷⁵ Genesis 45:6. ⁷⁶ See Job 5:20. ⁷⁷ See my Hebrew commentary, pp. 79-80, for sources and differing opinions on the view of Ramban expressed in this paragraph. ⁷⁸ See Ecclesiastes 3:16.

BEHOLD NOW, I KNOW, ETC. 13. SAY, I PRAY, THOU ART MY SISTER. I do not know why Abraham was more fearful for her now than before. And if we say, as Rashi explains, that it was because the Egyptians were black and repulsive, now, to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, he also said so,⁷⁹ he as well as Isaac,⁸⁰, 26:7. who lived in that land by command of G-d.⁸¹, Verse 3. Perhaps the Canaanites in that generation were steeped in idolatry but restrained from unchastity more than the Egyptians and the Philistines. But this is not correct. It is possible that Abraham and Sarah had no fear until they came into a royal city for it was their custom to bring the king a very beautiful woman and to slay her husband through some charge they would contrive against him. It appears to me correct that such was their procedure from the time they left Haran. At every place he would say, “She is my sister,” for so Abraham said, And it came to pass, when G-d caused me to wander from my father’s house, etc.⁸², 20:13. Scripture, however, mentions it only concerning those places where something happened to them on account of it. Thus Abraham now alerted Sarah as he had charged her from the beginning. Isaac, on the other hand, was not afraid in his country and in his city. Only when he came to the land of the Philistines did he adopt his father’s way. He [Abraham] said, That it may be well with me for thy sake, and that my soul live because of thee, meaning “as long as we are strangers in this land, until the famine will pass,” for Abraham came to live in the land of Egypt on account of the famine. When the famine passes, he would return to the land concerning which he had been commanded and which G-d had given to him and his children. He thus thought that they [he and his wife] would live through the famine and that relief and succor will come to them from G-d enabling them to return, or that it may be possible for them to flee to the land of Canaan when they⁸³ will give them up. Now Rashi wrote, “ ‘Hinei na’ (Behold now), I know. A Midrash Agada:⁸⁴ Until now he had not perceived her beauty on account of her⁸⁵ modesty. Now, however, [he became cognizant of it] through an event.⁸⁶ Another interpretation is that because of the exertion of travelling a person usually becomes uncomely, but she [Sarah] has retained her beauty. Still the plain sense of the text is this: ‘Behold, now the time has come to be anxious because of your beauty. I have long known that you are a woman of beautiful appearance, but now we are travelling among black people, brethren of the Ethiopians, who have never been accustomed to see a beautiful woman.’ A similar example [where the Hebrew word na does not denote a request, as it usually does, but means “now”] is found in the verse, Behold ‘na’ (now), my lords, turn aside, I pray you.”⁸⁷. Now since the request is covered by the second na (suru na — turn aside, I pray you), the first na (at the beginning of the expression) can no longer mean a request; rather it means “now.” All this is the language of the Rabbi [Rashi]. This Midrash concerning the modesty between Abraham and Sarah is traditional and it has been adjoined to the verse, but there is no need for all these matters. The word na [hinei na — behold now] does not indicate only a newly arisen matter; it may be used with reference to anything which is presently in existence for it is a statement alluding to the present state of things. Behold now I know — from then until now — that thou art a woman of beautiful appearance. Of similar meaning is the verse, Behold ‘na’ (now), the Eternal hath restrained me from having children,⁸⁸ meaning from my youth until this day. Likewise is the verse, Behold ‘na’ (now), I have two daughters,⁸⁹, 19:8. for they were not born to him now. All [verses containing this expression] are to be interpreted in like manner. It would seem from the simple meaning of the verses that Sarah did not obligate herself to say so, [i.e., that she is Abraham’s sister], but when the Egyptians, who were wicked and sinners exceedingly,⁹⁰, 13:13. saw her and they praised her to Pharaoh,⁹¹ she was taken to his house. They did not ask them at all whether she is his wife or his sister, and she remained silent and did not tell them that she is his wife. It was Abraham himself who told them that she is his sister, and therefore they did well by him for her sake.⁹² This is the intent of the verse quoting Pharaoh, which says, *What is this that thou hadst done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?*⁹³ He [Pharaoh] accused him for when he saw the princes of Pharaoh taking her, he should have told Pharaoh that she is his wife. Again, he accused him for saying afterwards to the princes and the household of Pharaoh that she is his sister.⁹⁴ But he did not at all accuse the woman for it is not proper that she contradict her husband, the suitable thing being for her to remain silent.

