And I Will Make You a Great Nation and the Coin That Bears His Name

"And I will make you a great nation" (Genesis 12:2). He said to him: That nation of which it is written, "For what great nation is there" (Deuteronomy 4:7), I will raise up from you. It is not written here "I will give you" or "I will set you," but rather "I will make you": once I create you a new creature, you will be fruitful and multiply. Three expressions of greatness and four blessings are written here. He announced to him the three patriarchs and the four matriarchs. Because travel on the road causes three things: it diminishes fruitfulness and multiplying, it diminishes one's wealth, and it diminishes one's reputation. It diminishes fruitfulness and multiplying, so: "And I will make you a great nation." It diminishes wealth, so: "and I will bless you." It diminishes reputation, so: "and I will make your name great." As people say: From house to house, a shirt is lost; from place to place, a life is lost. But as for you, you shall lose neither life nor wealth. "And I will make your name great" means that a coin (moniton) went out for him in the world. Four men had a coin go out for them in the world. Abraham, "And I will make you a great nation," and what was his coin? An old man and an old woman on one side, a youth and a maiden on the other. Joshua had a coin go out for him in the world, "And the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land" (Joshua 6:27), and what was his coin? An ox on one side and a wild ox on the other, after the verse, "His firstling bull, majesty is his, and his horns are the horns of the wild ox" (Deuteronomy 33:17). David had a coin go out for him in the world, "And the fame of David went out into all lands" (1 Chronicles 14:17), and what was his coin? A staff and a pouch on one side, and a tower on the other, after the verse, "Your neck is like the tower of David" (Song of Songs 4:4). Mordecai had a coin go out for him in the world, "For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went throughout all the provinces" (Esther 9:4), and what was his coin? Sackcloth and ashes on one side, and a golden crown on the other. Rabbi Yudan said: He fixes a blessing for you in the Eighteen Benedictions, but you do not know whether mine precedes yours or yours precedes mine. Once he says "Shield of Abraham," he says "who revives the dead." Rabbi Abbahu said: It is not written here "Look now to the heavens," but rather "to the heavens (ha-shamaymah)," with a heh: with a heh I created the world, behold I am adding it to your name [Abram becomes Abraham], and you shall be fruitful and multiply. Rabbi Yudan said: The letters of your name equal the number of "I will bless him (avarekheka)." Just as "avarekheka" equals two hundred forty-eight, so too the limbs of your body are two hundred forty-eight. No one set the value of produce apart from Abraham until he was blessed, and no one set its price until he was blessed. Abraham would pray over the barren women and they were remembered, and over the sick and they found relief. Rav Huna said: It was not necessary for Abraham to go to the sick; rather, the sick one would see him and find relief. Rabbi Hanina said: Even ships sailing on the Great Sea were saved through the merit of Abraham. And was their wine consecrated to idols? Rather, "vinegar cheapens wine": wherever idolatrous wine is found, the wine of Israel is sold cheaply. Rabbi Isaac said: He did this for Job too, as it is said, "You have blessed the work of his hands" (Job 1:10). No person took a coin from Job and needed to take from him a second time. "And be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2): read it as "a pool (berekhah)." Just as this pool purifies the impure, so too you bring near those who are far and purify them for their Father in heaven. Rabbi Berekhyah said: It is already written "and I will bless you," so what does "and be a blessing" teach? Rather, He said to him: Until now I was obligated to bless My world; from here onward the blessings are handed over to you. To whomever is fit for blessing in your eyes, bless him.