창세기 15:5의 주석

ויוצא אתו החוצה AND HE BROUGHT HIM FORTH OUTSIDE — Its real meaning is: He brought him outside his tent so that he could look at the stars. Its Midrashic explanation is: Go forth from (give up) your astrological speculations — that you have seen by the planets that you will not raise a son; Abram indeed may have no son but Abraham will have a son: Sarai may not bear a child but Sarah will bear. I will give you other names, and your destiny (מזל planet, luck) will be changed. Another explanation: He brought him forth from the terrestrial sphere, elevating him above the stars, and this is why He uses the term הבט ‘‘look”, when He said “look at the heavens” — for this word signifies looking from above downward (Genesis Rabbah 44:12).

AND HE BROUGHT HIM FORTH OUTSIDE. According to the simple interpretation of Scripture it means that He brought him forth from his tent into the open so that he could see the stars. And according to the Midrash its explanation is as follows: G-d said to him, “Leave your astrological speculations, for you have seen by the constellations that you are not destined to raise a son. “Abram” indeed may not have a son, but “Abraham” will have a son; “Sarai” will not bear a child, but “Sarah” will bear a child. Thus the language of Rashi.
But ‘Abram’ did have Ishmael!²³⁸Further, 16:15. How then could the Midrash say, “‘Abram’ indeed may not have a son?”
The meaning of the Midrash, however, is that Abram sought a son who would qualify to become his heir, [which excluded Ishmael, who would not inherit him], even as he said, And, lo, my household slave will be mine heir.²³⁶Verse 3 here. The Holy One, blessed be He, then said to him, “This man shall not be thine heir, but one born of thine own body shall be thine heir,²³⁹Verse 4 here. and leave your astrological speculations. ‘Abram’ will not have a son as his heir, but ‘Abraham’ will have a son as his heir.”
It is also possible that the astrological speculation concerned the pair together, namely, the “Abram and Sarai” as a pair will not beget children, and the Eternal now assured him that “Abraham and Sarah” will beget children. In my opinion, however, [the Divine assurance now given to Abraham did not mention Sarah, rather], her name is an addition on the part of the Midrash, meaning that such indeed was the case also with Sarah.²⁴⁰That “Sarai” will not bear a child, but “Sarah” will. The Holy One, blessed be He, however, did not assure him concerning Sarah at the present time. Even at the time of the prophecy concerning the circumcision, Abraham was still in doubt whether “Sarah” would bear a child.²⁴¹See further, 17:17.

ויוצא אותו החוצה, he had received the prophetic vision and words of G’d while in the tent. As part of this prophetic insight, Avram felt that G’d took him outside the tent, showing him the stars. This was the מחזה, “the vision.” We have a parallel situation in Ezekiel 8,3 ותבא אתי ירושלמה במראות אלוקים, “He brought me to Jerusalem in visions of G’d;” [the prophet never set foot in Jerusalem, but lived in Babylonia all his life. Ed.] The new element now was that whereas previously G’d had compared Avram’s offspring as being “like the dust of the earth,” now it is described as “as numerous as the stars in heaven.” Both statements, of course, have to be understood as exaggerations, as we pointed out already on 13,16. We also mentioned the allegorical explanations offered on that verse. It is possible, that in messianic times the Jewish people will be comparable to the stars in that just as no one is able to impose his will on the stars in heaven, so no one will be able to impose his will on the Jewish people. They will shine on earth without interruption just as the stars shine in the sky without dimming. In Bereshit Rabbah 44,10 the words ויוצא אותו are understood as G’d telling Avram to free himself from his astrological speculations according to which he was not able to beget children. Once his name would be changed to Avraham, there would be no reason why a person by that name could not beget children. As soon as G’d would change his name he would be able to sire children, something that proved correct.