וְעַתָּ֗ה כִּי־אַ֭יִן פָּקַ֣ד אַפּ֑וֹ וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע בַּפַּ֣שׁ מְאֹֽד׃
און אַצונד, האָט דען פֿאַר גאָרנישט געשטראָפֿט זײַן צאָרן?און װײס ער ניט װױל פֿון דער מוטװיליקײט?
Rabbeinu Bahya
אל תירא אברם אנכי מגן לך, “do not worry Avram, I will be your shield.” One may understand G’d’s promise to Avram in this verse as including three separate assurances:
1) He should not be afraid on account of the kings whom he had slain. The words: “do not be afraid,” are only addressed to someone who is already afraid. Avram was afraid that the sons of these kings would want to avenge their fathers and attack him. This is why G’d said; “I will be a shield for you.”
The second assurance concerned Avram’s having a son of his own. This is alluded to in the words שכרך הרבה מאד, “your reward will be very great.” Actually, all G’d had to say was שכרך רב, “your reward is great.” The addition of two letters ה which were not really called for indicated that by means of the two letters ה which would be added both to the name אברם and to the name שרי, Yitzchak would be able to emerge as their son. This was an assurance concerning reward in this life.
The third assurance was an assurance concerning the hereafter, and it is alluded to by the addition of the word מאד, “very much,” to the promise of much reward. We find something similar in Job 35,15 ולא ידע בפש מאד, “and he does not know that it may be long drawn out.” Elihu had attacked Job for denying that G’d personally supervises the fate of individuals. He accused him of recounting his afflictions day after day, whereas he had no idea of the serenity in store for the righteous in the hereafter.
Seeing that of these three assurances, only the first one was explicit whereas both the promise of children and that of an afterlife were only allusions, Avram related only to the visible, and did not understand the allusion which was included in G’d’s words. This is why he felt constrained to ask G’d: “what can You give me?” He meant: “seeing that I have no children I am comparable to a bush in the desert (Jeremiah 17,6), i.e. something that has no future”. In his reference to Eliezer, Avram meant that not only did he not have a biological heir, but his heir-apparent Eliezer was not even from his home-town Charan but from Damascus.
At this point G’d began to tell Avram in detail what He had previously only hinted at. Firstly, He told him that Eliezer would not be his heir but that someone who was his biological son would inherit him. When G’d added the words הוא יירשך, “he will inherit you,” this was really superfluous and meant that the ”הוא“ of the world i.e. G’d Himself, would be his heir.” He meant that he, Avram, would be the heir of G’d inasmuch as the name הוא is one of the attributes of G’d. This is a familiar concept from Exodus 34,9 ונחלתנו, “and make us Your heritage.”
1) He should not be afraid on account of the kings whom he had slain. The words: “do not be afraid,” are only addressed to someone who is already afraid. Avram was afraid that the sons of these kings would want to avenge their fathers and attack him. This is why G’d said; “I will be a shield for you.”
The second assurance concerned Avram’s having a son of his own. This is alluded to in the words שכרך הרבה מאד, “your reward will be very great.” Actually, all G’d had to say was שכרך רב, “your reward is great.” The addition of two letters ה which were not really called for indicated that by means of the two letters ה which would be added both to the name אברם and to the name שרי, Yitzchak would be able to emerge as their son. This was an assurance concerning reward in this life.
The third assurance was an assurance concerning the hereafter, and it is alluded to by the addition of the word מאד, “very much,” to the promise of much reward. We find something similar in Job 35,15 ולא ידע בפש מאד, “and he does not know that it may be long drawn out.” Elihu had attacked Job for denying that G’d personally supervises the fate of individuals. He accused him of recounting his afflictions day after day, whereas he had no idea of the serenity in store for the righteous in the hereafter.
Seeing that of these three assurances, only the first one was explicit whereas both the promise of children and that of an afterlife were only allusions, Avram related only to the visible, and did not understand the allusion which was included in G’d’s words. This is why he felt constrained to ask G’d: “what can You give me?” He meant: “seeing that I have no children I am comparable to a bush in the desert (Jeremiah 17,6), i.e. something that has no future”. In his reference to Eliezer, Avram meant that not only did he not have a biological heir, but his heir-apparent Eliezer was not even from his home-town Charan but from Damascus.
At this point G’d began to tell Avram in detail what He had previously only hinted at. Firstly, He told him that Eliezer would not be his heir but that someone who was his biological son would inherit him. When G’d added the words הוא יירשך, “he will inherit you,” this was really superfluous and meant that the ”הוא“ of the world i.e. G’d Himself, would be his heir.” He meant that he, Avram, would be the heir of G’d inasmuch as the name הוא is one of the attributes of G’d. This is a familiar concept from Exodus 34,9 ונחלתנו, “and make us Your heritage.”
Haamek Sheilah
However, whoever has a brain in his skull and possesses a sound mind [which are a person’s] majesty and splendor6This is taken from Psalms 45:4, “Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one – your majesty and your splendor.” As described in note 17, the sword refers to the Torah, and it is the mind that is the majesty and splendor that enables one to acquire the Torah. would concede that the great geniuses of judgment do not sway from the text7Literally, “retreat from the proper course.” because of the force of logic that results from pilpul. For this was not the approach of our rabbis, the Tosafists, because there was nothing before them that was distorted and would impel them to veer from the straight and open paths [of the text of the Talmud or Mishnah].8Rabbenu Tam writes in the introduction to his work, Sefer ha-Yashar, “I called it Sefer ha-Yashar (literally, the Book of Uprightness: see Josh. 10:13) because in it I wish to reconcile the old [divergent] traditions concerning the text of the Talmud with the original form of the text” (translation from The Jewish Encyclopedia). Rabbenu Tam objected strongly to textual emendations. He criticized Samuel ben Meir, the Rashbam, as follows: “Where my grandfather [Rashi] made one correction, Samuel made twenty, and erased [the old readings] from the manuscripts [and replaced them with new ones].” Rabbenu Tam also asserted that his explanations followed the simple meaning of the text (peshat) and argued against those “who by their pilpulistic methods distort the explanations of our teachers, and their interpretations render the halachos wholly meaningless.” (See The Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 7, s.v. Jacob ben Me’ir Tam). For paved paths emanated from their hearts, to enable them to find the interpretation and instruction of the truth of the Torah, for they sought the knowledge of God as one seeks hidden treasures.9As described in chapter 1, one who toils with sincerity receives Divine assistance to gain the true understanding of the Torah. This is not so with the one who is in a hurry to determine the Rambam’s opinion. He does not search earnestly, he does not kneel [humbly] in the prisoner’s place10Isa.10:4. to find his goal by diligent search.11Psalms 64:7. [Instead] he dares to ascend the mountain12See Psalms 24:3, 4: “Who may ascend the mountain of God? One with clean hands and a pure heart.” with passion13Eze. 36:5. The word sheat, which is translated here as passion, is only used once in all of Scripture. (see Aruch, s.v. Tzafach).14The Aruch, s.v. Tzafah, translates sheat as intense joy, “simchas kol levav.” The Netziv is describing how a person’s objectivity can be distorted by one’s passion. This is discussed further in Part 3, chapter 10. As a result, he deviates from the path that is before his eyes, such that he does not see the straight path, as he does not realize that it may be a long and drawn-out15Job 35:15. [process].