The Source from the Torah
Questions
- Read this passage. Pay particular attention to the first verse of the chapter. The sages were particularly concerned about economy of language. What in this verse seems redundant?
- Again, in this passage there is an underlying concern which we confronted in our first lesson. What is that concern?
The Midrashic Source
This midrash is also from Bereishit Rabbah, but this a different kind of midrash than we have confronted in the past. This kind of midrash is called a peticha or proem in English. There are some who assert that this may have been the sermon form in the rabbinic synagogue. It works like this. The midrash opens with a verse from elsewhere in the Tanach. This verse is called the “pasuk hapeticha – the peticha verse”. The midrash then goes about interpreting the verse from elsewhere until it winds its way back to the verse from the book being interpreted – the “pasuk haparasha – the verse from the parasha”. [In the midrash below, the pasuk hapeticha is the first bold verse and the pasuk haparah the second bold verse.] In our case here, we start from a verse from Psalms and wind our way back to the verse from our Torah reading “לך לך”.
(א) וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וגו' (בראשית יב, א), רַבִּי יִצְחָק פָּתַח (תהלים מה, יא): שִׁמְעִי בַת וּרְאִי וְהַטִּי אָזְנֵךְ וְשִׁכְחִי עַמֵּךְ וּבֵית אָבִיךְ, אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק מָשָׁל לְאֶחָד שֶׁהָיָה עוֹבֵר מִמָּקוֹם לְמָקוֹם, וְרָאָה בִּירָה אַחַת דּוֹלֶקֶת, אָמַר תֹּאמַר שֶׁהַבִּירָה הַזּוֹ בְּלֹא מַנְהִיג, הֵצִיץ עָלָיו בַּעַל הַבִּירָה, אָמַר לוֹ אֲנִי הוּא בַּעַל הַבִּירָה. כָּךְ לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה אָבִינוּ אַבְרָהָם אוֹמֵר תֹּאמַר שֶׁהָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה בְּלֹא מַנְהִיג, הֵצִיץ עָלָיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְאָמַר לוֹ אֲנִי הוּא בַּעַל הָעוֹלָם. (תהלים מה, יב): וְיִתְאָו הַמֶּלֶךְ יָפְיֵךְ כִּי הוּא אֲדֹנַיִךְ. וְיִתְאָו הַמֶּלֶךְ יָפְיֵךְ, לְיַפּוֹתֵךְ בָּעוֹלָם, (תהלים מה, יב): וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִי לוֹ, הֱוֵי וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַבְרָם.
(1) (1) YHVH said to Abram, "Go you forth from your land…" … Rabbi Yitzchak said: this may be compared to a man who was traveling from place to place when he saw a bira doleket/castle aglow/lit up (full of light/in flames). He said, "Is it possible that this castle lacks a person to look after it? The owner of the building looked out and said, “I am the owner of the castle.” Similarly, because Abraham our father said, “Is it possible that this castle has no guide, no one to look after it?," the Holy Blessed One looked out and said to him, “I am the Master of the Universe.” … Hence, God said to Avraham, Lech Lecha.
The Pasuk haPeticha
Questions
- Read psalm 45. What do these verses mean in context?
- Analyze verse 11 for meaning and redundancy. What does the first verse have in common with the verse from the parasha 12:1?
Now the midrash
This in not an easy midrash to understand. It is making a statement about Abraham and it is making a statement about his mission. Its midrashic weapon of choice is a “mashal – a parable”. The purpose of parables is to model a reality or concept that is complicated. The expectation is that a person will understand the mashal and then be able to make to the leap to the concept or reality.
Well, that is usually the case but the mashal in this midrash is not an easy thing to figure out.
- What is special about the actions and remarks of the sojourner in this mashal?
- In what way is the sojourner a representation of Abraham?
- Why did God choose Abraham according to this midrash?
- How is this mashal an explanation of the verse from Psalms?
- What is the purpose of Abraham’s mission?
- How is it related to the interpretation of the second verse from Psalms?
- If Abraham is a religious paradigm in the midrash, what is the role of the religious Jew?
Here is an earlier midrash on the book of Deuteronomy stemming from the period of the Mishnah which is even more radical than the midrash above.
