We're only human, right?

I have recently heard many references to the fact that the patriarchs and matriarchs were people, but they were at the same time "greater than the average man". For instance, when Sarah causes Hagar to run away after she has been having a "higher than thou" attitude towards her, the text seems to imply that Sarah inflicted some sort of mental of physical pain on Sarah. However, many commentators suggest that since Sarah was one of the matriarchs and such a great person, that she never would have done something like that, and that she only instructed Hagar to conduct herself appropriately. There are a few situations like this in the Torah.

In contrast, there are situations like we see with Avraham. Avraham needs constant reassurance from G-d that G-d will follow through and give him land, wealth, children, and more. Avraham was a great person. How come he needed reassurance from G-d? It is true that he wanted reassurance because there were many setbacks which caused him to doubt that the promise would come true. But still, Avraham was more than the average person. A normal person would probably want reassurance, but Avraham was on a higher level than a normal person.

So here is my question. How is it possible that such holy people who were on such a high level still needed help and guidance like ordinary people? Please feel free to try and solve this puzzle!

The Importance of Promises

I know I just posted about the promise between Hashem and Avraham, but now I want to look at it in a different way, and that is the importance of promises. From a young age many Jewish children are taught that instead of “I promise” they have to say “bli neder”. Why is this?

The basis for the answer can be found in the story of Avraham. Hashem promised Avraham greatness, wealth, children, source of bracha, and land. He then goes about helping Avraham through his problems and adventures so that He can fulfill that promise. Now this is well and good, but why does Hashem then keep reassuring Avraham that He will fulfill the promise? Couldn’t he just remove any and all doubt from Avraham’s mind?

I think that the reason Hashem continually has to remind Avraham is to show us, the future generations, a lesson. He is trying to show us just how important promises are. By making a promise with Avraham and continually following up on it, He is showing us how carefully we should treat our own promises. We are all made betzelem Elokim, which means that in everything we do we should try to emulate Hashem. In other words, we need to try to take our promises as seriously as Hashem did.

The Promise

Hashem promised Avraham five things: greatness, wealth, children, source of bracha, and land. Each of these is mentioned separately, which leads me to think that each one has to have a different purpose as far as the general theme and the development of Avraham.

Greatness is important for many reasons. The main one is that no one is going to believe some random person that they should suddenly change their belief system. People tend to gravitate towards more popular and charismatic people and listen to what they say, so it is important for Avraham to be considered great. Another reason is that an entire people, Am Yisrael, is going to come from Avraham. If he was weak, and didn’t do anything then what would we have to look up to? The Avot are supposed to be the people we learn from and we’re supposed to follow in their footsteps. If Avraham was weak, where would we be? Continuing with this thought, if Avraham had not fought with the kings, reached Eretz Yisrael, or done anything else he did, we would not have a claim to anything today. If Avraham hadn’t been able to complete his mission we do not know where we would be.

Children and land are important because they show a plan for the future. Had Hashem only promised Avraham the other parts, it would be possible to assume that everything dies after Avraham, and that nothing is going to be passed down. By promising him children Hashem is showing Avraham that his line will continue, and that his mission does matter because it affects not only himself but the generations to come. Land shows that his children will have somewhere to go. They will not have to wander from place to place like Avraham himself did. They will have a permanent dwelling where they can grow and prosper.

Wealth and source of bracha are important in a different way. Both are a way of supporting Avraham along his journey. Wealth is the most obvious one, because as everyone knows, you need money to travel. Also, if the above is to be believed, then the promise is being passed down to his children which means that Avraham can feel safe in the idea that his children will be prosperous and well taken care of. A source of bracha is a little different. The main idea is the practical sense in that Avraham is spreading the idea of Hashem. This can be expanded by saying that by doing so, he is also able to strengthen his own beliefs and become stronger in them, thus becoming a strong representation of Hashem in this world because of which people recognize and pray to Hashem. And we can come to understand that it is in this way that a source of bracha is a way of supporting Avraham, because it helps him to be strong enough in his beliefs to continue his mission.

Avraham's Character

So far we have been focusing on Avraham and his "adventures". We learned that Hashem promised him land, children, wealth, and a bracha. All that Avraham does is a path to receiving each part of this promise. The question is why is it necessary for Avraham to be known as a master strategist, or a military genius? What does this have to do with the promise and Avraham's growth?

