Genesis

בייה

Genesis 14 – Abraham’s Principles and Practices

Dear family and friends, the Teachings from Ha Torah have the power to heal, uplift, guide, protect and encourage us. It’s like gift bags filled with Truth, Blessings, and Lovingkindness waiting to descend upon us. Why? We are the chosen. We, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are distinguished people. Others are distinguished but haven’t made that connection just yet. The revelations of blessings began in (Genesis 12), followed by how Abraham motivated himself and others to paths of success in (Genesis 13). There we observed Abraham apply righteous reasoning, just logic, to obtain the Truth. (Genesis 14) shares our distinctions, Abraham’s principles, and practices. (Bereisheit Rabba 42.8) Says, ‘Abraham is הָעִבְרִי Haw Ee Vih Ree – meaning he honored God, Creator of all, without being taught or pressured. He spoke Hebrew – the heavenly language – the language of creation instead of Aramaic. Abraham chose to abstain from the world’s sinful ways. He chose righteous living. He was from the other side.

(Genesis 14.13) says, ‘And there came the one that had escaped, and conspicuously declared to Abraham Haw Ee Vih Ree / Haw Ivrim the Hebrew. One of our unique distinctions is noted here. Jewish People are on one side, and people of the world are on the other side. Abraham is referred to as הָעִבְרִי Haw Ee Vih Ree / Haw Ivrim the Hebrew. R. Judah said that Haw Ee Vih Ree signifies the whole world was on one side עֵבֶר (Eber) while Abraham was on the other side עֵבֶר (Eber). Another unique distinction is our heritage. R. Nehemiah said Ha Torah Denotes that Abraham descended from עֵבֶר Eber, i.e., Righteous men – Noah, Shem, and Eber. Heritage is very BIG. Anyone who reads internet papers like the Times Of Israel or watches Israeli TV programming soon becomes aware of the importance of Ancestry, Lineage, and Heredity. Words like unadulterated, unmixed, clean, fresh, sparkling, unpolluted, virtuous, moral, ethical, good, righteous, wholesome squeaky clean, and undefiled are major when searching for a mate. (Vayikra 11.44 – 45) says. ‘For I am the Lord your God; you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I Am Holy; nor shall you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. For I Am the Lord that Brings you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall therefore be holy, for I Am Holy.’

The Rabbis say that הָעִבְרִי Haw Ee Vih Ree means that Abraham came from across the river; furthermore, that he spoke in the language of the dwellers across the river.

(Numbers 21.34) relates to when the Lord said to Moses, ‘Do not Fear him; for I have delivered Og king of Bashan into your hand, and all his people, and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites.’

(Genesis Rabbah 42:8) The allusion to Og was that he was the only Nephilim / Rephaim who escaped the catastrophe of the worldwide flood. (Deuteronomy 3:11) comments regarding ‘the remnant of the Rephaim,’ for it is said. (Genesis 6:4) ‘The Nephilim / Rephaim were in the earth etc.’ See (Genesis Rabbah 26) – Og’s intention in telling Abraham that his nephew was captured was evil. ‘Ha Torah says, And there came the one that had escaped, and conspicuously declared to Abraham regarding Lot. This man was their refuse, like hard olives that come out as survivors from the bottom of the olive waste. He did not act from a pious motive. He intended that Abraham would go to war with the kings and be killed. The Holy One rewarded him for what his feet had earned, in that he lived all those years from the flood until he fell at the hand of Abraham’s children. When Moses came to wage war against him, he feared Og because of his age. Moses said: I am a hundred and twenty years old, while Og is five hundred years old. If Og did not have merit, he would not have lived all these years.’

(Beresheit 42.8) says, regarding (Genesis 14.13) ‘And there came one that had escaped and told Abraham, etc. R. Simeon b. Lakish said in the name of Bar Kappara: That was Og. Why was he called Og? Because when he came, he found Abraham sitting and engaged in the precept of unleavened cakes. Abraham Observed The Mitzvot of Ha Torah before the giving of Ha Torah. Og’s actions were not motivated by Piety! Og said, ‘ Abraham is vindictive: I will apprise him that Lot is captured; then will he go out to battle and be slain, while I will take Sarah.’

(Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 23.8) Says that ‘all living things upon the face of the earth decayed, and every living thing was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground’(Genesis 7.23), except Noah and those who were with him in the ark, as it is said, ‘And Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark’ (ibid.), except Og, king of Bashan, who sat down on a piece of wood under the gutter of the ark. He swore to Noah and his sons that he would be their servant forever. What did Noah do? He bored an aperture in the ark and put his food daily for him, and he was left, as it is said, ‘For only Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnant of the giants’ (Deuteronomy 3:11).

Dear Ones, we are only able to view a few of the many Principles and Practices of Abraham. My hope and prayer are that we will be challenged to develop an approach like Abraham, who was logical and spiritually sensitive to Lord.

We can be the difference in our sphere. We can do some heavy lifting like our loving Grandfather, Abraham. May each of us be blessed with Torah Learning to encourage us and enlighten our way and help others.

Good Sabbath,

Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk

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