Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

"They made war with Bera king of Sodom" (Genesis 14:2). Rabbi Meir used to expound names. Bera, a son of evil. Birsha, a son of a wicked man. Shinav, because he would draw in money. And Shemever, because he would soar up and bring in money. "And the king of Bela," this is Zoar, because its inhabitants were swallowed up.

"All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim" (Genesis 14:3). Three names were given to it: the Valley of Siddim, the Valley of Shaveh, the Valley of Sukkot. The Valley of Siddim, because it grew tree stumps. Another interpretation: because it was made of breasts, that it would nurse its inhabitants like breasts. "The Valley of Shaveh," because there all the nations were made equal, and they cut down cedars for him and made him a platform and seated him on high and praised him, and they said, "Hear us, my lord, you are a prince of God among us" (cf. Genesis 23:6). They said to him, "You are king over us, you are a prince over us, you are a god over us." He said to them, "Let the world not lack its king, let the world not lack its God." The Valley of Sukkot, because it was covered over with trees, vine and fig and pomegranate, nut and almond, apple and peach. "That is the Salt Sea": there was no sea there, but the channels of the river burst open and became a sea, as it is written, "He cut channels in the rocks" (cf. Job 28:10). "Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer" (Genesis 14:4-5). Rabbi Yose says, twelve and thirteen, that is twenty-five. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says, all of them were thirteen years. And how does Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel uphold "and in the fourteenth year"? In the fourteenth year of their rebelling. "And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer," like an owner of a beam who loads himself with its thickest part. "And they struck the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim," in Ashteroth of the horns; "and the Zuzim with them," their splendid ones among them; "and the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim," they are two. "And the Horites" (Genesis 14:6), this is the metropolis which they cleared out, and it went free in the generation of the dispersion; "unto El Paran," unto the plain of Paran. "And they returned and came to En Mishpat, which is Kadesh" (Genesis 14:7). They came only to assault the very pupil of the eye of the world; they sought to blind it, and so forth. "And they struck all the field of the Amalekites": Amalek had not yet arisen, but Scripture tells the end from the beginning. "And also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazon Tamar," in En Gedi of the palms. "Four kings against the five" (Genesis 14:9), and they prevailed against them. "And the Valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits" (Genesis 14:10), wells upon wells bringing up bitumen. "And the king of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and fell there." Rabbi Yehudah says, "and fell there," these are the troops, "and those who remained fled to the mountain," these are the kings. Rabbi Nehemiah says, "and fell there," these are the kings, "and those who remained fled to the mountain," the troops. According to Rabbi Yehudah it is well; according to Rabbi Nehemiah it is not well: when Abraham went down into the fiery furnace and was saved, there were some of the nations of the world who believed and some who did not believe; once the king of Sodom went down into the bitumen and was saved, they began to believe retroactively. "And all their food" (Genesis 14:11), these are the dates. "And they took Lot and his goods, the son of Abram's brother" (Genesis 14:12). Thus they did to Lot: they put him in a cage and took him with them. Why all this? "And he was dwelling in Sodom," to fulfill what is said, "He who walks with wise men becomes wise" and so forth (Proverbs 13:20). "And there came the fugitive" (Genesis 14:13). He is Og, he is the fugitive. And why was he called Og? Because he came and found Abraham occupied with the commandment of cakes [ugot]. He did not intend it for the sake of Heaven; Abraham said, "This one is a zealot. Now I will tell him that his brother's son has been captured, and he will go out to war and be killed, and I will take Sarai his wife." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "The reward of your steps you shall receive, that you live long days; and because you intended to kill the righteous one, by your life, you shall see a thousand thousands of his children, and the end of that man is to fall only by their hand," as it is said, "And the LORD said to Moses, Fear him not, for I have given him into your hand" (Numbers 21:34).

Now, Sihon and Og were brothers, for the Master said: Sihon and Og were the sons of [Achiah bar Shamhazai]. What was different, that Moses was not afraid of Sihon but was afraid of Og? Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: from the answer of that righteous one you may know what was in his heart. He said, "Perhaps the merit of Abraham our father will stand for him," as it is written, "And there came the fugitive and told Abram the Hebrew." And Rabbi Yochanan said, this is Og, who escaped from the generation of the flood. And some say, the fugitive is Michael, as is written above in remez 68.

"And he told Abram the Hebrew [ha-Ivri]" (Genesis 14:13). Rabbi Yehudah says: the whole world was on one side [ever], and he was on one side. Rabbi Nehemiah says: he was of the descendants of Eber. And the Rabbis say: that he came from beyond [me-ever] the river, and that he spoke in the Hebrew tongue. "And he was dwelling in the oaks of Mamre." Rabbi Yehudah says, in the plain of Mamre. Rabbi Nehemiah says, in the palace of Mamre. According to Rabbi Yehudah it is a place called Mamre, and according to Rabbi Nehemiah it is a man named Mamre. And why was he called Mamre? Because he defied [himrah] Abraham to his face. When the Holy One, blessed be He, told him to circumcise himself, he went and took counsel with his three friends. Aner said to him, "You are already a hundred years old, and you go and afflict yourself." Eshkol said to him, "Why should you go and maim yourself among your enemies?" Mamre said to him, "Did not your God stand by you in the fiery furnace, in famine, and against the kings? And this thing that He tells you, to circumcise yourself, will you not listen?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "You gave him counsel; by your life, I will reveal Myself to him only in the palace of Aner, nor in the palace of Eshkol, but in your palace," as it is written, "And the LORD appeared to him in the oaks of Mamre" (Genesis 18:1).