(א) ימצאהו בארץ מדבר - זה אברהם אבינו; משל למלך שיצא הוא וחיילותיו למדבר, הניחוהו חיילותיו במקום הצרות ובמקום הגייסות ובמקום ליסטות - והלכו להם. נתמנה לו גבור אחד. אמר לו מלך: אל יפול לבך עליך, ואל יהי עליך אימה של כלום, חייך שאיני מניחך עד שתיכנס לפלטורין שלך תישן על מטתך, כענין שנאמר (בראשית טו) ויאמר אליו אני ה' אשר הוצאתיך מאור כשדים:
(ב) יסובבנהו. כענין שנ' (בראשית יב) ויאמר ה' אל אברם לך לך:
(ג) יבוננהו - עד שלא בא אבינו אברהם לעולם, כביכול לא היה הקב"ה מלך אלא על השמים בלבד, שנא' (בראשית כד) ה' אלהי השמים אשר לקחני. אבל משבא אבינו אברהם לעולם - המליכו על השמים ועל הארץ, כענין שנאמר (בראשית כד) ואשביעך בה' אלהי השמים ואלהי הארץ:
(ד) יצרנהו כאישון עינו - אפילו בקש המקום מאבינו אברהם גלגל עינו - היה נותן לו. ולא גלגל עינו בלבד נתן לו, אלא אף נפשו הוא נותן לו, שחביבה עליו מן הכל; שנאמר (בראשית כב) קח נא את בנך את יחידך אשר אהבת את יצחק, והלא בידוע שהוא בנו יחידו! אלא זו נפש, שנקראת יחידה, שנ' (תהלים כב) הצילה מחרב נפשי מיד כלב יחידתי.
(1) (Devarim 32:10) "He found him in a desert land": This refers to our father Abraham. An analogy: A king and his soldiers go out to the wilderness, whereupon his soldiers bring him to a place of afflictions, invaders, and marauders, and they abandon him — whereupon there joins him a hero, who says to him: King, do not despair; fear nothing. I swear not to leave you until you return to your palace and sleep in your bed, as it is written (in respect to Abraham, Bereshith 15:7) "I am the L-rd, who brought you out of Ur Kasdim, etc."
(2) "He surrounded him": viz. (Ibid. 12:1) "And the L-rd said to Avram: Go for your sake, etc."
(3) "He built Him": Before Abraham came to the world, it seemed (as it were) as if the Holy One Blessed be He were king of the heavens alone, viz. (Ibid. 24:7) "O L-rd, G-d of the heavens, who took me, etc." But when Abraham came to the world, he enthroned Him over heaven and earth, viz. (Ibid. 3) "And I will have you swear by the L-rd, G-d of heaven and G-d of earth."
(4) "He guarded Him like the apple of his eye": Even if the L-rd asked Abraham for his eyeball, he would give it to Him. And not his eyeball alone, but he would give Him even his most beloved, his soul, viz. (Ibid. 22:2) "Take, now, your son, your special one, whom you love, Isaac." Is it not known that Isaac is his "special one"? (Why, then, need it be stated?) It must be that his special one, in this instance, refers to his soul, which is thus called elsewhere, viz. (Psalms 22:21) "Save my soul from the sword; from the dog, 'yechidathi'" (my special one).
Questions
- Check out Deut. 32:10. What is it talking out? Who is doing what for whom according to the plain meaning of the verse? How is this midrash reading this verse?
- What is the role of the hero in this parable?
- What does it say about Abraham?
- Who chose whom in this midrash?
- If Abraham is a religious paradigm in this midrash, what is the role of the Jew?
Conclusion
I have found the discussion of the Biblical texts during the first three lessons fascinating and insightful. Your psychological and religious portrayals have captured much of the religious journeys traveled by the heroes of the stories. I must, however, make one proviso in the discussion. In our studies of specific midrashim, we must separate between our insights into the Biblical text and what any given midrash is trying to say. We may have our own views concerning what makes a given figure heroic or and person of faith or a villain, but we must distinguish this view from that of a given midrash which is attempting to espouse its own viewpoint.
Why, so that we might hear the voice of the author because we do our own “midrash”!
The two midrash cited in this lesson are certainly religiously provocative. Before we contend with the ideas in these midrashim, we should first deal with the textual questions which served to prompt these midrashim.
The verse in Genesis which prompt these midrashim is the first verse of the parashah. As some of you have noted, this verse has redundancy in its go from your land, your homeland, from your father’s house. This is also common to the verse from Psalms. The midrash learns from these textual “anomalies” that the mission had a purpose.
In the first midrash, the parable tells of man who comes across a city or building that is on fire. The sojourner is the only one to realize and ask whether the building has someone looking after it. The building is obviously the world and the traveler, Abraham. Abraham lives in a world which because of its current condition, God is not easily recognizable. Abraham sees through this world becomes cognizant of God. As a result, God sends Abraham out into the world to make him and as a consequence God well known.
This midrash has Abraham first recognizing God and then God sending him on his mission as a result of this recognition, again filling in Abraham’s credentials for those who might question them.
The second, earlier midrash is much more radical. In this midrash, God is actually in trouble. His lack of recognition in the world is likened to a king that is left abandoned on the battle field with danger all around. This seems again to represent a world where no one recognizes God. Along comes the hero, Abraham to save Him and to bring Him to safety. This is what Abraham does by bringing the recognition of God to the world. In this midrash, God really, really! needs Abraham!
These two midrashim represent two important paradigms of what it is to be a religious person. It is not just to faithful to God. It is first important to search God out when he may not always be easily accessible. Sometimes, the task of the religious person may also be to “rescue” God is such a world and by bringing about His recognition, bringing God “as it were” to a safe haven.