Something we learned in English was flat and round characters. Flat characters only have a single trait, and often represent one human stereotype. Round characters are the ones we can relate to. They often have conflicting feelings, and don't always make the same choices. Avraham is the same way. He needs to become a round character. In order for us to be able to take the necessary lessons from this story we need to be able to relate to him.

Another way to look at is that maybe Avraham needed to go through this particular hardship for a reason. What would that be? Well, it could be that he needed to do something on a world scale to truly fulfill his mission of spreading ethical monotheism. Let’s say he never had the battle with the four kings. Many people would not be able to recognize the greatness of Avraham’s “one G-d” had they not seen or heard firsthand what happened. People were able to see G-d’s greatness on this earth even if they were not involved, because they would hear that the five kings were defeated and Avraham’s proclamation that it is only with the help of G-d that he won.

A different possibility is that this helps Avraham’s development into the kind of person Hashem needs him to be before He can fulfill his promise. For example, it is possible Hashem wants Avraham to have the experience of working with people in the outside world towards a common goal. Or it could be to show him that sometimes it is necessary to go the long way to get what you need. Avraham could have decided to just get Lot back, but instead he helped to fight the entire war and help them win. This experience could be what Avraham needs to realize that he is the one who will start our nation and that Hashem is on his side, and because of that he will change the world.

Who was Ya'akov's Father?

In a comment to a previous post, I was talking about how HaShem repeats his promise that he gave to Avraham to Yitzchak and Yaakov. When He gives it to Ya'akov, He says he already gave it to "Avraham his father and to Yitzchak." Why would it say that Avraham was his father but say nothing about Yitzchak? If it had said Avraham your father and Yitzchak your father, there might at least have been something to talk about. It does things like that a lot in the torah. But why would the torah say that Avraham was Ya'akov's father and say nothing about Yiztchak? What is it trying to say? During the lives of Moshe Rabeinu and Aharon HaCohen, the torah says that Moshe was the father of Aharon's four sons because he taught them torah. While Aharon was their biological father, Moshe was their spiritual one. Was it that was with Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov? I don't think it would be, but that would be one reason. Could it also be that between Ya'akov and Eisav, Yitzchak took Eisav's side? That dosn't make sense either, but that's pretty much all I can come up with.

If anyone has any ideas, feel free to let me know!

We All Need Some Reassurance Sometimes

Everyone gets some doubt every once in a while. Some people might get it more than others. Some people might get it worse than others. The fact though, is that everyone has some kind of doubt sooner or later in their lives. Doubt goes all the way back to the times of Avraham. We have been studying him for some time now and already we have seen multiple times of doubt when Hashem has to intervene and soothe his anxiety. It's perfectly normal, in my opinion, that Avraham had doubt about something so important and so intense. Luckily for him, Hashem was there to put him at ease. Avraham was so worried about his future generations, that he even started to doubt the promise Hashem gave to him. This happened twice before Hashem finally realized Avraham needed something more. That is when Hashem gave Avraham a brit. Now, the promise cannot be broken. They called this brit, Brit ben Habitarim. This is the second brit we have seen in our studies thus far, the first being brit keshet.

Anxiety and doubt are very applicable to people our days and even myself. Doubt can occur on almost anything. Tests, friends, family, activities, ANYTHING! Luckily we have our friends and family to always turn to for guidance. And if they are not sufficient help, then we always have Hashem on our side. Hashem knows when we are anxious about something. Avraham did not voice his anxiety the second time. We went a whole perek without a word from Hashem, but then comes the next perek when Hashem comes to Avraham's savior.

Hashem knew exactly what Avraham needed to hear to calm down and focus on the promise. Hashem then executed exactly what Avraham needed so that he would relax a little bit. Thankfully, his easing worked and Avraham was back on the track to future generations and inheriting all the land.

Hashem is always there for us. He is even inside ur heads and knows when we need Him even when we don't call upon Him. Avraham is a great example of this. Hashem will always help us through and ease our anxiety when we are in need, just like He did with Avraham

The Promise: Passed On or Not?

This week, we learned about the Brit Bein Habetarim. After Avraham had helped the four kings win the war against the five kings, he had concerns about the validity of the promise. Therefore, Hashem had to restate and authenticate the promise. G-d started by reassuring Avraham that he would have children of his own to inherit the land from him. After this, Avraham cut up animals and walked between them. As we discussed in class, this was the handshake of the time and was not considered odd at the time. G-d then continues by telling Avraham that he would live a life of peace and prosperity. His children, starting in four generations, would be strangers in a strange land and would be afflicted for four hundred years. At the end of these four hundred years, they will be redeemed from bondage and THEY will be the ones to inherit the land from Egypt to the Euphrates.

