(א) אַחַ֣ר ׀ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה הָיָ֤ה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם בַּֽמַּחֲזֶ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר אַל־תִּירָ֣א אַבְרָ֗ם אָנֹכִי֙ מָגֵ֣ן לָ֔ךְ שְׂכָרְךָ֖ הַרְבֵּ֥ה מְאֹֽד׃
“Fear not, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”
Commentary on the Tanakh written by Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi). Rashi lived in Troyes, France (1040-1105). Rashi’s commentary is an essential explanation of the Tanakh and resides in a place of honor on the page of almost all editions of the Tanakh.
אחר הדברים האלה — Wherever the term אחר is used it signifies immediately after the preceding event; whilst אחרי signifies a long time afterwards. אחר הדברים האלה AFTER THESE THINGS means: after this miracle has been wrought for him in that he slew the kings and he was in great anxiety, saying, “Perhaps I have already received, in this God-given victory reward for all my good deeds” — therefore the Omnipresent said to him, אל תירא אברם אנכי מגן לך FEAR NOT ABRAM, I AM THY SHIELD against punishment: for you shall not be punished on account of all these people whom you have slain. And as for your being anxious regarding the receipt of any further reward, know that שכרך הרבה מאד THY REWARD WILL BE EXCEEDING GREAT (Genesis Rabbah 44:5).
(ה) וַיּוֹצֵ֨א אֹת֜וֹ הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֗יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ׃
(5) [Then in the vision, God] took him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them”—continuing, “So shall your offspring be.”
Nedarim (“Vows”) is a tractate in Seder Nashim (“Order of Women,” which addresses family law). Its eleven chapters primarily discuss vows taken voluntarily, particularly those that forbid specific actions or objects. The tractate analyzes the conditions under which vows take effect, interpretations and implications of different vows, and the process of nullifying or dissolving vows. Nedarim also includes discussions on topics such as circumcision and visiting the sick.
Composed: Talmudic Babylon (c.450 – c.550 CE)
The Gemara expounds the verse “and He brought him outside” (Genesis 15:5): Abraham said before Him: Master of the Universe, I looked at my constellation and according to it I will have only one son, and a son has already been born to me, i.e., Ishmael. He said to him: Emerge from your astrology because there is no constellation for the Jewish people, as they are not subject to the influence of astrology.
Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael is a halakhic (legal) midrash on the book of Exodus that incorporates aggadic material as well, compiled around the third century in Israel. It interprets only about a quarter of the chapters in Exodus, beginning from the first commandment in the book. The work is quoted often in later rabbinic literature and is also referred to as Mekhilta.
Composed: Israel (200 CE)
Rabbi says: One verse states: "and they shall serve them and they shall afflict them four hundred years," and another, (Ibid. 16) "and the fourth generation will return here." How are these two verses to be reconciled? If they repent, I will redeem them by generations (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes). If not, I will redeem them by years.
The Steinsaltz Tanakh is Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz's pioneering modern translation and commentary on the Hebrew Bible. The work aims to make the text clear, engaging, and accessible to readers of all backgrounds and to let the Torah speak in its own words. It focuses on connecting the reader directly to the peshat — plain meaning of the biblical text — and includes references to many earlier commentaries, works of Jewish thought, and other sources.
Composed: Jerusalem (2015 CE)
Here the covenant is formulated as a detailed, defined prophecy. He, God, said to Abram: Know that your descendants shall be strangers in a land that is not theirs. Indeed you will father children and will ultimately inherit the land, but your descendants shall not receive it immediately. The covenant will not be fulfilled in a smooth, straightforward manner. Beforehand, they will be foreigners and nomads like you are. However, in contrast to you, their wanderings will not be in this land that they are destined to inherit, but rather in a foreign place that is not their own. And furthermore, they shall be enslaved to them, the inhabitants of that foreign land; and they shall oppress them for four hundred years. The content of this prophecy fits the dread that Abram felt, but straightaway, God encouraged him with a promise: