Did Abraham Have Friends? - Parshat Lech Lecha

(14) And the Eternal said to Avram, after Lot had parted from him, “Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west, (15) for I give all the land that you see to you and your offspring forever. (16) I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring too can be counted. (17) Up, walk about the land, through its length and its breadth, for I give it to you.” (18) And Avram moved his tent, and came to dwell at Ailonei Mamrei, which is in Hevron; and he built an altar there to the Eternal.

(1) Now, when King Amraphel of Shinar, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim (2) made war on King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, (3) all the latter joined forces at the Valley of Siddim, now the Dead Sea. (4) Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. (5) In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim at Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim at Ham, the Emim at Shaveh-kiriathaim, (6) and the Horites in their hill country of Seir as far as El-paran, which is by the wilderness. (7) On their way back they came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and subdued all the territory of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt in Hazazon-tamar. (8) Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar, went forth and engaged them in battle in the Valley of Siddim: (9) King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against those five. (10) Now the Valley of Siddim was dotted with bitumen pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, in their flight, threw themselves into them, while the rest escaped to the hill country. (11) [The invaders] seized all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and went their way. (12) They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, and his possessions, and departed; for he had settled in Sodom. (13) A fugitive brought the news to Avram the Hebrew, who was dwelling at Ailonei Mamrei the Amorite, brother of Eshkol and brother of Aner - for they were Avram’s allies [ba'alei Brit Avram - "partners in covenant with Avram"]. (14) When Avram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he mustered his retainers, born into his household, numbering three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. (15) At night, he and his servants deployed against them and defeated them; and he pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. (16) He brought back all the possessions; he also brought back his kinsman Lot and his possessions, and the women and the rest of the people. (17) When he returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh, which is the Valley of the King. (18) And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was a priest of God Most High. (19) He blessed him, saying, “Blessed be Avram of God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. (20) And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your foes into your hand.” And [Avram] gave him a tenth of everything. (21) Then the king of Sodom said to Avram, “Give me the persons, and take the possessions for yourself.” (22) But Avram said to the king of Sodom, “I swear to the Eternal, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth: (23) I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, ‘It is I who made Avram rich.’ (24) For me, nothing but what my servants have used up; but as for the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshkol, and Mamrei —let them take their share.”

"He was dwelling at Ailonei Mamrei..."

Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Nechemiah had a debate: Rabbi Yehudah said this means, "The Plains of Mamrei." Rabbi Nechemiah said this means, "The Palace of Mamrei."

According to Rabbi Yehudah, Mamrei was the name of the place. According to Rabbi Nechemiah, Mamrei was the name of a man.

And why was he called 'Mamrei'? Rabbi Azariah said that Rabbi Yehudah said that Rabbi Simon said: Because he spoke boldly [himra panim] to Abraham.

For when the Holy Blessed One told Abraham to circumcise himself, he went to get advice from his three friends.

Aner said to him, "You are already a hundred years old, and now you're going to go and injure yourself?!"

Eshkol said to him, "This is going make you a target for all those who hate you!"

Mamrei said to him, "Your God rescued you when you were thrown into the fiery furnace, defended you against kings, and saved you from famine - and now asks your to do this thing, to circumcise yourself. And you won't do it?!?"

The Holy Blessed One said to him, "Because you advised him to circumcise, I will not reveal Myself to him in Aner's palace, or in Eshkol's palace, but in your palace!" As it is written (in Genesis 18:1), "And the Eternal appeared to him at Ailonei Mamrei, [where he was sitting at the opening of his tent, in the heat of the day.]"

And the Eternal appeared to him - to pay a visit to the sick. Rabbi Hama bar Hanina said: For it was the third day after his circumcision and the Holy Blessed One came to see how he was recovering.

(9) He was a mighty hunter before the Eternal; hence the saying, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before of the Eternal.” (10) The mainstays of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar. (11) From that land Asshur went forth and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, (12) and Resen between Nineveh and Calah, that is the great city.

(21) They went up and scouted the land, from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, at Lebo-hamath. (22) They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron, where lived Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the Anakites.—Now Hevron was founded seven years before Zoan of Egypt.— (23) They reached the wadi Eshkol, and there they cut down a branch with a single cluster (eshkol) of grapes—it had to be borne on a carrying frame by two of them—and some pomegranates and figs. (24) That place was named the Wadi Eshkol because of the cluster that the Israelites cut down there.

(51) And some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their territory out of the tribe of Ephraim. (52) They gave them the cities of refuge: Shechem with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands, (53) Jokmeam with its pasturelands, Beth-horon with its pasturelands, (54) Aijalon with its pasturelands, Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands; (55) and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its pasturelands, and Bileam with its pasturelands, for the rest of the families of the Kohathites.