Comentário sobre Gênesis 15:16

ודור רביעי BUT A FOURTH GENERATION — i.e. after they go into exile in Egypt they will be there three generations, and the fourth will return to this land (הֵנָה hither). For He was then speaking to him in the land of Canaan and it was there that He made this covenant, as it is written (v.7) “to give thee this land to inherit it”. Thus it really was: Jacob went down to Egypt. Go and count up his generations: Judah, Perez, Hezron— and Caleb (whose father Jephuneh is identified with Hezron, see Sotah 11b) was amongst those who entered the land of Canaan.

AND IN THE FOURTH GENERATION THEY SHALL COME BACK HITHER. After they are exiled into Egypt, they will be there for three generations. And thus it happened; Jacob was exiled into Egypt. Go and reckon his generations: Judah, Peretz, Chetzron, and Caleb the son of Chetzron was amongst those who entered the Land. Thus the language of Rashi. But this is not correct at all.³²⁶Since Chetzron was among those who went down to Egypt (further, 46:12), they were in Egypt for only two generations. And if “the dwelling in a strange land” is to be reckoned as beginning with Abraham, there are seven generations from Abraham to Caleb: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Peretz, Chetzron and Caleb. (Tur.)
The correct interpretation appears to be that the fourth generation refers to the Amorite whose sin will then become full,³²⁷Thus enabling Israel to return and take the land from him. (Tur.) for from the day of the decree He prolonged the time of the Amorite, as He visits iniquity upon the third and fourth generation. Had the Amorites repented of their iniquities He would not have utterly destroyed them. Rather, they would have been a levy of bondservants, or they might have gone elsewhere.

ודור רביעי ישובו הנה, anyone interpreting these words as referring to the fourth generation of Israelites is in error. Seeing that G'd had already told Avram that the process of inheriting the land of Canaan would not be complete until after 400 years from the time his true seed had been born, what was the point in telling him how many generations down the line this would occur? Until the 400 years would be up, G'd's promise would not be due for fulfillment in any event! The reason G'd mentioned the "fourth generation" was to explain to Avram why the delay in fulfilling His promise would require 400 ears. A generation in those days was considered a period of 100 years, as we know from Ediyot 12,9 so that 400 years equal 4 generations. We know from the second of the Ten Commandments, (Exodus 20,5 that G'd frequently extends His patience to sinners and their offspring until the fourth generation, waiting if finally someone will redeem the errant parents and grandparents by returning to the true lifestyle approved by G'd. This is why G'd described the sin of the Emorites at this time as לא שלם, "not complete," in the sense of not yet irreversible, עד הנה until such time.

ודור רביעי ישובו הנה, "And the fourth generation will return here, etc." We must examine why the extent of the sins of the Emorite has a bearing on the timing of Israel's return to its homeland. Rashi and Nachmanides disagree on what the words "the fourth generation" refer to. Rashi understands them as a reference to the fourth generation from Yehudah (who descended to Egypt). His son was Peretz, his grandson was Chetzron; great grandson Caleb returned to the land of Israel. Nachmanides rejects Rashi's explanation preferring to understand the words as referring to a fourth generation of Emorites. He bases himself on G'd waiting up to four generations before visiting the sins of the fathers on their descendants (Exodus 34,7). Even if we accept the words of Nachmanides, why did G'd mention this fact to Abraham? Besides, it appears that no provision was made for the possible penitence of the Emorite, which, according to Nachmanides, would have delayed a return of the Jewish people to their homeland still further? Furthermore, assuming that Nachmanides is correct, why did G'd mention the sin of the Emorite altogether once He had told Abraham that the Jewish people would return to their homeland in the fourth generation?

ודור רביעי ישובו הנה, the fourth generation, starting with those who descended to Egypt, which was the place of their exile, will return to this their land that they migrated from. This prediction was fulfilled, seeing that Kehat who was one of Yaakov's grandsons went down to Egypt, and the children of Moses and Aaron who were the fourth generation were among those who entered the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua.