I have a problem with this story. We know now that the four generations after Avraham starts with Yosef's children, who were born in Egypt. Yosef was the firstborn son of Yaakov and Rachel. He was Yaakov's "favorite" son and was educated by Yaakov himself. As we learned in class, Avraham's duty was to spread ethical monotheism and act accordingly. I wonder if he passed down the knowledge of what he was promised at the Brit Bein Habetarim to his son Yitzchak. If he passed it in to Yitzchak, did he pass it on to Yaakov? If it was passed on to Yaakov, did he tell Yosef? Finally, did Yosef tell his sons what would happen to them and their descendants?

We all know Yosef's story. His brothers were jealous of their father's clear display of favoritism towards Yosef. They threw him in a pit and sold him as a slave to Egyptian merchants. In Egypt, he became a slave in the house of Potifar, an officer of Pharaoh. He rose up in the ranks, but was thrown in jail. Pharaoh had troubling dreams and Yosef was the only one who could interpret them. He was then released and became Pharaoh's second in command in Egypt. He helped save Egypt from a great famine and his brothers eventually went down to Egypt in search of food. There, Yosef revealed himself to them and the entire family goes down to Egypt.

My question is: did Yosef have any idea what he and his brothers had started when they sent him to Egypt? Egypt was the land of the bondage of the descendants of Avraham and because of Yosef's success there, the entire family left Canaan and went to the land where they would be slaves fro four hundred years. I wonder what was running through Yosef's mind when he was sitting in the pit. Was it fear for the present or fear for the the future?

Refusing the Wealth

In Perek Yud Daled, Avraham joins 4 kings to try to save his nephew, Lot. The opposing 5 kings had captured Lot while looting Sadom, the city in which he lived after separating from Avraham. Of course, with G-d's help Avraham came out victorious and saved Lot. He also reconquered land for the other kings. After this, Avraham was offered a large amount of wealth (from the spoils). Avraham refused to take the money. He wouldn't even accept a shoelace of the wealth. The point of this was to show that he is dependant on G-d.

In class, this point confused me. I related it to a story that we have all heard countless times: One day a city was flooding. The water was getting higher and higher, and all the people were being evacuated. One man refused to leave because he believed that G-d would save him. People came to try to save him, men in a boat came, even people tried to save him by coming in a helicopter, but he still refused to leave, saying, "G-d will save me." The man died. In heaven he he became very angry because he had put all of his trust in G-d, and G-d had let him down. G-d said to him, "What are you talking about? I sent people, a boat, and a helicopter to save you!"

This story shows that not all of G-d's miracles are huge and miraculous like the sea splitting. He gives his blessings in all different ways. We can't just wait for Him to drop $1,000 from heaven, maybe instead He will help get you a job. Also, we need to do everything in our power to help ourselves, and not solely rely on G-d.

This idea was shown in this weeks Parsha. Before Yaakov's reunion with his evil brother, Eisav he does three things to prepare. He separates the camp (prepares for war). He sends gifts to Eisav, and last he davens to G-d. This shows that Yaakov did everything he could to help himself (and Bnei Yisrael) before he asked for G-d's help. So why did Avraham not want to take the wealth that was offered to him by the kings? He deserved it. He reconquered the land, therefore he deserves the spoils. This could have been G-d's plan to fulfill His promise of making Avraham wealthy.

Maybe G-d had told Avraham not to take it. Maybe Avraham didn't want money that was associated with battle/war. Maybe he already had enough and didn't feel right taking more. Maybe he thought it thought G-d would seem less great in the eyes of everyone if he took all the money and didn't act as if G-d would protect and provide for him.

Avraham says, "וְלֹא תֹאמַר אֲנִי הֶעֱשַׁרְתִּי אֶת אַבְרָם"-And you should not say, "I have made Avraham wealthy". Avraham probably didn't want anyone, but G-d to be the reason he is wealthy. Even though he did deserve the wealth, no human should be able to say that he fulfilled one of the promises G-d made him.

Brit Habetarim

In class we learned about the brit habetarim. While Avraham is walking among the animals he had just slaughtered he falls asleep and Hashem starts telling him about the future. He first tells him that he himself will live in prosperity and peace, but 4 generations later, his descendents will be afflicted in a strange land. Oh, and don’t worry, the enemy will be held accountable. And when they leave, it will be with wealth after 400 years. THEN, and only then they will inherit the land between the Euphrates and Mitzraim.