"And Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive" (Genesis 14:14-15). "He shall not fear an evil report" (Psalms 112:7) refers to Abraham, as it is said, "For now I know that you fear God" (Genesis 22:12). "His heart is firm, secure in the LORD" (Psalms 112:7); "and You found his heart faithful before You" (Nehemiah 9:8). "His heart is steadfast, he shall not fear" (Psalms 112:8); "Fear not, Abram, I am a shield to you" (Genesis 15:1). "Until he sees his desire upon his foes" (Psalms 112:8); "and he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote them" (Genesis 14:15). "That his kinsman had been taken captive" (Genesis 14:14): was Lot truly his kinsman? Rather, his facial features resembled Abraham's (see Genesis Rabbah 41:6). "And he armed his trained men" [the Hebrew vayyareq, "he armed," is read against its root meanings]. Rabbi Yehudah says: they turned pale in the face against Abraham, saying, "Five kings could not stand against them, and we can stand against them?" Rabbi Nehemiah says: it was Abraham who turned pale in the face against them. He said, "I will go out and fall in sanctification of the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He." Rabbi Abba bar Zavda said: he equipped them with weapons, as you say, "Draw out [vehareq] the spear, and bar the way against my pursuers" (Psalms 35:3). Resh Lakish said: he equipped them with precious stones and pearls, as you say, "and her pinions with shimmering gold" (Psalms 68:14). Rabbi Levi says: he equipped them through the passage of the officers, as you say, "Who is the man that is fearful and faint of heart?" (Deuteronomy 20:8) [and such men were sent home, leaving only the steadfast]. "His trained men, born in his house": these were people initiated into his discipline, named Abraham like himself. "Three hundred and eighteen": Resh Lakish in the name of Bar Kappara said it was Eliezer alone, for the numerical value of the name Eliezer comes to that sum. "And he pursued as far as Dan": Dan is the name of a place of idolatry. The plague struck before it, and he pursued as far as Dan, where a plague would strike after it, as it is said, "From Dan was heard the snorting of his horses" (Jeremiah 8:16). "And he divided himself against them by night" (Genesis 14:15): the night divided of itself. The Rabbis say: its Maker divided it. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Abraham labored with Me at midnight; I too will labor with his children at midnight." And when? In Egypt, as it is said, "And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD smote every firstborn" (Exodus 12:29). Some say in another version: the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Abraham went out at midnight; I too go out at midnight," as it is said, "Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt" (Exodus 11:4). "And he smote them and pursued them": is there such a thing as a man pursuing the slain? Yet Abraham our father's pursuers were already as good as slain, as it is said, "For they pursue those whom You have smitten" (Psalms 69:27). This is what is written, "Who has roused one from the east, calling him to his foot in righteousness?" (Isaiah 41:2). The Life of the worlds gave light to Abraham from every place he went. Rabbi Berekhiah said: the constellation Tzedek [Jupiter] shone for him. Righteousness cried out and said, "If Abraham does not perform me, who will?"

Rabbi Yochanan said: the angel that presented itself to Abraham, its name was Night, as it is said, "and the night that said, A man-child is conceived" (Job 3:3). Rabbi Yitzchak Nappacha [the smith] said: because a deed of the night was done for him, as it is said, "From heaven they fought, the stars in their courses fought against Sisera" (Judges 5:20). Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: "Better is the smith's word than the smith's son's word" [praising Rabbi Yitzchak Nappacha's interpretation over the prior]. "And he pursued as far as Dan" (Genesis 14:14). Rabbi Yochanan said: when that righteous man reached Dan, his strength weakened, for he saw that his descendants were destined to serve idolatry there. And even that wicked one [the enemy] did not prevail until he reached Dan, as it is said, "From Dan was heard..." (Jeremiah 8:16).

Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Nehemiah differed. One of them said: Abraham would cast dust upon them and it became swords, straw and it became arrows. His colleague said to him: it is not written here "he gives dust," but "as dust" (Isaiah 41:2) [meaning] they were casting swords at Abraham and they turned to dust, arrows and they turned to straw. This is what is written, "He pursues them and passes on safely" (Isaiah 41:3). The strides of Abraham our father were miles long. Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi Simon said: a mile, as it is said, "a path his feet had never trodden" (Isaiah 41:3). Rabbi Nehemiah in the name of Rabbi Abbahu said: their feet were not even covered with dust, but it was like one going from his house to the synagogue. "And he brought back all the goods, and also Lot his kinsman and his goods he brought back" (Genesis 14:16). Rabbi Yudan said: the men and the women he returned, but the children he did not return; they arose and converted. This is what is written, "And I will bring back the wicked of the nations" [reading the verse as the men of Sodom]. "And the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked" (Genesis 13:13). "And the king of Sodom went out to meet him" (Genesis 14:17). He began to wag his tail at him, saying, "Just as you went down into the fiery furnace and were delivered, I too went down into the bitumen and was delivered." "To the Valley of Shaveh [the Level Valley]": there all the nations were leveled in agreement and cut down cedars and set him [Abraham] upon them and exalted him (as above, reference 72).

"And Melchizedek king of Shalem brought out bread and wine" (Genesis 14:18). "And the daughter of Tyre with a gift, the richest of the people shall entreat your favor" (Psalms 45:13). "The daughter of Tyre [bat Tzor]" refers to Abraham, the son who distressed [hetzer] the kings, the son whom kings distressed. "With a gift they shall entreat your favor": this is Melchizedek king of Shalem. Melchizedek [Malki-Tzedek] makes righteous [matzdiq] its inhabitants. Melchizedek; "Adoni-Tzedek" (Joshua 10:1); Jerusalem is called Tzedek [righteousness], "righteousness lodged in her" (Isaiah 1:21). "King of Shalem": who was born circumcised [shalem, complete]. "He brought out bread and wine": he transmitted to him the laws of the high priesthood. "Bread" is the showbread, and "wine" is the libations. The Rabbis say: he revealed Torah to him, as it is said, "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine I have mixed" (Proverbs 9:5).

"And he was priest to God Most High" (Genesis 14:18). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: every mention of wine in the Torah leaves a mark [of harm], except this one. Rabbi Levi said: even from this one we did not escape unharmed, for from there [this episode] He decreed upon him, "and they shall enslave them and afflict them" (Genesis 15:13). "And Melchizedek king of Shalem," who was born circumcised, and so forth (as written above on the verse "And God created the human in His image," at reference 16). (Genesis 14:19-20) The Holy One, blessed be He, wished to bring forth the priesthood from Shem, as it is said, "and he was priest to God Most High." But since he put the blessing of Abraham before the blessing of the Omnipresent, He brought it forth from Abraham instead, as it is said, "And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram..." (Genesis 14:19). Abraham said to him, "Does one put the blessing of the servant before the blessing of his master?" Immediately He gave it to Abraham, as it is said, "The LORD said to my lord... You are a priest forever after the manner of Melchizedek" (Psalms 110:1, 4). And this is what is written, "And he was priest to God Most High": he is a priest, but his offspring are not priests.

"Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:19). There are three acquisitions [that God calls His own]. Torah is one acquisition, as it is written, "The LORD acquired me as the beginning of His way" (Proverbs 8:22). Heaven and earth are one acquisition, as it is written, "possessor of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:19). Israel is one acquisition, as it is written, "until the people You acquired pass over" (Exodus 15:16).

And there are those who say: five acquisitions. Torah; and heaven and earth; and Israel; Abraham; and the Holy Temple, as it is written, "And He brought them to His holy border, this mountain His right hand acquired" (Psalms 78:54).

"Possessor of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:19). What is meant by "possessor of them"? Like a person who says, "So-and-so, his eyes are beautiful, his hair is beautiful" [praising one for what is admirable in him]. Abraham used to receive the passersby, and after they had eaten and drunk he would say to them, "Bless." And they would say to him, "What shall we say?" He said to them, "Say: Blessed be the eternal God of whose bounty we have eaten." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "My name was not known among My creatures, and you made Me known to My creatures; I account it to you as though you were a partner with Me in the creation of the world." This is what is written, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High..." (Genesis 14:19). "And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your foes into your hand" (Genesis 14:20). He turned your enemies' own shield against them. How many maneuvers I performed in order to bring them under your hand! They were lovers of one another, sending letters to one another, sending gifts to one another, and I made them rebel against one another so that they would come and fall under your hand. "And he gave him a tithe of all." Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi Simon said: by the power of that blessing, three great pillars of the world ate: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Of Abraham it is written, "And the LORD blessed Abraham in all things" (Genesis 24:1), by the merit of "and he gave him a tithe of all." Of Isaac it is written, "and I ate of all" (Genesis 27:33), by the merit of "a tithe of all." Of Jacob it is written, "for God has favored me, and I have all" (Genesis 33:11), by the merit of "a tithe of all." "Give me the souls, and take the goods for yourself" (Genesis 14:21). For what was Abraham our father punished, that his children were enslaved in Egypt two hundred and ten years? Because he conscripted Torah scholars [into the battle], as it is said, "and he armed his trained men, born in his house" (Genesis 14:14). And Samuel said: because he went too far with the standards of the Holy One, blessed be He, when he said, "By what shall I know that I will inherit it?" (Genesis 15:8). Rabbi Yochanan said: because he held people back from entering under the wings of the Divine Presence, as it is said, "Give me the souls, and take the goods for yourself." Samuel said: because he equipped them [his men], as above.

"I have lifted up my hand to the LORD" (Genesis 14:22). This is what the verse says: "Hear, my son, the instruction of your father, and forsake not the teaching of your mother" (Proverbs 1:8). The early fathers set aside heave-offerings and tithes. Abraham set aside the great heave-offering, "I have lifted up my hand to the LORD," and "lifting up" means nothing other than heave-offering, as you say, "and you shall set apart from it a heave-offering of the LORD" (Numbers 18:26). Isaac set aside the second tithe: "And Isaac sowed in that land and found in that year a hundredfold" (Genesis 26:12). But blessing does not rest upon what is measured, nor upon what is weighed, nor upon what is counted, so why did he measure it? In order to tithe it. This is what is written: "and the LORD blessed him" (Genesis 26:12). Jacob set aside the first tithe, as it is written: "and of all that you give me I will surely tithe to you" (Genesis 28:22). A certain Samaritan asked Rabbi Meir, saying to him: "Do you not say that your father Jacob spoke truth?" He said to him: "Yes, as it is written, 'You will give truth to Jacob' (Micah 7:20)." The Samaritan said to him: "He set apart the tribe of Levi, one out of ten tribes; should he not have set apart two more?" He said to him: "You say they are twelve, but I say they are fourteen, for 'Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine like Reuben and Simeon' (Genesis 48:5)." The Samaritan said: "That makes it worse for me; you are not helping me, you have added flour [made my problem bigger]." Rabbi Meir said to him: "Do you not concede to me that there are four matriarchs?" He said: "Yes." He said: "Then subtract from them four firstborn of the four matriarchs, for the firstborn is not tithed. Why? Because it is already holy, and one holy thing does not bring forth [the obligation of] another holy thing." The Samaritan said to him: "Happy is your nation, that you are within it."

Rabbi Judah says: "I have lifted up my hand" (Genesis 14:22) means he made them [his gains] a heave-offering, as you say, "and you shall set apart from it a heave-offering of the LORD" (Numbers 18:26). Rabbi Nehemiah says: he made it an oath, as you say, "and he lifted up his right hand and his left hand to heaven and swore by the One who lives forever" (Daniel 12:7). And the Rabbis say: he made it a song, as you say, "the God of my father, and I will exalt Him" (Exodus 15:2).

"From a thread to a shoelace" (Genesis 14:23). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "You said 'from a thread' — by your life, I will give to your children the commandment of the fringe [tzitzit], as you say, 'upon the fringe of the corner a cord of blue' (Numbers 15:38), which we translate [in the Aramaic] as 'a thread of blue.' You said 'a shoelace' — by your life, I will give to your children the commandment of the levirate widow [yibbum], as you say, 'and she shall draw off his shoe [in the chalitzah rite]' (Deuteronomy 25:9)."

Another interpretation: "from a thread" (Genesis 14:23) — this is the Tabernacle, which was woven with blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen, and so on. "To a shoelace" — this is the thread of red dye [the sikra], for it is taught: he girds it [the altar] in the middle to separate between the upper blood and the lower blood. "To a shoelace" — these are the footfalls [the festival pilgrimages], as you say, "how beautiful are your footsteps in sandals" (Song of Songs 7:2).

