Abraham: The Iconoclast

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. 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. 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.” Abram went forth as the LORD had commanded him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

When Terah had lived 70 years, he begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. ...Haran died in the lifetime of his father Terah, in his native land, Ur of the Chaldeans.

[Genesis 11:28 says,] “And Haran died in the presence of his father Terach.”

Rabbi Hiyya said: Terach was a manufacturer of idols. He once went someplace and left Abraham to sell them in his place. A man came in and wished to buy one. "How old are you?" Abraham asked the man. "Fifty years old," he said. "Woe to such a man, who is fifty years old and would worship a object only one day old!" Avraham said.

On another occasion a woman came in with a plateful of flour and requested him, "Take this and offer it to them."

Abraham took a club and broke them, and put the stick in the hand of the largest.

When his father returned he demanded, "What have you done to them?" "I cannot conceal it from you," said Abraham. "A woman came with a plateful of fine meal and requested me to offer it to them. One idol claimed, 'I must eat first,' while another claimed, 'I must eat first.' Thereupon, the largest arose, took the club and broke them."

"Why are you playing me?" said Terach. Have they any knowledge?"

Abraham replied: "Should not your ears hear what your mouth has said?"

Thereupon Terach seized him and delivered him to Nimrod.

"Let us worship fire," Nimrod said.

Abraham replied: "Let us rather worship water which quenches fire."

"Let us worship water," Nimrod said.

Abraham replied, "Let us rather worship the clouds which bear the water."

"Let us then worship the clouds," Nimros said.

Abraham replied, "Let us worship the wind which disperses the clouds."

"Let us worship the wind," Nimrod said. Abraham replied: "Let us worship human beings which can stand up to the wind."

"You are just bandying words, and we will worship nothing but the fire. Behold, I will cast you into it, and let your God whom you adore come and save you from it!" Nimrod said.

Now Haran was standing there undecided. "If Abraham is victorious, I will say that I am of Abraham’s belief, while if Nimrod is victorious, I will say that I am on Nimrod’s side," he thought.

When Abraham descended into the fiery furnace and was saved, Nimrod asked him, "Of whose belief are you?" "Of Abraham’s," he replied. Thereupon he seized him and cast him into the fire; his innards were scorched and he died in the presence of his father. Hence it is written, "And Haran died in the presence of his father Terach."

As soon as this mighty one was weaned, he began to explore and think. Though he was a child, he began to think [incessantly] throughout the day and night, wondering: How is it possible for the sphere to continue to revolve without having anyone controlling it? Who is causing it to revolve? Surely, it does not cause itself to revolve.

He had no teacher, nor was there anyone to inform him. Rather, he was mired in Ur Kasdim among the foolish idolaters. His father, mother, and all the people [around him] were idol worshipers, and he would worship with them. [However,] his heart was exploring and [gaining] understanding.

Ultimately, he appreciated the way of truth and understood the path of righteousness through his accurate comprehension. He realized that there was one God who controlled the planet, that He created everything, and that there is no other God among all the other entities. He knew that the entire world was making a mistake. What caused them to err was their service of the stars and images, which made them lose awareness of the truth.

Abraham was forty years old when he became aware of his Creator. When he recognized and knew Him, he began to formulate replies to the inhabitants of Ur Kasdim and debate with them, telling them that they were not following a proper path.

He broke their idols and began to teach the people that it is fitting to serve only the God of the world. To Him [alone] is it fitting to bow down, sacrifice, and offer libations, so that the people of future [generations] would recognize Him. [Conversely,] it is fitting to destroy and break all the images, lest all the people err concerning them, like those people who thought that there are no other gods besides these [images].

When he overcame them through the strength of his arguments, the king desired to kill him. He was [saved through] a miracle and left for Charan. [There,] he began to call in a loud voice to all people and inform them that there is one God in the entire world and it is proper to serve Him. He would go out and call to the people, gathering them in city after city and country after country, until he came to the land of Canaan - proclaiming [God's existence the entire time] - as [Genesis 21:33] states: "And He called there in the name of the Lord, the eternal God."

When the people would gather around him and ask him about his statements, he would explain [them] to each one of them according to their understanding, until they turned to the path of truth. Ultimately, thousands and myriads gathered around him. These are the men of the house of Abraham, in whose heart he implanted this great cause, concerning which he compiled books, and which he imparted to his son Isaac.