There are two interesting things here. One is that Hashem is telling Avraham an essentially nice future while surrounded by piles of dead animals. One would think that would kind of ruin the mood. The other thing is the way Hashem says it. He starts out saying something nice, then He tells Avraham that his descendents are going to be afflicted. Then, He almost flippantly tells him not to worry because the enemy will be punished. I know that I would not be comforted if my children were going to be hurt just because the one who hurt them is going to be punished! I don’t really have an answer for that so I’m going back to the first one. I think that maybe the reason Hashem had Avraham lying down among the rotting corpses is to remind him that though it may sound nice, that they are going to leave with riches, they are going to have to suffer on the way there. The rose is not free of thorns.

Avraham's Modeh Ani

Every morning we say modeh ani, thank you Hashem for returning my soul to me. This prayer is thanking Hashem for giving us a chance to return to life and have another chance to do what He wants us to do. When Avraham left his house at the beginning of this parsha, he also got the chance to start again. He left behind his father and idols and went about spreading ethical monotheism. He is now doing what he wants to do, and what is right. There is no greater combination. I think this is truly what the modeh ani is asking for. We are asking Hashem to guide us in the right path so that we can grow and do what’s right so that one day, that will be what we want to do.

As a side note, something very important that Avraham learns is that Hashem is always with him. Also today, we all know that as Jews Hashem will be with us. If you look at the word Jew you will understand why. It comes from the word Yehuda. The “yud” at the beginning signifies Hashem’s name showing that without Hashem we, the Jews, would not exist. He is an essential part of who we are. Avraham is the beginning of that line. He is called the first Jew because, as we learned in class, he is the first one to truly believe in Hashem enough to leave and chase after the one true G-d.

clarifying promises

G-d promised Avraham that he would be the father of a nation. Originally, Avraham might have thought that this would be indirect. He might have thought that since the possibility of being a father at such an old age was slim, Lot would be like his child. When Lot became corrupted, Avraham might have thought the promise was void. Hashem came to Avraham to "renew" the promise. Avraham would still become a great nation. Since Avraham might have thought Lot would be considered his descendant, Lot would also receive some of the land. Hashem clarifies that the land will go to Avraham along with his nation.

ויצא - The Discussion Between יעקב and 'ה

On Friday, Rabbi Perl came to speak to us about the פרשה. He spoke about the conversation between 'ה and יעקב in which 'ה promises that He will look out for יעקב, that He will bring him back to the land, and that He will not forsake him and יעקב replies in a way that bothers different מפרשים: namely, רשי, רמבן, ספורנו, and the נציב. The way he asks 'ה, it's like יעקב is either making a deal with or testing Him. We thought that it might have been a test because 'ה JUST told him that He would do those things and why would there need to be a deal unless there was some doubt about the promise? The מפרשים think otherwise. Also, when the translation uses the word then in the beginning of פסוק כב, the actual hebrew text does not. It just uses a "ו" like in the rest of the conversation. We wanted to figure out if the "והיה ה' לי לאלוקים" is part of the conditions for the deal, or if it is a result. Is it something that 'ה has to do for יעקב, or is it something that יעקב will do for 'ה?

רשי says that it was a deal, but that it wasn't 'ה that יעקב was doubting. It was himself and his family. He wanted to make sure that even if they sinned, 'ה would still look out for them and keep his promise. He also says that "והיה ה' לי לאלוקים" is a condition to ask 'ה to be a G-d not only for him, but also for his future generations.

רמבן, like רשי, says that it was a deal and that it was himself and his household that יעקב didn't believe in. He wanted to make sure that the promise would be kept even if any of them sinned. He says that "והיה ה' לי לאלוקים" is part of the result: that if 'ה did the previously mentioned things, THEN יעקב would serve Him. The רמבן also says that instead of translating אם as if, we should translate it as when. If we translate it like this, we can see that יעקב had no doubt that 'ה would do those things, which takes the whole challenge/test issue out of it.

ספורנו says that it was neither a deal nor a test, but that יעקב was asking for things completely different from what 'ה had promised. He was asking for 2 things. He was asking for 'ה to take away everything that could distract him from his goal, and once 'ה did that, he was asking the 'ה judge him as אלוקים with a judgmental aspect rather than the merciful one he would need with all the distractions. Without them, he would see how much he was doing for 'ה on his own and he wouldn't have an excuse or need the lenience for anything he might have done with all the distractions to confuse him. He says that "והיה ה' לי לאלוקים" means that 'ה will use his judging personality rather than his merciful one, so it would be a condition and not a result.