Rava expounded: as a reward for Abraham saying "from a thread to a shoelace" (Genesis 14:23), his children merited two commandments — the thread of blue [tekhelet] and the strap of the phylacteries [tefillin]. Now, the strap of the tefillin is well understood, as it is written, "and all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the LORD is called upon you, and they shall fear you" (Deuteronomy 28:10), and it is taught that Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: these are the tefillin of the head. But the thread of blue — what is its significance? As it is taught: Rabbi Meir used to say, why is blue [tekhelet] singled out from all the kinds of dyes? Because blue resembles the sea, and the sea resembles the sky [the firmament], and the sky resembles the Throne of Glory, as it is said, "and they saw the God of Israel, and under His feet there was as it were a paved work of sapphire" (Exodus 24:10), and it is written, "as the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne" (Ezekiel 1:26).

You said "from a thread" (Genesis 14:23) — with it I praise your children: "your lips are like a thread of scarlet" (Song of Songs 4:3). You said "to a shoelace" — in the merit of this I exact punishment from their enemies: "upon Edom I will cast my shoe" (Psalms 60:10).

(Genesis 14:24) Rava said: stolen property that has been eaten is hard [to remedy], for even wholly righteous men cannot restore it, as it is said, "except only what the young men have eaten" (Genesis 14:24) (Chullin 89a). This is what is written: "and every wicked and worthless man among the men who had gone with David answered... and David said, You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us, He who has protected us... and who will listen to you in this matter?... And it was from that day and onward [vama'alah] that he made it a statute" (1 Samuel 30:22-25). It does not say "and onward [vahal'ah]" here, but rather "and upward [vama'alah]" — from whom did he learn it? From Abraham his ancestor, who said, "except only what the young men have eaten" (Genesis 14:24).

(Genesis 15:1) The seventh trial. "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram" (Genesis 15:1). To all the prophets He appeared in a vision [chazon], but to Abraham He was revealed in both a sight [mar'eh] and a vision [machazeh]. From where do we know the sight? "And the LORD appeared to him" (Genesis 18:1). From where do we know the vision? "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision [machazeh]" (Genesis 15:1). He said to him: "Abraham, do not fear, for I am a shield to you" (Genesis 15:1).

Rabbi says: He brought Abraham outside on the night of the festival of Passover and said to him, "So shall your seed be" (below, verse 5). Rabbi Eliezer says: The Holy One, blessed be He, showed Abraham our father at the Covenant Between the Pieces the four kingdoms ruling and perishing, as it is said, "And He said to him, Take Me a three-year-old heifer" (Genesis 15:9) - this is the kingdom of Edom, which is like a threshing heifer; "a three-year-old goat" - this is the kingdom of Greece, as it is said, "and the he-goat magnified itself exceedingly" (Daniel 8:8); "a three-year-old ram" - this is the kingdom of Media and Persia, as it is said, "The ram which you saw having two horns" (Daniel 8:20); "and a turtledove" (tor) - these are the children of Ishmael, for tor in the Aramaic tongue means an ox (shor); when a male ox is yoked together with the female, they will plow and ravage all the valleys; "and a young pigeon" - this is Israel, who is likened to a young pigeon, "My dove in the clefts of the rock," "My dove is but one" (Song 6:9). The word "three-year-old" (meshuleshet) is said only to mean mighty ones of strength, as you say, "and the threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Rav Mesharshya said: They shall be threefold [in another sense] - three times they are destined to rule over the Land of Israel: the first time each one on its own; the second time two by two; the third time all as one to wage war against the House of David, as it is said, "The kings of the earth set themselves" (Psalms 2:2). Rabbi Joshua says: Abraham took his sword and cut each of them in two, as it is said, "And he took all these and divided them in the midst" (Genesis 15:10); had he not divided them, the world could not have endured, but since he divided them, their strength was weakened, and so forth. "But the bird he did not divide" (below, verse 10), and so forth - there was nothing there but a young pigeon. "And the bird of prey came down upon the carcasses" - this is David son of Jesse, who is likened to a bird of prey, "My heritage is to Me as a speckled bird of prey" (Jeremiah 12:9). As the sun went forth from the east, Abraham sat waving over them with his cloak so that the bird of prey would not have dominion over them, until the evening came. Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah says: From here you learn that the rule of these four kingdoms is but a single day out of the day of the Holy One, blessed be He. Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh said to him: It is as you say, as it is said, "He has made me desolate and faint all the day" (Lamentations 1:13) - except for two parts of an hour. You may know that this is so: come and see, when the sun is about to set in the west, for two parts of an hour its light grows faint and it has no brightness; and so, before evening comes, the light of Israel shall sprout, as it is said, "And it shall come to pass that at evening time there shall be light" (Zechariah 14:7). Abraham stood and was praying before the Holy One, blessed be He, that his children should not be enslaved by the four kingdoms, and a deep sleep fell upon him and he slept. Now, is there a person who can lie down asleep and yet pray? Rather, this teaches you that Abraham was asleep from the power of the prayer, so that his children should not be enslaved. "Terror" - this is the fourth kingdom, as it is said, "dreadful and terrible" (Daniel 7:7). "Darkness" - this is the kingdom of Greece, which darkened the eyes of Israel. "Great" - this is the kingdom of Media, which grew great to sell Israel for nothing. "Falling" - this is the kingdom of Babylon, as it is said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon" (Isaiah 21:9). "Upon him" - these are the children of Ishmael, over whom the son of David shall sprout, as it is said, "His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon him his crown shall shine" (Psalms 132:18). Rabbi Ze'ira said: These were created only as wood for Gehinnom, as it is said, "and behold a smoking furnace," and a furnace means nothing but Gehinnom, as it is said, "says the LORD, whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem" (Isaiah 31:9).

"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.

Nine entered the Garden of Eden while still alive. These are they: Enoch, and the Messiah, and Elijah, and Eliezer, and Eved-Melech the Ethiopian, and Hiram king of Tyre, and Yabetz son of Rabbi Judah the Prince, and Serah daughter of Asher, and Bityah daughter of Pharaoh. And some say: remove Hiram, and in his place enters Rabbi Joshua ben Levi.

