Midrash sobre Gênesis 13:14

When Abraham went up to the land of Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, had said to him: Lift up thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it (Gen. 13:14–15); therefore, when He desired to destroy the five cities, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: I cannot destroy them without first consulting Abraham. If you should believe that the land was not part of Canaan, observe that it is written elsewhere: And the border of the Canaanite was from Sidon, as thou goest toward Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest toward Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 10:19). That is why, when He wanted to destroy them, He consulted Abraham, as it says: Shall I hide from Abraham, etc.

And the Lord said unto Jacob: “Return unto the land of thy fathers” (Gen. 31:3). May it please our master to teach us whether an Israelite may light a candle with another candle upon which is engraved an idolatrous symbol? Thus did our masters teach us: An Israelite is forbidden to light a candle with another candle upon which an idolatrous symbol is engraved. This is in accordance with the verse And thou shalt not bring an abomination into thy house (Deut. 7:26). The Shekhinah does not rest in a home in which there is an idolatrous symbol, as is said: In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come unto thee (Exod. 20:21). A proof of this is that as long as Lot remained with Abraham, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not appear to him, but after Lot’s departure, He did reveal Himself to him. Whence do we know this to be so? R. Eleazar the son of Pedat said in the name of R. Yosé the son of Zimra: We know this from the verse And the Lord said unto Abraham (Gen. 13:14). When did this occur? After Lot departed from him (ibid.).

R. Chanina b. Akiva says: "More beloved" was the seeing of our father Abraham than that of Moses. For Abraham was not caused to exert himself whereas Moses was. What is stated of Abraham? (Genesis 13:14) "Lift up your eyes now and see from the place where you are north and south and east and west. "And of Moses what is stated? (Devarim, Ibid.) "Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes to the west, to the north, to the south and to the east, and see with your eyes" — Go up, and look, and see. And whence is it derived that all of Moses' requests were granted by the Holy One Blessed be He? From (Ibid. 34:1) "And the L rd showed him the whole land." This is Eretz Israel. He asked to see the Temple and He showed it to him, viz. (Ibid.) "and Gilead," Gilead being the Temple, viz. (Jeremiah 22:6) "Gilead are you (the Temple) to Me, the head of the Levanon." Whence is it derived that He showed Him also Shimshon the son of Manoach? From (Devarim, Ibid.) "until Dan," it being written elsewhere (Judges 13:2) "And there was a man from Tzarah, of the family of Dan, whose name was Manoach, etc." Variantly: "until Dan" ("ad Dan"). The tribes had not yet come to the land, and Eretz Yisrael had not yet ("adayin" [acronymic of "ad dan"]) been apportioned among the tribes. What, then, is the intent of "ad Dan"? The L rd had said to Abraham: Twelve tribes are destined to issue from your loins, and this is the portion of one of them. Similarly, (Genesis 14:14) "And he (Abraham) pursued (them) until Dan." The tribes had not yet come to the land, and Eretz Yisrael had not yet been apportioned among the tribes. What, then, is the intent of "until Dan"? It was told to our father Abraham: In this place your children are destined to serve idolatry, and his strength (in pursuing them) waned.

Rabbi Jochanan in the name of R. Jose said: "To him who observes the Sabbath, with enjoyments, will be given boundless inheritance, as it is written (Is. 58, 14.) Then Shalt thou find delight in the Lord, etc., And I will cause thee to enjoy the inheritance of Jacob, thy father. Not such inheritance as was promised to Abraham, (Gen. 13. 14) Arise and walk through the land to its length and breadth, and not as it was promised to Isaac (Ib. 26, 3.) I will give thee all that this land contains, but as it was promised to Jacob (Ib. 28, 14.) And thou shall spread abroad, to the West, and to the East, to the North, and to the South." R. Nachman b. Isaac said: "He will be saved from the subjugation of exile; for it is written (Is. 58, 14.) And I will cause thee to tread upon the high places of the earth; it is also written there (Deu. 33, 39.) And thou shalt tread upon their high places." R. Juda said in the name of Rab: "To him who observes the Sabbath, with enjoyment, will be granted his heart's desires, for it is said (Ps. 37, 4.) And delight thyself in the Lord, and He will give thee the wishes of thy heart. The word delight is not understood in its real meaning. Since it says (Is. 58, 13.) And if thou call the Sabbath delight; then we knew that it means delight of the Sabbath. R. Chiya b. Abba in the name of R. Jochanan said: "He who observes the Sabbath properly, according to its commandment, even if he worship idols, as did the generation of Enosh, will be pardoned, for it is said (Is. 56, 2) Happy is the man that ever doth thus, etc., by not violating it. Do not read it, M'chalelo (violating it), but read it Machul-lo (pardoned) him)." R. Juda, in the name of Rab, said: "If Israel had strictly observed the first Sabbath, no nation or race would have been able to dominate over them, for it is said (Ex. 16, 27.) And it came to pass on the seventh day, that there went out some of the people to gather (the Manna) but did not find them. Immediately following is written: Then came Amalek." R. Jochanan in the name of R. Simon b. Jochai. said: "If Israel would observe two Sabbaths, only, according to the strict requirements of the law, they would at once be redeemed, for it is written (Is. 56, 4.) Thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and immediately following is written, Even them will I bring to my holy mountain."

