Abraham

Abraham's Early Life

(כו) וַֽיְחִי־תֶ֖רַח שִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֙וֹלֶד֙ אֶת־אַבְרָ֔ם אֶת־נָח֖וֹר וְאֶת־הָרָֽן׃ (כז) וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת תֶּ֔רַח תֶּ֚רַח הוֹלִ֣יד אֶת־אַבְרָ֔ם אֶת־נָח֖וֹר וְאֶת־הָרָ֑ן וְהָרָ֖ן הוֹלִ֥יד אֶת־לֽוֹט׃ (כח) וַיָּ֣מׇת הָרָ֔ן עַל־פְּנֵ֖י תֶּ֣רַח אָבִ֑יו בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מוֹלַדְתּ֖וֹ בְּא֥וּר כַּשְׂדִּֽים׃ (כט) וַיִּקַּ֨ח אַבְרָ֧ם וְנָח֛וֹר לָהֶ֖ם נָשִׁ֑ים שֵׁ֤ם אֵֽשֶׁת־אַבְרָם֙ שָׂרָ֔י וְשֵׁ֤ם אֵֽשֶׁת־נָחוֹר֙ מִלְכָּ֔ה בַּת־הָרָ֥ן אֲבִֽי־מִלְכָּ֖ה וַֽאֲבִ֥י יִסְכָּֽה׃ (ל) וַתְּהִ֥י שָׂרַ֖י עֲקָרָ֑ה אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ וָלָֽד׃ (לא) וַיִּקַּ֨ח תֶּ֜רַח אֶת־אַבְרָ֣ם בְּנ֗וֹ וְאֶת־ל֤וֹט בֶּן־הָרָן֙ בֶּן־בְּנ֔וֹ וְאֵת֙ שָׂרַ֣י כַּלָּת֔וֹ אֵ֖שֶׁת אַבְרָ֣ם בְּנ֑וֹ וַיֵּצְא֨וּ אִתָּ֜ם מֵא֣וּר כַּשְׂדִּ֗ים לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ אַ֣רְצָה כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ עַד־חָרָ֖ן וַיֵּ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃ (לב) וַיִּהְי֣וּ יְמֵי־תֶ֔רַח חָמֵ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים וּמָאתַ֣יִם שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּ֥מׇת תֶּ֖רַח בְּחָרָֽן׃ {פ}
(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה' אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃ (ב) וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃ (ג) וַאֲבָֽרְכָה֙ מְבָ֣רְכֶ֔יךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ֖ אָאֹ֑ר וְנִבְרְכ֣וּ בְךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָֽה׃ (ד) וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ אַבְרָ֗ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר אֵלָיו֙ ה' וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִתּ֖וֹ ל֑וֹט וְאַבְרָ֗ם בֶּן־חָמֵ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ וְשִׁבְעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה בְּצֵאת֖וֹ מֵחָרָֽן׃

Genesis 11:26-12:4

(26) When Terah had lived 70 years, he begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. (27) Now this is the line of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot Lot. (28) Haran died in the lifetime of his father Terah, in his native land, Ur of the Chaldeans. (29) Abram and Nahor took to themselves wives, the name of Abram’s wife being Sarai and that of Nahor’s wife Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. (30) Now Sarai was barren, she had no child. (31) Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan; but when they had come as far as Haran, they settled there. (32) The days of Terah came to 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.

(1) The LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (2) I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you And curse him that curses you; And all the families of the earth Shall bless themselves by you.” (4) Abram went forth as the LORD had commanded him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

Briefly summarize what happened above, in order. What does Abraham, then called Abram, do?
What can you learn about Abraham's relationship with his father?
Look at how old Terach is when he dies. Is something strange going on here?
Why does Abraham leave his father's house?
1. Does he get something?

רש"י על בראשית י״א:ל״ב:א׳

וימת תרח בחרן. לְאַחַר שֶׁיָּצָא אַבְרָם מֵחָרָן וּבָא לְאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן, וְהָיָה שָׁם יוֹתֵר מִשִּׁשִּׁים שָׁנָה; שֶׁהֲרֵי כָתוּב וְאַבְרָם בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה בְּצֵאתוֹ מֵחָרָן וְתֶרַח בֶּן שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה כְּשֶׁנּוֹלַד אַבְרָם, הֲרֵי קמ"ה לְתֶרַח; כְּשֶׁיָּצָא אַבְרָם מֵחָרָן עֲדַיִן נִשְׁאֲרוּ מִשְּׁנוֹתָיו הַרְבֵּה, וְלָמָּה הִקְדִּים הַכָּתוּב מִיתָתוֹ שֶׁל תֶּרַח לִיצִיאָתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָם? שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא הַדָּבָר מְפֻרְסָם לַכֹּל וְיֹאמְרוּ לֹא קִיֵּם אַבְרָם אֶת כְּבוֹד אָבִיו, שֶׁהִנִּיחוֹ זָקֵן וְהָלַךְ לוֹ, לְפִיכָךְ קְרָאוֹ הַכָּתוּב מֵת...