"And Abram said, Behold, to me You have given no seed" (Genesis 15:3). Rav Shmuel bar Yitzhak said: The constellation presses me and says to me, Abram, you do not beget. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Let it be as your word - Abram does not beget, Abraham begets; Sarai does not bear, Sarah bears. "And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying" (Genesis 15:4) - angel after angel, speech after speech: I and three angels are revealed to you and say to you, Lot the cursed shall not inherit Abraham. "And He brought him outside" (Genesis 15:5). Now did He bring him outside the world, that Scripture says, "And He brought him outside"? Rather, He showed him the lanes of the heavens, as you say, "before He had made the earth and the outside places" (Proverbs 8:26), and He raised him up above the dome of the firmament. This is what He said to him, "Look now toward the heavens" - and looking-down (habatah) is only from above to below, as you say, "Look down and answer me, O LORD my God" (Psalms 13:4). "And He brought him outside" - go out from your astrology; you are a prophet, and you are not an astrologer, as it is said, "Restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet." In the days of Jeremiah, Israel sought to come to this measure [of astrology], and the Holy One, blessed be He, did not permit them, as it is said, "Thus says the LORD, Learn not the way of the nations" (Jeremiah 10:2), and so forth - already Abraham your father sought to come to this measure, and I did not permit him. Rav Levi said: While the sandal is on your foot, tread down the thorn. Anyone who is placed below them fears them, but you, who are placed above them, tread them down.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: From where do we know that there is no constellation ruling Israel? As it is said, "And He brought him outside," and so forth. He said before Him: Master of the Universe, I have looked into my astrology, and I am not fit for this [to have a child]. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Go out from your astrology - there is no constellation ruling Israel. What is your reasoning - that Jupiter (Tzedek) stands in the west? I will turn it back and set it in the east. And this is what is written, "Who has roused up righteousness (tzedek) from the east, calling it to his foot?" (Isaiah 41:2), and so forth.

"And he said, O Lord GOD, by what shall I know?" (Genesis 15:8). A person should always guard in his heart that he not come to sin, even a light sin. Go out and learn from our first fathers, who went down to Egypt only because of a light matter, that Abraham said, "By what shall I know?" And in reward for the small measure of reverence with which Ishmael feared his father, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not grant any nation or kingdom permission to rule over his children. And in reward for the two tears that Esau shed (as below, 27:38), they were given Mount Seir, from which the blessed rains never cease forever. And in reward for taking his vessels and going off before Jacob his brother, he was given a hundred provinces. And because Jacob listened to Joseph, he was punished over him twenty-two years. And on account of the waters of Meribah, Moses and Aaron were punished. The Sages said: If fire has seized the moist, what shall the dry do? And concerning that hour Scripture says, "A prayer of Moses" (Psalms 90:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, returned to appease Moses, saying to him: Am I not He of whom you are My children and I am your Father, you are My brothers and I am your brother, you are My companions and I am your companion, you are My beloved and I am your beloved? Have I forbidden anything to you? I ask of you nothing but - just as I examined Myself and found eleven attributes, so I ask of you nothing but eleven attributes, and these are they: "He who walks blamelessly and works righteousness" (Psalms 15:2), and so forth. Again the Holy One, blessed be He, returned to appease Moses, saying to him: Is there before Me any favoritism - whether Israel or gentile, whether man or woman, whether bondman or bondwoman? Whoever performs a commandment, its reward is at its side, as it is said, "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains" (Psalms 36:7), and so forth. From here they said: Whoever increases the honor of Heaven and lessens his own honor, the honor of Heaven is increased and his honor is increased; and whoever lessens the honor of Heaven and increases his own honor, the honor of Heaven remains in its place and his honor is lessened. There was an incident with a man who was standing in the synagogue, and his son was standing opposite him, and all the people were answering after the prayer-leader, Hallelujah, while his son answered words of frivolity. They said to him: See, your son is answering words of frivolity. He said to them: What shall I do to him? He is a child; let him play. The next day he did the same, and through all eight days of the festival, and the father said nothing to him. And that year did not go out, nor two, nor three, before that man died, and his wife died, and his son died, and his grandson died, and fifteen souls went out from his household, and there remained to him only one pair: one lame and blind, and one foolish and wicked. Again there was an incident with a certain man who regretted that he had not studied Scripture and Mishnah. Once he was standing in the synagogue, and when the one passing before the ark reached the sanctification of the Name, he raised his voice and said, Holy, holy, holy. They said to him: Why did you raise your voice? He said to them: I have merited neither Scripture nor Mishnah, and now that they have given me permission, shall I not raise my voice and let my soul return to me? And that year did not go out, nor two, nor three, before that man went up from Babylon to the Land of Israel, and they made him commander of Caesar's army, and appointed him head over all the fortresses in the Land of Israel, and gave him a place, and he built a city and dwelt in it, and they called it Kelanya, for him and his children and his children's children until the end of all the generations. There was an incident with a certain priest who fed his animal heave-offering, and a fire fell upon him and consumed from him thirty heaps and thirty garments and twenty-four jugs of wine and sixteen jugs of oil and the rest of the money he had. And he came and stood before the Sages and told them what had befallen him. He said to them: I am a priest, and I fed my animal heave-offering. And the Sages heard and said: Blessed is the Omnipresent, before whom there is no favoritism. And do not heave-offering and holy food that have no one to eat them go to nothing but burning? He said to them: Did you not teach me thus - bitter-vetch of heave-offering may be fed to beast and animal and fowl? They said only bitter-vetch, which from their beginning are food for animals, and in a year of famine they permitted human beings to eat them; therefore David decreed against them. From here they said: Whoever feeds his animal heave-offering, even from the heave-offering of outside the Land, of him Scripture says, "He who despises his ways shall die" (Proverbs 19:16). And it says, "And the holy things of the children of Israel you shall not profane," and so forth. We have learned from Abraham that from the beginning of his deeds he feared before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, "Fear not, Abram" - one does not say "Fear not" except to one who truly fears Heaven. They made a parable: to what is the matter like? To a king who said to his son, Go out and kill these bandits, and if they fall into your hand do not benefit from their money, so that they should not say, the king's son went out to kill these bandits only in order to seize the money. He went out and killed them. On his return his father came out to meet him and said to him: My son, blessed are you, and may you have peace of mind in the world, for you took no benefit from their money at all; and now behold, I will repay you from my treasury with silver and gold and precious stones and pearls and every precious vessel in the world. To this Abraham our father was likened when he slew the kings. The king of Sodom came out to meet him and said to him: Give me the persons, and so forth. He said to him: Fool of the world, do I need silver and gold, precious stones and pearls and every precious vessel from what is yours? "From a thread even to a shoelatchet," and so forth. Therefore it is said, "I am a shield to you," and so forth. We have learned from Isaac that from the beginning of his deeds he feared before the Holy One, blessed be He. Isaac was seventy-five years old when Abraham our father passed away. He said: Woe is me, perhaps I do not have good deeds as Abba had, and what will become of me before the Holy One, blessed be He? Immediately the mercies of the Holy One, blessed be He, were stirred, and He spoke with him on that night, as it is said, "And it came to pass after the death of Abraham" (Genesis 25:11), and so forth. We have learned from Jacob that from the beginning of his deeds he feared Heaven, as it is said, "And they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods" (Genesis 35:4), and so forth. And so our first fathers, as it is said, "And Israel saw the great hand" (Exodus 14:31), and so forth - to teach you that in reward for the reverence and in reward for the faith with which they believed in Him from the beginning, the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to come and redeem them from among the nations of the world, as it is said, "Writhe and burst forth, O daughter of Zion," and so forth.

