We're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 44 here, and the central question revolves around God's promise to Abraham: "Fear not, Abram, I am a shield for you; your reward is very great" (Genesis 15:1). What exactly did Abraham fear, and how does God's promise address it?
Rabbi Levi offers two fascinating takes on Abraham's fear. The first stems from the battles Abraham fought. He wonders, did he perhaps kill righteous people among his enemies? It's a powerful question! As Rabbi Levi puts it, Abraham worried he incurred God's wrath and would be held accountable.
Rabbi Levi illustrates this with a beautiful parable. Imagine someone removing a thorny bundle from the king's orchard. At first, they fear the king's wrath, but the king says, "Why are you hiding? I needed laborers to gather those thorns. Now that you have done it, come and collect your reward!" God, blessed be He, reassures Abraham that those he vanquished were like "cut thorns," referencing Isaiah 33:12, “Peoples will be like burnings of lime, cut thorns ignited with fire.”
Rabbi Levi's second interpretation focuses on the potential for revenge. Abraham worries that the sons of the kings he defeated might gather armies and seek vengeance. The Bereshit Rabbah explains that God responds with the shield promise: "just as a shield, even if all the swords [in the world] were to come up against it, it would withstand them, so you, even if all the idolaters were to gather against you, I will fight against them." What a powerful image of divine protection!
But the Rabbis offer yet another perspective. They suggest that Abraham worried he had already received his reward in this world. He survived the fiery furnace, triumphed in battle – was there anything left for him in the world to come? Did he use up all his "good boy points?"
Here, God's promise takes on a different meaning. "Fear not, Abram, I am a shield [magen] for you." The Bereshit Rabbah points out that in Aramaic, magan means "gratis" or "without cost." Everything God has done for Abraham in this world was a gift, freely given. His true reward, as it says in Psalms 31:20, "How great is the goodness You have in store for those who fear You," is waiting for him in the future.
So, what can we take away from this exploration of Abraham's fears? Perhaps it's the reassurance that even our greatest heroes wrestled with doubt and uncertainty. Or maybe it's the comforting idea that divine protection comes in many forms, shielding us from both external threats and internal anxieties. And perhaps, most importantly, it's the reminder that our actions, even when difficult, can be recognized and rewarded in ways we might not yet understand.