<b>The tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21).</b> This refers the Torah in which they labored. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Because of the Torah and the sacrifices, I will rescue you from Gehinnom. You may know this from the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed to Abraham the Torah, the sacrifices, Gehinnom, and the servitude experienced by the exiles. The Torah: <i>A flaming torch</i> (Gen. 15:17), for it is written: <i>At this hand was a fiery law unto them</i> (Deut. 33:2), <i>and the people perceived the thunder and lightning</i> (Exod. 20:15); the sacrifices: <i>Take me a heifer of three years</i> (Gen. 15:9); Gehinnom: <i>A smoking furnace and a flaming torch</i> (ibid., v. 17); the servitude at the hands of the nations: <i>For, behold, there was thick darkness</i> (ibid.).
The Holy One, blessed be He, told Abraham: Whenever your descendants occupy themselves with two of these, they will be saved from the other two, but since sacrifices will be abolished in the future and the Temple will be destroyed, do you prefer that your sons should be enslaved in Gehinnom or in exile? Abraham began to ponder the matter, but did not know which to choose. R. Hanina the son of Pappa held that Abraham chose the rule of foreign kingdoms and said: It is better that my descendants shall be enslaved in exile than that any one of them should descend into Gehinnom. The Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with him, as is said: <i>Except their rock had given them over, and the Lord had delivered them up</i> (Deut. 32:30). <i>Except their rock had given them over</i> refers to Abraham, as is written: <i>Look unto the rock whence ye were hewn</i> (Isa. 51:1). And <i>The Lord delivered them</i> signifies that the Holy One, blessed be He, concurred with him.
This is what David said: <i>Thou hast caused man to ride over our heads; we went though fire and through water; but Thou didst bring us out unto abundance</i> (Ps. 66:12). <i>Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads</i> refers to the kingdoms, and <i>We went through fire and through water</i> alludes to Gehinnom. <i>But Thou didst bring us out unto abundance</i> indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, said: In this world you shall be oppressed by various kingdoms, but in the time-to-come I will remove the kingdoms, which are likened to water,<sup class="footnote-marker">13</sup><i class="footnote">Above the kingdoms were likened to “men to ride over our heads and Gehinnom to “fire and water;” here the kingdoms are likened to water and Gehinnom to fire.</i> from you. Since they were likened to water, indicates: I will rescue you from Gehinnom, as it is said: <i>When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame be kindled upon thee</i> (Isa. 43:2).