"I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees" (Genesis 15:7). They said: At the hour when Nimrod the wicked cast Abraham into the fiery furnace, Gabriel said before Him: Master of the Universe, let me go down and save the righteous one from the fiery furnace. He said to him: I am unique (yachid) in My world, and he is unique in his world; it is fitting for the Unique One to save the unique one. And because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not withhold the reward of any creature, He said to him: You shall merit to save three of his descendants.

"I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees" (Genesis 15:7). They bound Abraham and tied him up, and set him upon the ground, and surrounded him with wood on his four sides, five cubits on each side, and the height of the wood was five cubits; and until that hour Terah did not recognize his Creator. Immediately his neighbors and the people of his city came and slapped him on his head and said to him: You have been put to great shame and disgrace - the son of whom you used to say that he would inherit this world and the world to come, Nimrod has burned him in the fire. Immediately the mercies of the Holy One, blessed be He, were stirred, and He went down and saved him. Terah said in his heart: Perhaps they will arise and kill my son. He arose and went out from there, as it is said, "And Terah took," and so forth (Genesis 11:31). And in reward for going out from there for the sake of Heaven, the Holy One, blessed be He, made Abraham our father reign in his lifetime thirty-five years, as it is said, "You are a prince of God" (Genesis 23:6); and elsewhere it says, "when a prince sins" (Leviticus 4:22). Just as there [the prince is one] who has none above him but the LORD his God, [so here]. And forty years he reigned after his death, making seventy-five years; and concerning him it says, "You have ravished My heart, My sister, My bride" (Song 4:9).

Rav Chanan bar Rava said in the name of Rav: Ten years our father Abraham was imprisoned, three in Cuta and seven in Kardo. And Rav Dimi of Nehardea taught the reverse. Rav said: The lesser ferry-crossing of Cuta, that is Ur of the Chaldees. This is what is written: "For what great nation is there that has God so near to it" (Deuteronomy 4:7). By the way of the world, flesh and blood takes for himself a patron who will stand surety for him, and then the man is seized in chains. People go and tell the patron, "Your dependent has been seized." He says to them, "I stand surety for him." When the man is led out to be killed, where is he and where is his patron? But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. The ministering angels said, "Abraham, the son of your covenant, has been seized." He said to them, "I stand surety for him." They said to Him, "Behold, he stands before Amraphel" [text uncertain regarding his accusers being read out], "behold, he is being led out to be burned." He said to them, "I stand surety for him." He was cast into the fiery furnace, and the Holy One, blessed be He, came down and rescued him: "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees" (Genesis 15:7).

Terah used to gaze at the constellations. He saw in Haran's horoscope that he would be burned, and in Abraham's horoscope that the world would be filled from him. The nations of the world came in to our father Abraham. They said to him, "Whose are you?" He said to them, "Never will I abandon the Holy One, blessed be He, who is in heaven." Immediately they cast him into the fiery furnace. No watcher and no seraph and no angel went down with him, only the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself, as it is said, "I am the LORD who brought you out" (Genesis 15:7). Haran's heart was divided; he inclined toward his father's words. They came in to him and said, "Whose are you?" He said in his heart, "Abraham my brother is greater than I. If I see that he is saved, I will say I am of Abraham's side." Immediately they cast him into the fiery furnace, and he had not finished going down before the fire killed him. The king took him and cast him before his father, as it is said, "And Haran died in the presence of Terah his father" (Genesis 11:28). And Terah his father had rightly seen that the world would be filled from him, yet did not know whether through the men or through the women: Sarai was his daughter, as it is said, "the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah" (Genesis 11:29), and the whole world was filled from her.

