I. Two Captivity Stories
The two significant events of Avraham's life after he arrives in the land of Canaan are: (1) his descent to Egypt; and (2) his war against the four kings.[1] In this shiur, we will explore some similarities and differences between these stories and why they are both given a central place at the beginning of the Avraham stories.
The framework of the two narratives is very similar in that both deal with a member of Avraham's family being taken captive by a king. In Egypt, Sara is forcibly taken by the king of Egypt; later, Lot is taken captive by the four kings.
Furthermore, both stories describe a descent into a difficult situation and then a deliverance from it: Sara, as a married woman, is almost raped by the king; Lot is almost taken into slavery. Both are released before the catastrophe occurs.
However, alongside the similar framework, there is also a marked difference between them in the functioning of Avraham, the hero of these stories. In the first story, the descent to Egypt, Avraham appears extremely weak; in the second story, on the other hand, he is full of majesty and heroism.
II. The Descent to Egypt
The first event described after Avraham's arrival in the land is the famine that prevails there, which leads him to depart for Egypt (Bereishit 12:10).
The Ramban maintains that Avraham sinned in the very departure from the land to which he was commanded to go.[2] But even if we assume that Avraham did not actually sin by leaving the land, there is something jarring in the fact that the first thing he does there is to leave. Already at this stage, Avraham appears weak, unable to stand up to the challenge of living in the land that depends so much on rain.[3]
Moreover, Avraham chooses to move to a place of moral corruption:
And it came to pass, when he was coming near to enter Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife: Behold now I know that you are a fair woman to look upon. And it will come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see you, that they will say: This is his wife; and they will kill me, but you they will keep alive. (12:11-12)
Notwithstanding the hunger he was experiencing, it is puzzling that Avraham would have chosen to go to such a dreadful place, where the husbands of beautiful women might be killed for the sake of taking the women. Would it not have been better to think of some other place, or to stay put despite the difficult circumstances? Avraham appears here not as someone who conducts his life heroically, but as someone who submits to the pressures of a situation despite heavy costs.
Avraham's actions become even more puzzling when we read of his plan for dealing with that corrupt land:
Say, I pray you, you are my sister; that it will be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you. (12:13)
First, Avraham must lie in order to protect himself. This situation characterizes a sense of helplessness and self-preservation, which necessitates hiding behind a fictitious persona. Worse, Avraham essentially sacrifices his wife to the mercy of strangers in order to save his own life.
Indeed, we immediately read that his fears are realized, in the worst way: Sara is quickly taken to the king of Egypt himself (12:15). We can imagine the pain she must have felt in Pharaoh's house, but at the same time, we learn that Avraham actually became rich from the episode:
And he dealt well with Avram for her sake; and he had sheep, and oxen, and he-donkeys, and manservants, and maidservants, and she-donkeys, and camels. (12:16)
The verse goes into great detail in describing the property that Avraham received in exchange for Sara, highlighting the disparity between them: while Sara suffers in Pharaoh's captivity, Avraham becomes rich by "selling" his wife, whom he had presented as his sister. It is difficult not to feel uncomfortable with the fact that Avraham's initial prosperity came about in such a problematic way.
Moreover, Avraham is not described as taking any action to prevent Sara's fate or to alleviate her suffering in any way.[4] He seems to sit peacefully with his increasing wealth while she dwells in the king's palace, soon to be defiled.
Ultimately, a rescue is effected miraculously, without any action on Avraham's part: God smites Pharaoh and his household (12:17), prompting Pharaoh to return Sara to Avraham. He also offers Avraham a rebuke:
And Pharaoh called Avram, and said: What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? Why did you say: "She is my sister," so that I took her to be my wife? And now, behold your wife, take her, and go your way. (12:18-19)
Pharaoh's words tell us that Avraham's plan backfired. It was precisely because he presented Sara as his sister that the disaster almost happened. Had he presented her as his wife, perhaps everything would have been avoided.
