Fear Not Abram, I Am Your Shield and Great Reward

"God, His way is perfect" (Psalms 18:31) - this is Abraham, "Walk before Me and be perfect" (Genesis 17:1). "The word of the LORD is refined" (ibid.) - that the Holy One, blessed be He, refined him in the fiery furnace. "He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him" - "Fear not, Abram, I am a shield to you." "The wicked man earns deceptive wages" (Proverbs 11:18) - this is Nimrod, whose deeds were of falsehood. "But he who sows righteousness" - this is Abraham, "that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness" (Genesis 18:19). "A true reward" (ibid.) - "your reward shall be very great." Rabbi Levi said: Because Abraham our father was afraid and said, perhaps among the multitudes I slew there was one righteous man or one God-fearing man. A parable: to one who was passing by the orchard of the king, saw a bundle of thorns, went down and took it. The king looked out, and the man began to hide from him. He said to him: Why are you hiding? I needed workers to clear them away; now that you have cleared them, come and take your reward. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: Those multitudes you slew were already cut-down thorns. This is the meaning of what is written, "And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime, as thorns cut down" (Isaiah 33:12). Rabbi Levi said another thing: Because Abraham our father was afraid and said, perhaps those kings I slew - their sons will gather multitudes and make war with me. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Fear not, I am a shield to you. Just as this shield, even if all the swords come against it, it stands against them, so too you shall fight against them. And the Rabbis said: Because Abraham our father was afraid and said, I went down to the fiery furnace and was saved, to famine and was saved, I made war with the kings and was saved - perhaps I have already received my reward in this world and have nothing left for the world to come. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Fear not, I am a shield to you. I made a shield with you in this world, but your reward is prepared for the time to come. "Your reward shall be very great," as you say, "How abundant is Your goodness which You have stored up for those who fear You" (Psalms 31:20). Rav Yudan and Rav Huna both in the name of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra: Rav Yudan said, every place where "after" (aharei) is said, it is adjoining; "after" (ahar) is distant. Rav Huna said, every place where "after" (ahar) is said, it is adjoining; "after" (aharei) is distant. "After these things" - there were ponderings of words there. Who pondered? Abraham pondered. He said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, You made a covenant with Noah that You would not destroy the world; I arose and accumulated commandments and good deeds more than he, and You set aside my covenant for his covenant - perhaps another will arise and accumulate commandments and good deeds more than I, and You will set aside my covenant for his covenant? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: From Noah I did not raise up shields of the righteous; from you I will raise up shields of the righteous. And not only that, but when your children come to transgression and evil deeds, I will see one righteous man among them who can say to the attribute of justice, Enough, and I will take him and atone for them. "The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision" (Genesis 15:1). By ten terms is prophecy called: vision (hazon), prophetic dripping (hatafah), speech, saying, command, burden, parable, eloquence, riddle, prophecy. And which is the hardest of all of them? Rabbi Eliezer says: vision (hazon), as it is said, "A hard vision is told to me" (Isaiah 21:2). Rabbi Yohanan said: speech (dibbur), as it is said, "the lord of the land spoke harshly to us" (Genesis 42:30). And the Rabbis say: burden (massa) according to its plain meaning, as it is said, "as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me." Great is the power of Abraham, that He spoke with him by speech and by vision. "Fear not, Abram." Of whom was he afraid? Rabbi Berekhyah said: he was afraid of Shem, this is the meaning of what is written, "The islands saw and feared, the ends of the earth trembled, they drew near and came" (Isaiah 41:5). Just as these islands are marked out in the sea, so were Abram and Shem marked out in the world. "And feared" - this one feared that one and that one feared this one. Abraham feared, saying, perhaps he holds it against me that I slew his children; and Shem feared, saying, perhaps he holds it against me that I raised up wicked men. "The ends of the earth" - this one dwelt at one end of the world and that one dwelt at one end of the world. "They drew near and came" - they drew near to one another. "Each one helped his fellow" - this one helped that one with blessings, "And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram" (Genesis 14:19); and that one helped this one with gifts, "And he gave him a tenth of all" (Genesis 14:20). "And the craftsman strengthened" - this is Shem, who made the ark. "The goldsmith" - this is Abraham, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, refined in the fiery furnace. "He who smooths the hammer strikes him who beats the anvil" - that he smoothed his hammer and struck all who come into the world at one blow. "Saying of the soldering, It is good" - these are the nations of the world who say, it is better to cleave to the God of Abraham and not to cleave to the idolatry of Nimrod. "And he fastened it with nails" - and Abraham strengthened Shem with commandments and good deeds, "that it should not be moved" - Abram. "And Abram said, LORD God, what will You give me?" (Genesis 15:2). Rabbi Yonatan said: There are three of whom it is said "ask," and these are they: Solomon, of whom it is written, "In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, Ask what I shall give you" (1 Kings 3:5). Ahaz, of whom it is written, "Ask for yourself a sign from the LORD your God" (Isaiah 7:11). The Messiah-King, of whom it is written, "Ask of Me, and I will give the nations as your inheritance" (Psalms 2:8). Rabbi Berekhyah and Rav Aha in the name of Rav Shmuel bar Nahmani said: We bring two more from the Aggadah, Abraham and Jacob. Of Abraham it is written, "What will You give me" - he says "What will You give me" only because He had said to him, Ask. Jacob said, "And of all that You give me I will surely tithe to You" (Genesis 28:22). Rabbi Yohanan said: Two men said one thing. Abraham said: Master of the Universe, if I am destined to beget children and anger You, better for me that "I go childless." And David said, "Search me, O God, and know my heart" (Psalms 139:23-24) - know those who turn away from me; "and see if there is any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." He said before Him: Master of the Universe, if I am destined to beget children and anger You, better for me that You "lead me in the way everlasting." Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra: "And the steward of my house" (uven meshek beiti) - this is Lot, whose soul yearned (shokeket) for me to inherit me; "is Eliezer of Damascus" (Dammesek), for on his account I pursued kings as far as Damascus, and God helped me (azarani El). Resh Lakish in the name of Bar Kappara said: "And the steward of my house" - he is the son of my household (bar beiti); "is Eliezer of Damascus," for through him I pursued kings as far as Damascus, and God helped me, and Eliezer is his name; "and he armed his trained men, three hundred and eighteen" (Genesis 14:14) - and the numerical value of Eliezer is exactly this.