Seven wonders were done in the world, the like of which were not created since the day heaven and earth were made. The first wonder: that Abraham was saved from the fiery furnace, as it is said, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees" (Genesis 15:7). The second wonder: that Sarah gave birth at ninety years old, and they did not believe it until Sarah nursed children. The third wonder: that old age was cast upon Abraham, as it is said, "And Abraham was old" (Genesis 24:1). The fourth wonder: no person used to sneeze and live; rather, in every place his soul would go out, whether in the marketplace or on the road, until our father Jacob came and prayed for mercy concerning this matter and said, "Master of the universe, do not take my soul from me until I have given charge to my sons," and he was answered, as it is said, "And one told Joseph, behold, your father is sick" (Genesis 48:1). Therefore a person is obligated, upon sneezing, to give thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He, that he was turned from death to life, as it is said, "His sneezings flash forth light" (Job 41:10). The fifth wonder: "And the children of Israel walked on dry land" (Exodus 14:29). The sixth wonder: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon" (Joshua 10:12), for Joshua came and waged Israel's war, and the eve of Sabbath arrived, and he saw Israel's distress lest they profane the Sabbath, until he saw the sages of the nations stirring the constellations to come against Israel. What did he do? He stretched his hand toward the light of the sun and the moon and pronounced the Name over them, and each one stood in its place thirty-six hours until the going-out of the Sabbath. The seventh wonder: no person used to rise from his sickness, until Hezekiah king of Judah came and rose and lived, as it is said, "A writing of Hezekiah when he had been sick and recovered from his sickness" (Isaiah 38:9). And Hezekiah said, "What is the sign?" He said to him, "Ahaz your father stirred the constellations and bowed to the sun, and the sun went down and fled westward ten degrees. If you wish, it will go down ten degrees backward." Hezekiah said, "No, but rather let those same ten degrees that it would descend stand in their place," and he was answered, as it is said, "Behold, I will bring back the shadow... which has gone down on the dial of Ahaz" (Isaiah 38:8). When Hezekiah saw the messengers of the king of Babylon, his heart grew proud, and he showed them all the treasures, and moreover he opened the ark and showed them the tablets, saying, "With this we make war and conquer." The Holy One, blessed be He, was angry with him and said, "Is it not enough for you that you showed them the treasures of the kings of Judah and all the treasures of the Holy of Holies, but you also opened for them the ark and showed them the tablets, the work of My hands? By your life, they shall come up and take all the treasures, and in place of the tablets your sons shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon," these being Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

"And he said, O Lord GOD, by what shall I know that I shall inherit it?" (Genesis 15:8). Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: Not as one raising a complaint, but as one asking, "By what merit?" He said to him, "By the atonements that I will give to your children." "And He said to him, Take Me a heifer of three" (Genesis 15:9): three kinds of bullocks, the bullock of the Day of Atonement, the bullock brought for transgression of any of the commandments, and the heifer whose neck is broken. "And a goat of three": three kinds of goats, the goats of the festivals, the goats of the new moons, and the individual's goat. "And a ram of three": the certain guilt-offering, the suspended guilt-offering, and the individual's ewe-lamb. "And a turtledove and a young pigeon": a turtledove and young pigeons. "And he took for himself all these" (Genesis 15:10). Rabbi Shimon says: He showed him all the atonements; the tenth of an ephah He did not show him. And the Rabbis say: He showed him even the tenth of an ephah, for it is said here "all these," and it is said elsewhere, "And you shall bring the meal-offering that is made of these things to the LORD" (Leviticus 2:8). "But the bird he did not divide" (Genesis 15:10): He showed him that one separates the wings in a bird burnt-offering but does not separate them in a bird sin-offering.

Another interpretation: "Take Me a heifer of three," this is Babylon, which raised up three: Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-merodach, and Belshazzar. "And a goat of three," this is Media, which raised up three: Cyrus, Darius, and Ahasuerus. "And a ram of three," this is Greece, which raised up three. As Rabbi Elazar said: They conquered all the directions, but the eastern direction they did not conquer. Rabbi Yochanan said to him: But is it not written, "I saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward... and it did according to its will and became great" (Daniel 8:4)? It is the opinion of Rabbi Elazar that it does not say "eastward." "And a turtledove and a young pigeon," this is the fourth kingdom: a turtledove [tor] it is, except that it is a robber. "And he took for himself all these" (Genesis 15:10). Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Nechemiah. Rabbi Yehudah says: He showed him the princes of the nations of the world. According to Rabbi Yehudah, the seats of these face the seats of those; and according to Rabbi Nechemiah, it was there that the Great Sanhedrin sat and cut [decided] the judgments of Israel. "But the bird he did not divide": He showed him that whoever sets his face firmly against the wave, the wave washes him away, and whoever does not set his face against the wave, the wave does not wash him away. "And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away" (Genesis 15:11). Abraham took a beater and was beating them, yet they would not be beaten away. Even so, "Abram drove them away" in repentance. Rabbi Azariah said: When your children become carcasses without sinews and without bones, your merit will stand for them.

Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: From the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, there was no person who called the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master," until Abraham came and called Him "Master," as it is said, "And he said, O Lord [Adonai] GOD" (Genesis 15:8). And even Daniel was answered only by the merit of Abraham, as it is said, "And cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate sanctuary, for the Lord's [Adonai's] sake" (Daniel 9:17). It should have said "for Your own sake," but rather "for the sake of Abraham," who called Him "Master."

Rabbi Yose said: Were it not for the [sacrificial] watch-stations, heaven and earth would not endure, as it is said, "And he said, O Lord GOD, by what shall I know" (Genesis 15:8). Abraham said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the universe, perhaps, God forbid, Israel will sin and You will do to them as to the generation of the flood and the generation of the dispersion?" He said to him, "No." "By what shall I know?" He said to him, "Take Me a heifer of three" (Genesis 15:9). He said before Him, "This is well at the time when the Temple stands; at the time when the Temple does not stand, what shall become of them?" He said to him, "I have already established for them the order of sacrifices. Whenever they read in them, I will reckon it for them as though they had offered a sacrifice before Me, and I will forgive them for all their iniquities."

