Pensée juive sur La Genèse 14:23

Bereshit Rabbah 48 quotes Isaiah 33,15-17, "He who walks righteously," meaning Abraham, seeing that the Torah writes that he will command his sons and household after him to act righteously (Genesis 18,19). "He speaks uprightly;" this too refers to Abraham, since we read in Song of Songs 1, "The upright ones love you." "He who disdains profit gained through oppression." This too refers to Abraham, since the Torah testifies in Genesis 14,23, that Abraham refused to take as much as a shoelace from the booty of war. "He shakes off his hands in order not to hold bribes in them." This also is a reference to Abraham who said to G-d, "I raise my hand high to G-d who dwells on high"(Genesis 14,22). Rabbi Yehudah said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "G-d lifted him beyond the horizon, since He said to Abraham, ‘Please look at the skies.’ The term habet for ‘look’ always means to look down rather than up. Abraham was asked to look down at the sky since he had been transported beyond it.” "His fortress is his stronghold," refers to the protective clouds G-d spread over Israel in the desert. "His bread was supplied, his waters were dependable," refers to the angels whom Abraham had hosted. "The king in his beauty your eyes behold," refers to Abraham's vision of G-d after his circumcision. So far Isaiah.

The Midrash Ne-elam in Parshat Bereshit, tells of a man who proclaimed that a son to be born should be "holy" to elokim. Thereupon Rabbi Chiya excommunicated him. When asked what wrong a man had done who sanctified his son to G'd, (similar to Hannah, mother of the prophet Samuel), his reply was that he had used the term a-d-o-na-y. Hannah's vow (Samuel I 1,11) is quoted there as the correct formula to use. The ignorance of Manoach, who was at that moment unaware that the messenger had been an angel of G'd, makes his behaviour appear even further removed from the traditional Jewish attitude to korban, sacrifice. He appears to have laboured under the delusion that Nebuchadnezzar laboured under. (Daniel 2,46.) The latter had prostrated himself in front of Daniel, and ordered a variety of of sacrifices to be offered to Daniel, treating him as the deputy of G'd. The angel's instructions to Manoach resulted in Manoach going about the sacrifice in the correct manner, as a result of which he became aware of the true identity of the messenger. Thus the proper attitude in offering sacrifices is seen to result in greater insights and greater proximity to the shechinah. A similar result occurred with Gideon. (Judges chapter 6) He too had been unaware of the true nature of who had addressed him. First, Gideon had thought that he had been talking to a prophet, i.e. a human being. When he sought reassurance that he was in fact being addressed by a Divine being, and asked for an opportunity to offer a sacrifice, the angel agreed to wait for his return, and then instructed him how to proceed with the offering. His realisation that he had been able to communicate with a Divine being, came as a result of his having offered a sacrifice in the correct manner, with the proper intent. If the accent in discussing korbanot, sacrifices, is on the free will type of offering, the reason is that though also the sin offering is acceptable, and contributes to our coming closer to G'd, it is preferable not to have to sin, than to have to atone for the sin through repentance and sacrifice. Even the objective of closeness to G'd, can be attained preferably without having to resort to sacrifice. The prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah chapter 7) does not tire of stressing that G'd had never demanded sacrifices from the forefathers, nor even at the time of the Exodus. Rather, what G'd had demanded was obedience. There are numerous statements in the Bible along those lines. The important thing is that once used, the institution of sacrifice must not be abused, since this would be conterproductive, would thwart its objectives. The reason that non domesticated animals are not suitable for sacrifices, may be that all wildlife is ownerless, i.e. belongs directly to G'd, as opposed to domesticated animals to which man has established a claim of ownership. Presenting wildlife as an offering would not be giving to G'd of oneself, of one's own. However, G'd says (Psalm 50,9) that if it were a question of "My needs," "I would not even accept a domestic animal from your house, since I own all of them too. The reason that I accept korban is merely that I wish to acknowledge your wish to express gratitude or let you pay your vows to Me." (see verse 14 there) The first kind of offering, Todah, connected with the word viduy, confession, is usually motivated by some occurrence as described in verse 15, "a day of trouble"; "your vows," usually is preventative. You make vows in order to ward off untoward occurrences. Verses fourteen and fifteen are closely interrelated then.

With his money: He would spend it in hospitality to the wayfarers, in order to give them knowledge of the Creator; likewise what he told the king of Sodom: "Neither from a thread to a shoe strap, nor will I take from whatever is yours" (Bereishis 14:23), all this is proof of his generosity of soul and that money was light in his eyes (for his love of G-d).