It all starts with God promising Abraham countless descendants: "Look now to the heavens, and count the stars, if you can count them… So will your offspring be." But it's the phrase "He took him outside" that really gets interesting.
What does it mean that God "took him outside" [haḥutza]? Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, quoting Rabbi Levi, asks a powerful question: Did God literally take him outside the world? That seems a bit… extreme, doesn't it? Instead, Rabbi Levi suggests that God showed Abraham "the streets of the heavens," the very patterns of the stars. He references (Proverbs 8:26), where the heavens are called "outer ranges" [ḥutzot]. These ḥutzot, these outer ranges, are where the stars dwell, where destiny is seemingly written.
Rabbi Yehuda, citing Rabbi Yoḥanan, takes it even further, suggesting God took Abraham above the dome of the heavens. And that's why God tells him to "look" [habet] – because habata implies looking down from above.
Here’s where it gets really profound. The Rabbis offer a surprising interpretation: God was telling Abraham, "You are a prophet, not an astrologer." What does that mean? Well, astrology, while offering glimpses into the future, is imprecise. But a prophet? A prophet has a much clearer insight, a direct line to the Divine. God essentially "took him outside" of his reliance on astrological predictions.
In fact, the Bereshit Rabbah tells us that in the time of Jeremiah, the Israelites were tempted to rely on astrology. But God forbade it: "Do not learn the way of the nations, and from the signs of the heavens do not fear…" (Jeremiah 10:2). The text implies that even Abraham, at one point, might have been tempted by this mindset, but God intervened.
Rabbi Levi uses a vivid image: "While your sandal is on your foot, trample the thorns." If you're below the stars, you fear them. But if you're above them, you can trample them, overcome what they supposedly predict! It's a powerful metaphor for taking control of your own destiny.
So, if our fate isn't sealed by the stars, what can we do to influence it? Rabbi Yudan, quoting Rabbi Elazar, offers three things that can annul evil decrees – misfortunes decreed as punishment for wrongdoing. And they're all found in II (Chronicles 7:14): Prayer ("My people… humble themselves, and pray"), charity ("and seek My presence" – because (Psalm 17:15) equates encountering God's presence with charity), and repentance ("and repent from their evil ways"). Do these things, the text says, and "I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
Rabbi Huna bar Rav Yosef adds two more to the list: a change of name (like Abram becoming Abraham – Genesis 17:5) and good deeds (like the people of Nineveh in (Jonah 3:1)0). Some even suggest a change of location works, referencing God telling Abram to leave his land in (Genesis 12:1). And Rabbi Muna throws in fasting, connecting it to (Psalm 20:2) ("May the Lord answer you on a day of trouble").
Rava bar Maḥasya and Rabbi Ḥama ben Guryon, citing Rav, say that a fast is as effective against a bad dream as fire is against chaff. Rav Yosef specifies that it has to be on the very same day, even on Shabbat (the Sabbath)!
So, what are we left with? A fascinating blend of cosmic perspective and practical action. Yes, the stars might be there, but we're not necessarily bound by them. We have the power to pray, to give, to repent, to change, to act, and even, metaphorically, to trample the thorns. Maybe destiny isn't written in the stars after all. Maybe, just maybe, we have a hand in writing it ourselves.
“He took him outside, and said: Look now to the heavens, and count the stars, if you can count them, and He said to him: So will your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5). “He took him outside” – Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: Did He take him outside the world, that the verse should say: “He took him outside [haḥutza]”? Rather, he showed him the streets of the heavens,34The arrangements of the stars into patterns. Ḥutzot can also mean streets. just as it says: “While He had not yet made earth and the outer ranges [ḥutzot]” (Proverbs 8:26).35The heavens are called here “outer ranges.” Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: He took him up above the dome of the heavens. That is what He said to him: “Look [habet] now to the heavens” – [the expression] habata refers only to looking from above to below. The Rabbis say: [God told him:] ‘You are a prophet, not an astrologer,’36God "took him outside” of his reliance on astrological predictions. Astrology yields only an imprecise glimpse into the future. God told him that he, as a prophet, had much clearer insight than an astrologer. as it is stated: “Now, restore the man's wife, as he is a prophet” (Genesis 20:7). In the days of Jeremiah, Israel sought to adopt this mindset,37Reliance on astrology. but the Holy One blessed be He did not allow them to do so. That is what is written: “So said the Lord: Do not learn the way of the nations, and from the signs of the heavens do not fear…” (Jeremiah 10:2) – your forefather Abraham sought to adopt that mindset, but I did not allow him to do so. Rabbi Levi said: [The saying goes:] While your sandal is on your foot, trample the thorns. Anyone who is situated below them [the stars] fears them, but you, who are situated above them, trample them.38Trampling the stars is a metaphor for overcoming what the stars have predicted. Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: There are three things that can annul evil decrees,39Misfortunes that have been decreed by God as punishment for wrongdoing. and they are: Prayer, charity, and repentance. And the three of them are stated in one verse. That is what is written: “My people upon whom My name is called humble themselves, and pray” (II Chronicles 7:14) – this is prayer; “and seek My presence” (II Chronicles 7:14) – this is charity, as you say: “I shall encounter Your presence through charity” (Psalms 17:15); “and repent from their evil ways” (II Chronicles 7:14) – this is repentance. And following these, “I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14). Rabbi Huna bar Rav Yosef said: Change of name and a good deed also [can annul evil decrees.] Change of name, we learn from Abraham: “Your name will no longer be called Abram” (Genesis 17:5). A good deed, we learn from the people of Nineveh, as it is stated: “God saw their actions, that they turned away [from their evil ways, and God relented of the disaster that he had said]…” (Jonah 3:10). Some say: Change of location, as well, as it is stated: “The Lord said to Abram: Go you [from your land]” (Genesis 12:1).40God told Abram to move from his native land, and only then would He “make you a great nation.” Rabbi Muna said: A fast as well, as it is stated: “May the Lord answer you on a day of trouble” (Psalms 20:2).41Meaning, a fast day. Rava bar Maḥasya and Rabbi Ḥama ben Guryon said in the name of Rav: A fast is as effective against a [bad] dream42That the bad dream should not materialize. as fire is against chaff. Rav Yosef said: [Only if the fast is done] on that same day, even if it is on Shabbat.