ודור רביעי ישובו הנה, “but the fourth generation will return to here.” Rashi understands this to mean that after having been in Egypt for three generations the descendants of Avrham would return to the Holy Land. This was true, as when you consider that Yaakov already went into exile in Egypt and consider Yehudah-Peretz-Chetzron-Calev as his descendants in a straight line, Calev did in fact re-enter the land of Canaan and settled there. The problem with this calculation is that Chetzron in common with Yaakov, had traveled from Canaan to the land of Egypt. (Genesis 46,12) Seeing that this is so there were only 2 generations in Egypt. If being an alien in other countries would count, they actually had been in exile for 7 generations according to the calculation. Actually, there is no problem at all. The reason that the calculation begins with Yaakov, although some of his offspring also were exiled with him, is because he was the head of the clan. One can also explain the meaning of the words “the fourth generation,” as starting from the people who had been born already in Egypt, i.e. Kehot, son of Levi. He was followed by his son Amram, who was the father of Aaron, who was the father of Eleazar who entered the Holy Land as the High Priest. According to Nachmanides, the “fourth generation” mentioned in our verse, refers to the fourth generation of the Emorite, whose sin by that time will have accumulated to a degree which exceeds G’d’s patience and they will be ripe for retribution. This will enable the Jewish people to take over these lands at that time. If they were to repent at that time it would be too late for G’d to change His decree. The reason G’d mentions the “Emorite” instead of “the Canaanite,” was that the Emorite was by far the most powerful and numerous of the Canaanite tribes. There are some commentators who claim that father-son and grandson are all considered as one generation, and that we have proof of that from (?) so that three generations are in reality one generation (due to their lives overlapping somewhat). This would mean in our case that Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov are considered as one generation, Yehudah, Peretz and Chetzron as the second generation, followed by Ram, Aminadav, and Nachshon as the third generation. Salmon, who was the fourth generation, belonged to the people who entered the Holy Land.

And Calev son of Chetzron was of those who entered the Land. You might ask: Was Calev not the fifth generation? Since Yaakov himself descended to Egypt, it was 1) Yaakov, 2) Yehudah, 3) Peretz, 4) Chetzron, and 5) Calev. The answer is: Yaakov was very aged; he was considered as if dead and did not count as a generation. Furthermore, there was no enslavement at all in the days of Yaakov. Only in the days of Yehudah did some of the enslavement begin, as Rashi explains in Parshas Vayechi (47:28). Accordingly, “They will enslave them and oppress them” (v. 13) is connected to, “The fourth generation.”

ודור רביעי, “and the fourth generation;” Rashi makes the following calculation concerning this ambiguous statement: the generations mentioned commence with Yehudah, son of Yaakov, (Avraham’s greatgrandson), Peretz, Chetzron, Calev, son of Chetzron already entered and lived in the holy Land. If someone were to raise the point that already Chetzron had taken part in the Exodus from Egypt, i.e. he had been liberated from exile, Yaakov cannot be included as the fist generation, as he had already lived for 130 of his 147 years before taking up residence in Egypt. A different way of making the calculation meant in the above prophecy: “the fourth generation” of which G-d spoke does not refer to the fourth generation of Israelites, but to the fourth generation of the Emorites, [whose sin, as G-d had explained, had not yet reached the point that gave G-d justification to expel them from their homeland, Ed.] The length of a generation of Emorites is considered as being 100 years. Therefore it would take 400 years until G-d’s promise to Avraham could be fulfilled. The Torah, however, did not add the word דור, except for the fact that G-d, when meting out judgment, one does not do so in terms of multiples of hundreds of years, but in terms of generations. [We have examples of this in Exodus 20,5 as well as in Exodus 34,7. Ed.] We also find examples of this in Kings II 10,30. G-d had promised Yehu that even the son of the fourth generation would sit on the throne of the Kingdom of Israel. [The last one, Zecharyah, only ruled for 6 months. Ed.] [The “Kingdom of Israel,” is distinct from the kingdom of Yehudah. Ed.]

כי לא שלם עון האמורי FOR THE INIQUITY OF THE AMORITE IS NOT YET FULL enough that he should be driven out of his land until that time, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not exact punishment from any nation until its measure is full, as it is said, (Isaiah 27:8) “In her full measure wilt thou contend with her when thou sendest her away” (Sotah 9a).

כי לא שלם עון האמורי עד הנה, the time when the Emorite is due for punishment will not be until then. G'd is very patient with sinners, giving them a great deal of time to mend their ways. The punishment for sin is called עון, as we know already from Kayin (Genesis 4,13) who said of the punishment for his having murdered Hevel, his brother, גדול עוני מנשוא, "my punishment is too great for me to endure." We also find that the word חטאת is used both as sin and as atonement for sin, just as the word עון sometimes means "sin," and sometimes "punishment." Compare Zecharyah 14,19 זאת תהיה חטאת מצרים. The reason the Torah singled out the tribe of the Emorite among all the Canaanite tribes is because it was the strongest of those seven tribes. The prophet Amos 2,9 also quotes G'd of having destroyed the Emorite on account of the Jewish people, although the same fate overtook the other Canaanite tribes also.

Actually, G'd told Abraham of two possible timetables according to which the return of his descendants to the land of Canaan could occur. One is the end of the exile in Egypt and the oppression there. This would occur when the combination of the years of being a stranger, being enslaved, and finally being oppressed (עינוי), would total 400 years. At that point G'd's decree would have been completed and He could lead the Jewish people forth from Egypt on the very day that those years came to an end. The second time factor which would enable the Jewish people to return to their homeland would be determined by the measure of guilt the Emorites had accumulated by that time. This would occur in the fourth generation, a generation later than the Exodus. For the purpose of this calculation the generation of Caleb is considered the third generation inasmuch as Caleb left Egypt as an adult. Even though Caleb personally entered the Holy Land (Numbers 14,30), the entry of a single Jew certainly does not constitute the return of a people to their homeland. When the Torah speaks about a generation it refers to the majority of the members of that generation. Caleb's sons constituted part of the fourth generation, as did all those who had not attained the age of 20 prior to the Exodus. The four generations are not to be counted as commencing with Yehudah, as does Rashi. If we were to count in Rashi's fashion i.e. from the time G'd's decree became effective, there is no reason why Isaac himself should not be considered as a generation either, seeing that the 400 years commenced with his birth. If, on the other hand, we are to count the generations as commencing with the first Jew who descended to Egypt, the count should commence with Jacob. If we did this, Caleb himself would already be the fifth generation. It is clear then that the count was meant to commence with the period the Israelites experienced enslavement. Shemot Rabbah 1,5 states that as long as any of Joseph's brothers was alive none of the Israelites were enslaved. The calculation of the fourth generation the Torah speaks about here therefore commences with Yehudah's sons Peretz and Chetzron.

THE INIQUITY OF THE AMORITE. He mentioned the strongest among them,³²⁸Or else He should have mentioned “the Canaanites,” whose name the land carried. The Amorites are specifically singled out for their height by the prophet Amos, mentioned further on. Whose height was like the height of the cedars.³²⁹Amos 2:9. The verse begins: Yet I destroyed the Amorite, whose height.… The Israelites would not be able to overpower him until his measure of sin was full and his own iniquities will ensnare him.³³⁰See Proverbs 5:22. Moreover the Amorite was the first one to be captured by them, and it was his land which they inherited first.³³¹The land of Sichon, king of the Amorites, was later the first to be captured by the Israelites. Hence his name is singled out here in the verse.

כי לא שלם עון האמורי, “for the cup of sin of the Emorite is not full;” if you were to ask why I cannot give the land of the Canaanites to the Israelites as soon as they have become a nation, the answer is that I am bound by judicial considerations of My own, namely to allow each nation an opportunity to become penitents.

The fact that the Torah uses the plural when speaking about the return of the Jewish people is a hint that the Torah speaks about people who have been forcibly prevented from returning up until that time. They would return after four generations have been completed. The first generation of Israelites who were forcibly prevented from returning to the land of Canaan were the children of Joseph and his brothers.