As often happens, Avraham was acting out of a fear that complicated the situation unnecessarily: he perceived the people of the place as corrupt and therefore came up with his plan to present Sara falsely, and that is exactly how things deteriorated. In the end, it turns out that the people of the place are not so corrupt, and Avraham's fear that he would be killed in order to legitimize the taking of Sara was a product of his anxious imagination. Pharaoh, who frees Sara immediately upon receiving a sign from God, appears here as a more positive figure than Avraham, who abandoned his wife in a time of trouble.[5]
Pharaoh's harsh accusations are left unanswered by Avraham, which reinforces the impression that the king of Egypt is in the right. Ostensibly, Pharaoh should have taken back the property that was mistakenly given to Avraham in exchange for Sara. Instead, as an act of generosity, he leaves Avraham's property in his possession. Thus it turns out that Avraham becomes "very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold" (13:2) in an unjust way.
III. Avraham's War Against the Four Kings
Avraham's character appears so different in the story of the four kings that it is difficult to recognize that this is the same Avraham who prospered in Egypt. In this story too, a member of his family is taken captive – not by a single king, but by four. But this time, his response is entirely different. Avraham does not hide behind lies to avoid danger, as he did in Egypt; on the contrary, he organizes a small force of warriors and leads them in a frontal assault against the kings. This is a difficult battle, against four powerful kings who had defeated the five kings of the Sedom area.
Avraham's response is especially admirable in light of the fact that it is an operation to rescue a nephew – a close relative, but not one whom he is obligated to save. In fact, there had recently been a quarrel between them that had led to a parting of ways (13:7-10). At the same time, the disparity between this and the previous story screams even louder when we note that Sara is closer than Lot to Avraham, and yet there we saw no attempt at rescue.
The gap between the two modes of rescue is also extreme: the entire salvation in the previous story was miraculous, from the hand of God; in the story of the war with the kings, the name of God is not mentioned at all throughout the narrative. It is a natural salvation, by the strength of Avraham's might, without direct reliance on God.[6]
The conclusion of the war story, like the previous story, relates to property – but here too, there is a clear disparity. The king of Sedom appeals to Avraham:
Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself. (14:21)
Apparently, both the property and the people belonged to Avraham by right, since it was he who had liberated them with his own hands. The king of Sedom asks to receive at least the people, as a measure going beyond the letter of the law, but Avraham refrains from taking any property whatsoever, despite his right to do so:
I have raised my hand… that I will not take from thread to shoe-latchet nor anything that is yours, [so] you will not say: I have made Avram rich. (14:22-23)
In the previous story, Avraham enriched himself unjustly, and the property remained in his possession. Here, when he is legally entitled to it, he avoids even a small profit. His rationale, lest the king of Sedom say that he had enriched him, seems strange; after all, Avraham became rich from the king of Egypt not long ago, without any concern!
Let us summarize the connections between the stories:
| The descent to Egypt (chap. 12) | The war of the four kings (chap. 14) |
| Sara is taken into captivity | Lot is taken into captivity |
| Avraham saves himself, thus endangering his wife | Avraham endangers himself, in order to save his nephew |
| There is no rescue attempt on the part of Avraham | Avraham leads a mighty war |
| Miraculous deliverance by God | Deliverance through human activity |
| Avraham acquires a great amount of property | Avraham avoids taking possession of property |
The gap between the stories is clear and raises an obvious question: What caused the radical change in Avraham's behavior between the two stories?
IV. Avraham and His Descendants, in Egypt and in the Land of Canaan
On the simplest level, the gap between these stories can be explained by their locations. The first story takes place in Egypt, and the second in the land of Canaan. The story of the descent to Egypt describes Avraham's situation in exile – alone, weak, and without allies. In the land of Canaan, however, Avraham is stronger and forms alliances with local figures:
And he was dwelling by the terebinths of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshkol and brother of Aner, and these were the allies of Avram. (14:13)[7]
Moreover, in the land of Canaan Avraham becomes more firmly established and leads a small army of three hundred and eighteen men, "his trained men (chanichav),[8] born in his house" (14:14).
But most importantly, Avraham's spirit is completely different in the land of Canaan. When he lives there, he reveals a spirit of fortitude and the ability to fight face to face for his nephew. In exile, on the other hand, Avraham is forced to hide behind a false identity in order to save himself at the cost of his wife's suffering. In the land, he fights his own battles, with God's providence only in the background; in exile, he is forced to be passive, relying completely on God's salvation.