The נציב says that it's a deal, but יעקב is not doubting 'ה's promise; he is asking for more. Instead of 'ה bringing יעקב to the borders of the land, He should bring him all the way to the house of his father, instead of just looking out for יעקב, He should make sure he has everything he needs automatically, etc. He says that "והיה ה' לי לאלוקים" is the result. יעקב is saying that even when he gets home to his father's house, he will still depend on 'ה for everything like he had to when he was not at home. The נציב still has a problem, though with the fact that there is never a "then" in the text itself. The תורה is deliberately vague to convey that even at home, יעקב would still need 'ה to help him with his faith and trust in Him.

Lot's separation

We learned in class this week that when Avram, Sarai, and Lot went down to Mitzraim, they did not come back empty- handed. They had lots of cattle, money, slaves- you name it. Lot became corrupted with this wealth, but Avraham did not. They started arguing over this, but Avram has no desire to fight with Lot. They therefore split up and Lot went to Sodom, which he describes as "Kigan Hashem Kieretz MItzraim." This proves the fact that Lot has become corrupted, since he was comparing MItzraim, which was evil and corrupt, to the garden of Hashem! As a result of this, G-d must reassure Avraham that His promises will come true and that there is no reason to worry. This may be because Avram thought that since he was 75, the promise of descendants might have been fulfilled through Lot, but since he had gone astray, it wouldn't be fulfilled. G-d tells him that this is not the case; he will have children and the promise will be fulfilled through him. He then adds that all the land will belong to Avram and his descendants, not Lot. Avram then builds an altar to G-d, showing his renewed faith in G-d's covenant.

Like the dust of the earth

IN this week's parsha, G-d tells Yaakov to spread out like the dust of the earth. This phrase is constantly repeated throughout Bereshit; why is the spreading out of the Jewish people constantly likened to dust? I came up with some possible answers. The dirt beneath our feet is one of the building blocks of this planet. It helps sustain life by enabling us to grow food to eat, trees so we can breathe, and numerous other benefits. It is therefore a great blessing to be likened to dirt because this could be a way of making the analogy that the Jewish people make things flourish. Wherever we are, whatever we do, we accomplish great things and help mankind. This could also be a reference to the fact that people come from the dust of the earth. We come from dust, and when we die we will return to dust.

The Promise:Yaakov and Avraham

I would like to compare the responses of both Avraham and Yaakov to G-d's promise to give their descendants the land of Israel. In our class we learned about Avraham and though he at times, seems to doubt the authenticity of the promise, he never 'talks back' to G-d or demanded an explanation or a written agreement. He always accepted what G-d said and does as He told him to. Yaakov, on the other hand whose response we learned with Rabbi Dr. Perl (who did a spectacular job teaching us, by the way) had a different approach when faced with G-d's promise. Though the commentators explain his responce in different perspectives, the basic problem here is unlike Avraham he didn't immediately trust in G-d and in the hopes that G-d would take care of everything for him. It should have been easier for Yaakov to accept G-d's words, after all Yaakov was raised being taught about G-d.

So why the different responses? I can't tell you what the correct answer is, but I will give my own answer.

First, Avraham spent most of his life as the only person who believed in G-d and didn't worship idols. He believed in one omnipotent G-d, but he never had any solid proof so that he could tell himself, even if others didn't believe him, that his beliefs were true. When G-d first spoke to him, the last thing he would want to do is do anything that could "offend" G-d or show any lack of trust in Him. Yaakov, though, wanted more than just a promise for the future, he wanted a promise that would ensure his safety now. (Although that might seem selfish, it is a part of human nature to want that kind of security and protection.) Avraham had had a pretty awful childhood (his father let the king throw him into a furnace), so you could imagine he was hoping his descendants wouldn't have to endure the same things he did. Yaakov, who was raised while learning about G-d and dealing with the unpredictable Eisav, he was worried about the future and the Now. Therefore, he had to confirm that G-d was going to protect him the whole way, and not just his descendants.

The Promise

Hashem promises Avraham that his children will be numerous/become many nations and that they will inherit the land. The question now is why did Avraham deserve this reward and why was the promise repeated many times throughout Avraham's life?