עון האמורי, “the guilt of the Emorite;” the reason why this tribe is mentioned repeatedly as compared to other similarly sinful nations, is simply because Avraham lived on soil owned by the Emorites.

We now need to understand why the guilt of the Emorite plays any role in all this when the Torah elsewhere told us in Numbers 14 that the sin of the spies and the generation who believed the ten spies was the cause that re-entry to the land of Israel was delayed by an additional generation. The 400 years G'd had decreed were completed at the time the Jewish people asked that the spies be sent out. Had they not done so, they would have entered the land of Israel at the end of the 400 years G'd speaks about in our פרשה. This would have coincided with the 3rd generation of the Jews who had experienced servitude. The additional generation was due to the sin of the spies. Assuming this tragic delay had not occurred, how could G'd have squared entry of the Jewish people to the land of Canaan with the measure of guilt of the Emorites the Torah speaks about here?

We must understand the Torah in terms of how the Talmud Berachot 7 explains Chabakuk 1,13: למה תביט בוגדים, תחריש בבלע רשע צדיק ממנו, "Why do You countenance treachery, and stand by idly when the one in the wrong devours the one in the right?" The Talmud says that while it is possible that the wicked triumphs over someone relatively more righteous than he, he will never triumph over someone truly righteous. This means that the wicked are not totally devoid of merits, and we find on occasion that by using their merit they can overcome someone else who is generally more pious than they (while on this earth). The reason is that the wicked at that time can point at the imperfections of the person who thinks of himself as righteous. When the wicked is absolutely wicked however, it is not only permissible to destroy him but whichever righteous person does so first deserves credit. One need not be a totally righteous person in order to be entitled to wipe out such a wicked person.

At the time of the Exodus as well as at the time when they despatched the spies about 15 months later, the Israelites were on the level of perfectly righteous people. Although they had sinned during the episode of the golden calf, they had been punished for that sin and had regained their status as צדיקים גמורים, as perfectly righteous people. The "echo" of that sin was not strong enough to deprive them of that title especially vis-a-vis the Emorites. In Sanhedrin 110 Rabbi Eliezer describes the people at that time as pious, quoting Psalms 50,5: "bring in My devotees, who made a covenant with Me over sacrifice" as his support. After the episode with the spies, Israel lost this status. From that moment on their moral superiority over the Emorites was marginal. As long as they had been considered חסידים their merit was enough to overcome the Emorites immediately. If the Emorites had refused to vacate the land in order to allow Israel to return there, they could have easily overcome them in battle. Now they had to wait until the Emorites accumulated a further measure of sin before their own moral superiority would suffice to overcome the Emorites in their homeland. Proof of our contention is found in Numbers 14,44 when the Israelites had realised that they had sinned grievously in fearing the Canaanites, and volunteered to fight them. Moses warned them against such an enterprise. They insisted and were defeated. Had they been considered as righteous they certainly would not have been defeated. All of this is an elaboration of what the prophet Chabakuk spoke about.

The point is underscored by Moses in Deut. 9.5, where Moses credits Israel's conquest of the land of the Canaanites not to their piety but to the wickedness of the inhabitants of that land at that time. Moses meant that the measure of their sins had become full by that time. Moses told the Israelites at that time that though they were not totally righteous, their merit was sufficient to overcome the complete lack of it in their opponents. He emphasised this lack of righteousness by the Israelites three times! However, the Emorites had absolutely no merits left that they could have used to help them triumph against Israel's various moral shortcomings.

We now understand the need for mentioning the "fourth generation" in G'd's promise in our verse. G'd stated that the latest possible date for Israel taking over its inheritance would be at the end of four generations since the onset of slavery. By that time the Emorites would not have any merit left they could use to deny Israel their return to the land of their forefathers. This part of the prophecy would become relevant only if Israel did not maintain sufficient moral superiority over the Canaanites, if they did not qualify for the appellation צדיק גמור.