The well-known rule, "the deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children," was developed by the Ramban into a hermeneutic tool for understanding the stories of the patriarchs (see Ramban, Bereishit 12:6). The stories of the patriarchs are not incidental, but are meant to provide a direction forward, for the continuation of the history of the Jewish people. In light of this, it would seem that the very first stories of Avraham in the land already teach us about the two modes of existence the people of Israel would experience in the future – in the Land of Israel and in exile.
The story of the descent to Egypt shows the sorry state of what would come to be called the "galuti Jew," who is preoccupied with survival in the face of the surrounding gentiles who seek to harm him. This Jew will find it difficult to display courage and responsibility towards his brothers in distress, due to the need for concern with his own safety – just as Avraham had difficulty saving even his wife, due to preoccupation with his personal survival. In his precarious physical situation, the Jew in exile needs to hope for a miraculous deliverance at the hand of God, just as Sara was rescued miraculously from the house of Pharaoh.[9]
The story of the four kings, on the other hand, foreshadows the life of the Jewish people in their land – as a people who dare to stand up bravely to the threats in the region and act out of mutual responsibility, as Avraham cared for his nephew. They do not wait for a miraculous deliverance but act out of their own strength, with God's providence more in the background. This does not mean the Jewish people will not have ties to other peoples of the region; they will forge alliances, as Avraham did, and will help others of the region, as Avraham did in rescuing the five kings. They will be a leading force of good for the entire region, not preoccupied only with their own survival.
V. The Separation from Lot and the Development of Avraham
Alongside the gap between exile and the land, there seems to be another explanation for the discrepancy between the stories. The two stories are not contiguous, and a third story separates between them: Avraham's separation from Lot.
It may be that the stories are to be read as a sequence that shows the development of Avraham's character: the descent to Egypt (chapter 12) –> the separation from Lot (chapter 13) –> the war of the four kings (chapter 14). Such a reading would lead to the conclusion that the separation from Lot constitutes a significant milestone in Avraham's growth, moving him from the poor state in which he conducted himself in Egypt to his impressive performance in the war.
Something about the detachment from Lot enabled Avraham's development.
If we go back to the beginning of the story, we can discern a hint that Avraham's relationship with Lot was not simple from the outset. Thus, God said to Avraham:
Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from the house of your father to the land that I will show you. (12:1)
God commands Avraham to go from his land and from his birthplace and also "from the house of your father." That is, to break away from the ties to his father's house and go to another land. It is possible that going together with Lot does not conform to the original injunction, for in this way, the connection to his father's house was maintained. It also seems that Lot was the one to attach himself to Avraham on this journey – "And Avram went as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him" (12:4) – and it is not clear to what extent this was Avraham's desire.[10]
God's pleasure with the separation, once it occurs, is almost palpable. He immediately blesses Avraham, and the Torah emphasizes that this blessing is given after Lot's departure:
And the Lord said to Avram, after Lot was separated from him: Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward: for all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever: and I will make your seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall your seed also be numbered. (13:14-16).
Mentioning the fact that the blessing was given after the separation seems superfluous – it is clear from the verses that this happened afterwards. It seems, therefore, that there is an emphasis here that this blessing could only be given after Avraham's separation from Lot.
The matter is further clarified if we compare this to the first blessing received by Avraham, immediately upon his arrival in the land, when he and Lot were still together:
And the Lord appeared to Avram, and said: To your seed will I give this land. (12:7).
It is easy to see the difference between the blessings: the first blessing is summed up in five words and states dryly – your seed shall dwell in this land. In contrast, the second blessing, after the separation, is longer and much more comprehensive – it speaks of settling the whole land, for an eternal duration, "forever." It also includes a blessing that Avraham's seed will multiply as "the dust of the earth." None of this abundance was mentioned in the first blessing, when Avraham was with Lot. Avraham's going with Lot limited the abundance of the blessings of the land and seed that Avraham was to receive. From the moment that Lot departed, the dam of God's blessings to Avraham was breached.
It would seem that the command to Avraham was to separate himself from all that was familiar to him – his land and his father's house. Avraham must develop by himself, independent of the factors with which he grew up and with which he was familiar. Alone must he establish a new people and develop a connection with God. But Avraham initially found it difficult to carry out the commandment in full and left a certain connection to his father's house in the form of Lot. At the very least, this connection limited his spiritual development. Avraham was required to develop something new, independent of his past. The people of Israel must grow in a way that is disconnected from any other connection, and bring a new message to the world. When Avraham succeeded in freeing himself from this dependence and establishing himself independently, he received much broader blessings.