Avraham was the first person in the history of the world to recognize Hashem as the true creator and sustainer of the universe and to succeed in spreading ethical monotheism. He began to speculate about the existence of G-d at a young age. According to the Midrash, Avraham was imprisoned for his beliefs and thrown into a fiery pit. He was later miraculously released by the king. Afterwards, G-d commanded him to leave his home, his birthplace, and the house of his father to follow G-d to an unnamed land. He willingly did so. He brought his wife, nephew, and all of their possessions with him. He then proceeded to spread his practice of ethical monotheism throughout the land. It was then that Hashem first gave him the promise of זרע and ארץ. Avraham then built a מזבח for Hashem. Then came the famine. Avraham, Sara, and Lot went to Egypt for food. Avraham told Sara to lie and tell the Egyptians that she was Avraham's sister, not wife. He probably did this for two reasons. First of all, he didn't want to be killed so that the Egyptians could take his wife. Secondly, the promise of זרע required Avraham's wife. We know now that זרע refers to the descendants of Avraham and Sara. Without her, the promise might have been void. Hashem afflicts Pharaoh's house and the three of them return to Canaan. Then, Lot became corrupted. He decided that instead of following the ways of ethical monotheism, he would follow the ways of the people of Egypt: corruption and immorality. He decided to move to Sedom, a city as corrupt as Egypt. It was then that Hashem repeated the promise to Avraham.

Throughout Avraham's lifetime, Hashem repeated the promise when the validity of the promise was in doubt. Here, the problem appeared in the promise of זרע. At this point, Avraham was over age seventy five, and it seemed very unlikely that he would ever have children of his own. Therefore, he believed that the promise of children would come through Lot. When Lot strayed from the path of morality, Avraham considered that the promise was void. Therefore it was necessary for Hashem to renew the promise and to prove to Avraham that he would have numerous descendants and that those children would inherit the land of Canaan.

Promise

Hashem made Avraham a series of promises. These were that he would have so many future generations that he would not be able to count them, Avraham would be given all the land and after him his children would inherit it after him, material wealth, anyone who curses him will be cursed and anyone who blesses him will be blessed, and lastly he will be a bracha to everyone. After Hashem gives him these promises, Hashem brings him, his wife Sarai, and lot to Egypt due to a famine. Avraham has to leave his homeland and follow G-d. Avraham of course follows. When they get there, they pretend that Sarai is really Avraham's sister rather than his wife, to safe his own life. Pharaoh takes Sarai as a wife only to find out later that she is really Avraham's wife. Pharaoh throws him in jail but miraculously send him out on the condition that he leaves Egypt. From this we learn how immoral Egyptians are. They were willing to kill Avraham just because he was married to a beautiful woman whom they wanted. Avraham, Sarai, and Lot take their belongings and their wealthy and leave Egypt. The only problem is that Lot was very influenced by the immoral ways of the Egyptians that he decided to go live in a city that was like it. Avraham on the other hand, uninfluenced by Egypt decides to keep going on his path like he was before, going in the name of G-d. Hashem though, must sense a feeling of uneasiness from Avraham because He feels the need to repeat the promises to him again. This could be because Avraham might have thought that he was already 75 and he could not have children anymore, thus making Lot his only descendent. Now that Lot chose this "bad" city though, Avraham could have been worried that he would not have any future generations. Hashem comes to the rescue and reassures Avraham that he will have future generations who will be as great as the dust of the land. Hashem also tells Avraham to look at all the land from one side of the world to the other. This is probably because Avraham might have felt that he would not get all the land because Lot just chose this bad city. Hashem thankfully steps in and reassures Avraham, calming all his nerves.

The Promise

Hashem told Avraham that he should go with Him and He will take Avraham to a land that he will show him. Avraham took his wife, Lot, and his belongings and went to the land. Avraham got to the land which was Cana'an. Hashem promised to Avraham that he would become great, wealthy, known, blessed, a source of blessing, everyone that blesses him will be blessed and everyone that curses him will be cursed, and that he will be the leader of a great nation, and have many kids, as many that he will not even be able to count how many. Avraham runs into many predicaments that causes him to rethink if the promise will ever be fulfilled. Every time that this happens Hashem has to reassure him that the promise will come true and he doesn't have to worry.

אור כשדים

Avraham almost gave up his life for his love of G-d. Avraham destroyed his father's place of worship because he wanted his father to believe in Hashem. Avraham's father was so into it that he was willing to kill his own son. They threw Avraham in a pit of fire to see if he will die. Avraham had faith in Hashem so he was pushed into the pit and he completely survived. Haran also jumped into the pit but he died. Haran died because he just wanted to stick with the winner of this fight, he didn't have the complete belief in Hashem that Avraham did.