Rashi on Genesis 11:32:1

וימת תרח בחרן AND TERAH DIED IN HARAN after Abram had left Haran (as related in the next chapter) and had come to the land of Canaan and had been there more than sixty years. For it is written, (Genesis 12:4) “And Abram was seventy five years old when he left Haran”, and Terah was seventy years old when Abram was born (Genesis 11:26), making Terah 145 years old when Abram left Haran, so that there were then many years of his life left (i. e. he lived many years after that — as a matter of fact, 60 years, as he was 205 years old when he died). Why, then, does Scripture mention the death of Terah before the departure of Abram? In order that this matter (his leaving home during his father’s lifetime) might not become known to all, lest people should say that Abram did not show a son’s respect to his father, for he left him in his old age and went his way. That is why Scripture speaks of him as dead (Genesis Rabbah 39:7)....

Summarize the above text. What did Abraham do?
Why does the Torah cover up what Abraham did, according to Rashi?
What was he expected to do that he didn't do?

Primogeniture (noun): the state of being the firstborn child; the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate

The Soul of the Stranger, Joy Ladin

According to the Torah, before God speaks to him, Abraham has faithfully fulfilled his firstborn role by following his father, Terah, from their native city, Ur of the Chaldeans, to the city of Haran (Gen. 11:31). (Abraham’s second-born brother, Nahor, stays behind.)...

But when God tells him to go forth from the elderly Terah’s house, Abraham...does not hesitate to betray his father and violate the gender role he was born to. Without warning, apology, or farewell, Abraham abandons his father, taking with him his wife, Sarah (then called Sarai), and his nephew Lot, the only other relatives who accompanied Terah to Haran (Gen. 12:4–5)...Abraham not only violates his firstborn obligation to care for his father, who, the Torah tells us, will live for another sixty years after Abraham leaves him alone in a strange land. He also leaves his father impoverished, taking with him “all the wealth that they had amassed, and the persons that they had acquired in Haran” (12:5).

Abraham’s trans experience—the experience of rejecting his assigned gender role—is presented by the Torah as both fulfillment of God’s will and as required in order to receive God’s blessing. And like Jacob, Abraham is transformed by his trans experience into a new kind of man, one who doesn’t make sense in terms of primogeniture. On the one hand, Abraham becomes a firstborn who acts like a second-born by leaving his father’s house rather than remaining as his support and heir; on the other hand, Abraham becomes a patriarch whose inheritance (God’s promised blessings) and status come not from his father but from God.

Abraham's Covenant with G-d

בראשית י״ז:ה׳

(ה) וְלֹא־יִקָּרֵ֥א ע֛וֹד אֶת־שִׁמְךָ֖ אַבְרָ֑ם וְהָיָ֤ה שִׁמְךָ֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם כִּ֛י אַב־הֲמ֥וֹן גּוֹיִ֖ם נְתַתִּֽיךָ׃

Genesis 17:5

(5) And you shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of nations.

Why do you think G-d changes Abram's name?
What does a name mean? What does it do?
1. What does Abraham's new name do?
"This change in name marks a change in destiny. Abram and Sarai were infertile, unable to have children. Abraham and Sarah, however, can have children."
1. What do you think of the above idea?

בראשית י״ז:ט׳-י׳

(ט) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹקִים֙ אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֔ם וְאַתָּ֖ה אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֣י תִשְׁמֹ֑ר אַתָּ֛ה וְזַרְעֲךָ֥ אַֽחֲרֶ֖יךָ לְדֹרֹתָֽם׃ (י) זֹ֣את בְּרִיתִ֞י אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּשְׁמְר֗וּ בֵּינִי֙ וּבֵ֣ינֵיכֶ֔ם וּבֵ֥ין זַרְעֲךָ֖ אַחֲרֶ֑יךָ הִמּ֥וֹל לָכֶ֖ם כׇּל־זָכָֽר׃

Genesis 17:9-10

(9) God further said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring to come throughout the ages shall keep My covenant. (10) Such shall be the covenant between Me and you and your offspring to follow which you shall keep: every male among you shall be circumcised.

Why do you think G-d asks Abraham to change his body?
Is there such a thing as a "Jewish body?"
If so, what does that mean? What does a Jewish body look like?

By the time I was circumcised (on the eighth day after my birth, as God commands here), Jews had long accepted circumcision as a way of confirming rather than unsettling Jewish masculinity. But when Abraham circumcises the males in his household, there is no such thing as “Jewish masculinity,” because there are no Jewish men. There is only Abraham, who physically expresses his relationship with God by surgically altering what even today is sometimes referred to as his “manhood.”

Abraham’s manhood-altering circumcision marks a new stage in the gender transition that began with his abandonment of his role as firstborn son...Circumcision transforms him from the head of a single nomadic household into “the father of a multitude of nations,” a transformation God marks by changing his name from “Abram” to “Abraham” (Gen. 17:5). Abraham’s abandonment of his firstborn role was a private, family matter. His name change publicly signifies that he has become a different kind of man, a kind of man who had never before existed, one for which even the Torah doesn’t provide a name: a Jewish man, a man whose circumcised body attests to his covenant with God.