(Gen. 31:3:) THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO JACOB: RETURN UNTO THE LAND OF YOUR ANCESTORS WHERE YOU WERE BORN, AND I WILL BE WITH YOU. Let our master instruct us: In the case of an Israelite courtyard with star-worshiping foreigners dwelling within it, is it right that its eruv is a < legitimate > eruv? Thus have our masters taught:⁶⁷Cf. Eruv. 6:1; Eruv. 61b-62a. In the case of an Israelite courtyard with star-worshipping foreigners dwelling within it, it is forbidden for an Israelite to use anything within it until he has acquired a right < to the property > from the star-worshipping foreigner.⁶⁸According to Rashi on Eruv. 6:1 (61b), one must rent the idolater’s property for the eruv to be valid. Why? Because it is written (in Exod. 20:21 [24]): IN EVERY PLACE WHERE I CAUSE MY NAME TO BE MENTIONED < I WILL COME UNTO YOU AND BLESS YOU >. The Holy One will not assign his name in the midst of those who serve idols. Rather (according to Lev. 20:32): THAT I MAY BE SANCTIFIED IN THE MIDST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Thus, you are not to associate with the wicked ones because the Holy One will not assign his name in their midst. You know yourself that it is so.⁶⁹Tanh., Gen. 7:10. R. Eleazar ben Padat said in the name of R. Jose ben {Qisma} [Zimra]: During the whole time that Lot was attached to Abraham, you never find a divine oracle being conferred upon Abraham. As soon as Lot was separated from him (in Gen. 13:11-13), the divine word was conferred upon him, as stated (in Gen. 13:14). THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO ABRAHAM AFTER LOT HAD DEPARTED FROM HIM. And so you find that, when Jacob went away to Mesopotamia to go to Laban, he spent twenty years at his place; but all the time that Jacob was in Laban's house, the Holy One did not speak with him. Then Jacob did some pondering and said: So the Holy One has forsaken me! Not so. The Holy One said to me (in Gen. 28:15): AND SEE, I AM WITH YOU. The Holy One knew what he pondered in his heart. The Holy One said to him: Do you want me to be with you? Separate yourself from Laban the Wicked, and I will be with you. Where is it shown? Where they read on the matter (in Gen. 31:3): THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO JACOB: < RETURN UNTO THE LAND OF YOUR ANCESTORS WHERE YOU WERE BORN, AND I WILL BE WITH YOU >.

(Devarim 34:4) "And the L-rd said: This is the land, etc.": R. Akiva says: Scripture hereby apprises us that the L-rd showed Moses all the recesses of Eretz Yisrael as (if it were) a set table, viz. (Ibid. 1) "And the L-rd showed him all the land." R. Eliezer says: He empowered Moses' eyes to see from one end of the world to the other. And thus do you find with the tzaddikim — that they see from one end of the world to the other, as it is written (Isaiah 33:13) "The King in His beauty shall your eyes see. They shall see the land roundabout." We find, then, two kinds of "seeings" — one of pleasure; the other, of pain. Of Abraham it is written (Bereshit 13:14) "Lift up your eyes and see, from the place where you find yourself, etc." — a seeing of pleasure. Of Moses it is written (Bamidbar 27:12) "Go up to this Mount Avarim, etc." (Devarim 3:27) "Go up to the summit of Pisgah, etc." — a seeing of pain. And thus do you find two kinds of "drawing near" — one for the sake of Heaven; the other, not for the sake of heaven. (Devarim 4:11) "And you drew near and you stood at the foot of the mountain" — drawing near for the sake of Heaven. (Ibid. 1:22) "Then all of you drew near to me" — drawing near not for the sake of Heaven. (Ibid. 3:28) "And command Joshua and strengthen him and hearten him" — towards the learning (of Torah). R. Yehudah says: Command him in respect to the Giveonites (i.e., to accept them). Variantly: Command him relative to the trials and tribulations and the contentions. "for he will pass before this people, and he will cause them to inherit, etc.": We are hereby apprised that he would not die until he had caused them to inherit the land. "the land that you will see": We are hereby apprised that Moses saw with his eyes what Moses did not traverse with his feet.