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.