Oct. 26 - What Did Avraham Do Wrong

In this Worksheet we will see that Ramban, who says Avraham did do something incorrectly to trigger the exile in Mitzrayim, is not alone. (However, Ramban does say a different reason).

רש"י על שמות ב׳:י״ד

(ד) אכן נודע הדבר. כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ. וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ, נוֹדַע לִי הַדָּבָר שֶׁהָיִיתִי תָּמֵהַּ עָלָיו, מֶה חָטְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכָּל שִׁבְעִים אֻמּוֹת לִהְיוֹת נִרְדִּים בַּעֲבוֹדַת פֶּרֶךְ, אֲבָל רוֹאֶה אֲנִי שֶׁהֵם רְאוּיִים לְכָךְ (שמות רבה א'):

Rashi on Exodus 2:14

(1)(4) אכן נדע הדבר SURELY THE THING IS KNOWN — A Midrashic explanation is: now I have the answer to the questions that has been bothering me: How has Yisrael acted worse than all the seventy nations, that they should be oppressed by this crushing servitude? But now I see that they deserve this [since they have informed on me to Pharaoh!] (Exodus Rabbah 1:30).

Is Rashi giving a reason for our descent to Egypt in the first place? Or is his reason for something else?

נדרים ל״ב א:י״ד-ט״ו

אָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: מִפְּנֵי מָה נֶעֱנַשׁ אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ וְנִשְׁתַּעְבְּדוּ בָּנָיו לְמִצְרַיִם מָאתַיִם וְעֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים — מִפְּנֵי שֶׁעָשָׂה אַנְגַּרְיָיא בְּתַלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיָּרֶק אֶת חֲנִיכָיו יְלִידֵי בֵיתוֹ״. וּשְׁמוּאֵל אָמַר: מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִפְרִיז עַל מִדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶׁנָּה״. וְרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר: שֶׁהִפְרִישׁ בְּנֵי אָדָם מִלְּהִכָּנֵס תַּחַת כַּנְפֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״תֶּן לִי הַנֶּפֶשׁ וְהָרְכֻשׁ קַח לָךְ״.

Nedarim 32a:14-15

Rabbi Abbahu said that Rabbi Elazar said: For what reason was Avraham punished and his children enslaved to Egypt for 210 years? Because he made a draft [angarya] of Torah scholars, as it is stated: “He led forth his trained men, born in his house” (Genesis 14:14). These trained men that he took to war were actually his disciples, who were Torah scholars.

2) Shmuel said: Because he over-questioned [hifriz] the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is stated: "How will I know that I shall inherit it?” (Genesis 15:8).

3) Rabbi Yoḥanan said: He was punished because he distanced people from entering "under the wings of the Divine Presence", as it is stated that the king of Sodom said to him: “Give me the people and take the goods to yourself” (Genesis 14:21), but Avraham refused to take any goods either. If he had not listened to the king of Sodom and had allowed the people to remain with him, he would have brought the prisoners under the wings of the Divine Presence.

List all of the reasons for the Egyptian exile:
1. (Ramban)
2. (Rashi)
3. (Gemarah x3):
1. R' Abahu quoting R' Eliezer:
2. Shmuel:
3. R' Yohanan:
4. (Abarbanel):