footnotes: ⁷⁹ Genesis 20:2. ⁸⁰ Ibid. ⁸¹ Ibid. ⁸² Ibid. ⁸³ “They” are the Egyptians. They will no longer guard them for they will consider them permanent settlers in the land. Then they (Abraham and Sarah) will be able to flee the country and return to the land of Canaan. ⁸⁴ A Midrash by that name. See Buber’s edition of this Midrash, p. 27. ⁸⁵ In our text of Rashi: “on account of the modesty of both of them.” The Midrash Agada ascribes the modesty to Abraham. ⁸⁶ Wading through a stream, he saw the reflection of her beauty in the water. (Midrash Agada.) ⁸⁷ Genesis 19:2. The Hebrew reads, hinei na adonai suru na ⁸⁸ Genesis 16:2. ⁸⁹ Ibid. ⁹⁰ Ibid. ⁹¹ Verse 15 here. ⁹² Verse 16. ⁹³ Verse 18. ⁹⁴ Verse 19.

AND THE PRINCES OF PHARAOH SAW HER. The purport⁹⁵. Why does it say here again, And the princes of Pharaoh saw her? thereof is that when the Egyptians saw her they said, “This one is worthy of the great princes,” and so they brought her before them. But they were also afraid of touching her for due to her great beauty, they knew that the king would desire her exceedingly. “And they praised her among themselves saying, ‘This one is worthy of the king.’” Thus the language of Rashi. This is in accordance with the opinion of Onkelos who says, “And they praised her for Pharaoh.”⁹⁶ Pharaoh. Or it may be that they praised her to the king himself, and he sent for her and took her.

footnotes: ⁹⁵ Ramban is aiming to answer the following question: In the preceding verse it says, And the Egyptians saw the woman ⁹⁶ Meaning that they praised her among themselves by saying that she is suitable for

BECAUSE OF SARAI ABRAM’s WIFE. This means that because of the wrong done to Sarah, as well as to Abraham, and the merit of both of them, these great plagues came upon Pharaoh and his house.

AND PHARAOH CALLED ABRAM. It is possible that when the plagues suddenly came upon him and his house at the very time Sarah was taken to his house, he thought to himself, *What is this that G-d hath done unto us?*⁹⁷ And so he asked her, and she told him that she is Abraham’s wife. For this reason he called Abraham and accused him. Or it may be, as our Rabbis say,⁹⁸ that Pharaoh was smitten with a certain skin disease which is aggravated by intimacy with a woman. Therefore he suspected that perhaps she is Abraham’s wife, and so he said to him with uncertainty, What is this that thou hast done unto me?, in order to draw the truth from him. Were she his sister, he would say, “Indeed, she is my sister.” And Pharaoh further said to him, Now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.⁹⁴ He said this in order to see what he would say, and now he would answer his reproof. But Abraham remained silent and did not answer him a word out of his great fear. Then Pharaoh understood that she is his wife as he had suspected, and then Pharaoh commanded his men to send him away.

footnotes: ⁹⁷ Genesis 42:28. ⁹⁸ Bereshith Rabbah 41:2. It is also mentioned in Rashi. ⁹⁴ Verse 19.

SO THAT I TOOK HER TO BE MY WIFE. The meaning thereof is that it was Pharaoh’s intention that she be his regal wife, not just his concubine. Pharaoh mentioned this to Abraham so that he should confess to him if she is his sister, as I have explained.