This does not mean that he should be completely cut off from ties. He will continue to defend Lot when he is in trouble. But the basis should be separate.
We can now go back and read the development between the stories. The events in Egypt took place when Avraham was still connected to his father's house through Lot. He had not yet succeeded in fully establishing himself as a separate figure. Therefore, also in the story in Egypt he demonstrates weakness and dependency, as we have explained. After the separation from Lot, Avraham succeeds in creating something new out of himself. He does form alliances with the local people, but from an independent and well-founded position.
This is the mission of Avraham and of the people of Israel – to create something new in the world, and from it "all the families of the earth" will be blessed (12:3). The blessing will come only through self-strengthening, without dependence on other factors. Only then will we be able to act courageously, while caring for those around us, as Avraham did vis-a-vis the kings of the region.
(Translated by David Strauss; edited by Sarah Rudolph)
[1] Another short story that takes place between them is the separation between Lot and Avraham (chapter 13), which we will touch on later.
[2] This reading is strengthened in light of the comparison with the story of the famine in the days of Yitzchak, who is expressly told by God not to go down to Egypt (26:2-3).
[3] The specific story here does not seem to indicate any explicit criticism of Avraham. In fact, the story ends with him leaving Egypt with great wealth, which may indicate Divine support for the initial idea of going there.
However, a broader reading of the Bible suggests that there is indeed a problem with his descent to Egypt. As is well known, the Land of Israel depends on rain and there are frequent periods of drought that cause famine. The Jewish people throughout the ages have had to deal with this reality and still try to hold onto the land. As noted in the previous footnote, Yitzchak receives a direct instruction from God, which presumably is meant to reverberate down the generations, not to be deterred by any famine and not to go down to Egypt. A similar message emerges from the book of Ruth, in which Naomi's family leaves the land due to famine and is severely damaged by this departure.
[4] In this context, it is interesting to compare this to the story in which Esther is taken from Mordekhai into the king's house, for similar reasons. Although it is not a matter of taking his wife but "only" a relative of his, Mordekhai is described as worrying about Esther and anxious for her welfare:
And every day, Mordekhai walked before the court of the women's quarters to know how Esther fared and what was done to her. (Esther 2:11)
We would expect that Avraham as well would at least have walked around the palace to inquire after his wife's welfare, but there is no description of this in the narrative.
[5] The positive image of this Pharaoh is highlighted by comparison to the Pharaoh in the book of Shemot, who stubbornly continues to enslave Israel despite the plagues that are visited upon him. The Pharaoh of our parasha recognizes his mistake upon receiving a plague from God, and immediately changes his course.
[6] True, Avraham acknowledges God, as we see from his words to the king of Sedom at the end: "I have lifted up my hand to the Lord, the Most High, Creator of heaven and earth" (14:22), but this is not an indication of absolute reliance on Him. Avraham understands that God is in the background, but he acts by his own power, within the real world.
[7] At the end of the war story, we find that his allies actually went with him to fight the four kings: "only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre; let them take their portion" (14:24).
[8] It seems reasonable to understand the word chanichav as it was interpreted by Ibn Ezra: people whom he trained to fight with him.
[9] As I noted in note 4, there is a similarity between the story of the descent to Egypt and the story in the book of Esther. It seems that the stories are similar in this broader sense as well: both describe the struggle of the exiled Jew. In both stories, salvation is miraculous and is achieved through the rescue of a Hebrew woman who was taken by force to the king. In the book of Esther, too, the use of a false identity is required in order to survive – "Esther had not yet made known her kindred nor her people" (Esther 2:20). The book of Esther also ends with Mordekhai's rise to greatness, by order of Achashverosh, just as Avraham ultimately gains great wealth, given to him by Pharaoh. It is true that in the book of Esther, the name of God does not appear explicitly, as in the story of the four kings, and it is evident that it relates to a different period, in which God's providence is much more hidden. However, it seems that both stories are trying to teach us about the path necessary in order to survive in exile.
[10] In the next verse, however, it seems that Abraham does take Lot on his own initiative: "And Avram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son" (12:5). It is possible that this is a development in the relationship between Avraham and Lot; at first Lot came on his own, but afterwords Abraham already took him under his wings.
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