Abraham the Friend of God and the Way of Charity Before Justice

At first the secret was for the God-fearing: "The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him" (Psalms 25:14); and afterward for the upright: "and His secret is with the upright" (Proverbs 3:32); and afterward for the prophets: "unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: This Abraham is one who fears Heaven, as it is said, "for you fear God" (Genesis 22:12). This Abraham is upright, as it is said, "rightly do they love you" (Song of Songs 1:4). This Abraham is a prophet, as it is said, "for he is a prophet" (Genesis 20:7); and shall I not reveal it to him? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A parable of a king who gave an orchard as a gift to his beloved. After a time the king wished to cut down from within it five barren trees. The king said: even if I were asking for them from his own patrimony he would not object; and how much more for these, shall I consult him? So the Holy One, blessed be He, said: I have already given the land as a gift to Abraham, as it is said, "To your seed I have given this land" (Genesis 15:18), and these five cities are within his portion; even if I were asking from this patrimony of his he would not object, and how much more for these, shall I consult him? A parable of a king who had three friends, and so on (as written in remez 34). Another interpretation: a king who had one councilor [senator] and would do nothing apart from his counsel. Once he wished to do something apart from his counsel. The king said: Did I appoint him my councilor for any reason other than that I should do nothing apart from his counsel? So the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Did I call Abraham "the man of My counsel" (Isaiah 46:11) for any reason other than that I should do nothing apart from his counsel? For Rabbi Yudan said: So said the Holy One, blessed be He: Behold, Lot his nephew is there, and shall I not reveal it to him? And the rabbis say: I have already called him the father of all of them, "for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations" (Genesis 17:5); does one judge the son without the knowledge of the father? Gehinnom I revealed to him; the giving of the Torah I revealed to him; the judgment of Sodom is tomorrow, and shall I not reveal it to him? Rabbi Aha in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman in the name of Rabbi Natan said: even the laws of the merging of courtyards [eruvei hatzerot] Abraham knew; even the new name that the Holy One, blessed be He, will in the future call Jerusalem, as it is said, "At that time they will call Jerusalem the Throne of the LORD" (Jeremiah 3:17), Abraham knew. Rabbi Hiyya and the rabbis there in the name of Rabbi Yehuda: there is no day on which the Holy One, blessed be He, does not innovate a halakhah in the heavenly court. What is the reason? "and an utterance goes forth from His mouth" (Job 37:2), and "utterance" is nothing but words of Torah, as it is said, "and you shall meditate on it day and night" (Joshua 1:8). Even that halakhah Abraham knew. "And Abraham shall surely become" (Genesis 18:18): Rabbi Tanhum in the name of Rabbi Berekhiah: He informed him that the world is never short of thirty righteous men like Abraham. "For I have known him, that he may command" and so on: Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Alexandri: "to do charity and justice" - this is the practice of kindness. The rabbis say: this is visiting the sick. Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Simon said: first charity and at the end justice. How so? Abraham would receive wayfarers; after they had eaten and drunk he would say to them, Bless. They said to him, What shall we say? He said, Blessed be God Most High of whose bounty we have eaten. If he accepted upon himself and blessed, he would eat and drink and go his way; and if not, he would say to them, Pay what is due from you. And they would say to him, What do I owe you? He said to them: one jug of wine for ten folars, one pound of meat for ten folars, one round of bread for ten folars - who gives you wine in the wilderness? who gives you meat in the wilderness? who gives you bread in the wilderness? who gives you a round loaf in the wilderness? When the man saw the strait in which he was pressed, he would say, Blessed be God Most High of whose bounty we have eaten. Thus: first charity and at the end justice. "That the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He spoke of him" (Genesis 18:19): it is not written "to him" here, but "of him." This is what Scripture says, "And the king called the Gibeonites... now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel" (2 Samuel 21:2). David decreed concerning them. David said: there are three marks in this nation - they are merciful, bashful, and doers of kindness. Merciful: "and He will give you mercy" (Deuteronomy 13:18). Bashful: as it is written, "and that His fear may be upon your faces" (Exodus 20:17). Doers of kindness: as it is written, "For I have known him, that he may command" and so on. Whoever has these three marks is fit to cleave to this nation, and whoever does not have these three marks is not fit to cleave to this nation.