"And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep [tardemah] fell upon Abram" (Genesis 15:12). Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: The beginning of a downfall is sleep; he lies down and does not labor in Torah, he lies down and does not labor in work. Rav said: There are three kinds of deep sleep. The deep sleep of slumber, "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept" (Genesis 2:21). The deep sleep of prophecy, "And a deep sleep fell upon Abram." The deep sleep of stupor, as it is said, "And no one saw and no one knew and no one awoke, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them" (1 Samuel 26:12). And the Rabbis say: Also a deep sleep of folly, as it is said, "For the LORD has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep" (Isaiah 29:10). Rabbi Chanina son of Rabbi Yitzchak said: There are three faded fruits [unripe forerunners]. The faded fruit of death is sleep; the faded fruit of prophecy is a dream; the faded fruit of the world to come is the Sabbath. Rabbi Avin adds two more: the faded fruit of the light above is the disk of the sun; the faded fruit of the wisdom above is the Torah. "And behold, a dread" (Genesis 15:12), this is Babylon, as it is written, "Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury" (Daniel 3:19). "Darkness," this is Media, which darkened the eyes of Israel with fasting and affliction. "Great," this is Greece. Rabbi Simon said: it raised up a hundred and twenty dukes, a hundred and twenty governors, a hundred and twenty commanders. And the Rabbis say: it raised them sixty by sixty, as it is written, "serpent, fiery serpent, and scorpion" (Deuteronomy 8:15); just as a scorpion bears young sixty at a time, so the kingdom of Greece raised them sixty by sixty. "Fell upon him," this is the fourth kingdom, as it is written, "At the sound of their fall the earth trembled" (Jeremiah 49:21). And some reverse it: "falling" is Babylon, "fallen, fallen is Babylon" (Isaiah 21:9); "great" is Media, "the king Ahasuerus made great" (Esther 3:1); "darkness" is Greece, which darkened the eyes of Israel with decrees, for they would say, "Write on the horn of an ox that you have no portion in the God of Israel"; "dread" is the fourth kingdom, "dreadful and terrible and exceedingly strong" (Daniel 7:7). "And He said to Abram, Know surely" (Genesis 15:13): know that I will scatter them, and be sure that I will gather them; know that I will enslave them, and be sure that I will redeem them. "That your seed shall be a stranger": from the time that seed shows itself to you, four hundred years. Rabbi Yudan said: the strangerhood, the slavery, and the affliction in a land not theirs, four hundred years to their term.

"And also that nation whom they shall serve" (Genesis 15:14). The word "also" comes to include the four kingdoms. "Will I judge" (in Hebrew, the verb is written with two letters, dan anokhi): with these two letters the Holy One, blessed be He, assured Abraham our father that He would redeem his children, and that if they repented He would redeem them by seventy-two letters. For Rav Yudan said: from "to take Him a nation" until "and by great terrors" (Deuteronomy 4:34) you find seventy-two letters. And if a person says to you they are seventy-five, say to him: subtract the second "nation," which does not count in the reckoning. Rav Avin said: He redeems them by His Name, for the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is seventy-two letters. "And afterward they shall come out with great substance" (Genesis 15:14). It is not written here "after," but "afterward" [meaning: only after a sequence] -- after I bring upon them ten plagues, afterward they shall go out. Abraham said to Him: "Am I too in the bondage?" He said to him: "And you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age" (Genesis 15:15). Resh Lakish said: There are three of whom "a good old age" is written -- Abraham and David, and Gideon was equal to them yet was not equal to them. Why? Because "Gideon made it into an ephod" (Judges 8:27), turning it into idolatry.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "You said, 'Whereby shall I know?' (Genesis 15:8). By your life, twice it is written 'you shall surely know' (Genesis 15:13)." Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: But Israel dwelt in Egypt only two hundred and ten years. Know that this is so: come and see -- when Joseph went down to Egypt he was seventeen years old, and when he stood before Pharaoh he was thirty; the seven years of plenty and two years of famine make thirty-nine. Levi was six years older than Joseph, so at his descent to Egypt he was forty-five, and the years of his life in Egypt were ninety-two, making all of them one hundred thirty-seven: "and the years of the life of Levi were a hundred and thirty-seven years" (Exodus 6:16). And at his descent to Egypt his wife bore him Jochebed his daughter, and at one hundred thirty she bore Moses, and Moses was eighty years old when he stood before Pharaoh -- behold, two hundred and ten years. Yet here Scripture says "and they shall serve them, and they shall afflict them, four hundred years" (Genesis 15:13). Rabbi Elazar ben Arakh said to him: The Holy One, blessed be He, said it to Abraham our father only from the time he had offspring, as it is said, "that your seed shall be a stranger" (Genesis 15:13); and from the birth of Isaac until Israel went out of Egypt was four hundred years. He said to him: But is it not written, "and the sojourning of the children of Israel..." (Exodus 12:40)? He said to him: Two hundred and ten years Israel dwelt in Egypt, and five years before Jacob went down to Egypt Joseph had two tribes born to him, Manasseh and Ephraim -- behold two hundred and fifteen years, days and nights, making four hundred and thirty years over which the Holy One, blessed be He, leaped past the appointed end by the merit of the patriarchs, who are the everlasting mountains, and by the merit of the children of Jacob, who are the everlasting hills, as it is said, "the voice of my beloved, behold, here he comes" (Song of Songs 2:8).

It was said to Abraham our father at the Covenant Between the Pieces: "You shall surely know that your seed shall be a stranger" (Genesis 15:13) -- this is Isaac, as it is said, "for in Isaac shall your seed be called" (Genesis 21:12). "And Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them" (Genesis 25:26). Jacob our father said, "the days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years" (Genesis 47:9); behold, one hundred ninety years. There remained two hundred and ten -- the sign of the years of Job, and in that very period Job was born: "and Job lived after this a hundred and forty years" (Job 42:16), and it says, "and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before" [doubling his years to two hundred and ten] (Job 42:10). You find that when Israel went down to Egypt Job was born, and when they came up he died. Or might one think all four hundred years they were in Egypt? But behold, Kohath was among those who went down to Egypt: "and the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred and thirty-three years" (Exodus 6:18); "and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven years" (Exodus 6:20); and the eighty years of Moses -- behold three hundred and fifty years. So what does Scripture teach by saying "and they shall serve them, and they shall afflict them, four hundred years" (Genesis 15:13)? As long as his seed was in a land not theirs, four hundred years. "And they shall serve them" -- these are the days of bondage; "and they shall afflict them" -- these are the days of affliction; all of them four hundred years.

This is what Scripture says: "and let them turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth" (Exodus 14:2). Here was fulfilled "and afterward they shall come out with great substance" (Genesis 15:14). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: This is part of the promise I made to him. Let them turn back, for all the silver and gold that Joseph had gathered was placed in Baal Zephon, and when they turned back they took it, as it is said, "the wings of a dove covered with silver" (Psalms 68:14).