Gen. 12 – Our Responsibilities
בייה
Study Partners (Genesis 12) introduces us to Abraham’s place and informs us he was out of place because of where he was born, raised, and taught. He made the best of that unfortunate situation. The Lord God Designated a particular time and place for Abraham, i.e., 1948 – 2123 From Creation. God Has a particular individual place, responsibility, and goal for each of us. Our place may be glamorous and visible or isolated and seemingly unnoticed. Some of us are ready and eager to serve the Lord, while others are recluse, withdrawn, and trying to hide. Our situation could be unpleasant overwhelming, disappointing. Still, we need to try. It is good to remain constant, vigilant, diligent, dedicated, and obedient. It may be necessary for us to stay in the background while others who appear less qualified or gifted serve. There is an old saying, ‘A woman’s work is never done.’ In actuality, A Jewish wife’s work is never done. (Proverbs 31.10 – ) is titled Aishet Chayil – An accomplished wife. Husbands must be careful to acknowledge their wife’s management skills and Shabbat’s contribution throughout the entire week. A wife’s responsibilities are enormous!! A man cannot be successful without his wife’s contribution and guidance!!
In (Genesis 12.1) Ha Torah says, ‘And the Lord had said to Abram, Go! Get out מֵאַרְצְךָ from your country, וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ and your relatives, וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ and your Father’s house, to a land that I will show you. Ibn Ezra, Radak, and others use a more pointed version. ‘The Lord had previously Said to Abram [while he was in Ur Kasdim,] Go out from your country, and from your family, and your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.’ Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and Rabbi Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Tanach Series – Bereishis Vol. I (a) (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 3rd Impression, 1989), pp 424-425.
Perhaps Abram was a little hesitant. Maybe he was a little slow to act. How would we react if The Lord told us to leave our country, our relatives, and our Father’s house and journey to an unknown land where we would be isolated from them? How would that feel? How we feel matters in one sense but not in another. (Genesis 12.1) ‘The Lord had previously Said to Abram [while he was in Ur Kasdim,] Go out from your country, and from your family, and your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.’ Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and Rabbi Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Tanach Series – Bereishis Vol. I (a) (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 3rd Impression, 1989), pp 424-425. After Abram traveled to Charan, The Lord Spoke to him again, saying,’ Go! GET OUT from your country, and from your family, and your Father’s house, to a land that I will show you;’ Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and Rabbi Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Tanach Series – Bereishis Vol. I (a) (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 3rd Impression, 1989), pp 348-349.
(Genesis 2.7) says, ‘Then the Lord God Formed אֶת־הָאָדָם the man.’ Rabbi Levi says ‘אֶת־הָאָדָם – Eth Haw Adam – THE MAN’ has a definite article that he interprets to mean ‘Abraham, the Outstanding Man.’ He quotes the commentary to (Joshua 14.15), saying, ‘It is written, that The greatest ‘MAN” among the Anakim was Abraham. He states that “MAN’ means Abraham. He was called the greatest man because he was worthy of being created before Adam, but the Holy One, blessed be He, Reasoned: ‘Adam may sin and if so there will be none to set it right. Hence I will create Adam first, so that if [Adam] sins, Abraham may come and set things right.’ Rabbi Levi points to (Ecclesiastes 3.11) to establish, ‘that no man can find out the work which God has made from the beginning to the end.’
Abraham brought a lasting peace [forty years] to that region [Kiriath Arba – Hebron], and as a result, he was highly respected. Thus the remark honoring Abraham in (Genesis 23.6) says, ‘My lord [refering to Abraham]; you are a mighty prince among us.’ (Judaica Books of the Prophets, The Book of Joshua {New York, Judaica Press 1992} p 101
Rabbi Abba ben Kahana said: In general practice, when a man joints a pair of beams [so that they meet] at a slope, it gives them greater strength than if they were laid flat. He places them in the middle of the chamber to support the beams in the front and behind. That is why the Lord Created Abraham in the middle of the generations so that he could bear the generations before and after him.
Ramban states that Abraham’s family were Semites meaning they were descendants of Noach’s son Shem. He is also known as Melchizedek, king of [Jeru] Salem, i.e., Jerusalem. Abraham descended from that Holy Righteous line of unique men who lived by high standards.
Let’s not forget; we are studying Abraham, the Prophet and Patriarch of the Jewish people, the Noahide people, Father of the Ishmaelite people, Ibrahim the prophet and messenger of the Muslim people, and a Spiritual leader for Christian people. We would expect the Lord to speak with Abraham. We should understand why the Lord Spoke with Abraham and tested him. He was designated for that specific position with all the responsibilities. God Appointed Abraham as the man in the middle.
Sefer Bereisheit / Genesis is organized into 12 portions. (Genesis 12) begins the fourth Parshat, לֶךְ־לְךָ Lech Lecha meaning Go! Get Out! The Gematria of Lech Lecha is 100. Perhaps that is a sign that Abraham will be 100 years old when Isaac is born. (Genesis 12.2) says, ‘And I will make you a great nation.’ Our sages say that at Isaac’s birth, a clock began ticking. That was when Abraham stepped out in faith to do as the Lord instructed him. i.e., He left his country, relatives, and Father’s house. One of the mystical interpretations of Lech Lecha is that it begins the tick-tock of Isaac’s birth clock, and we can see the importance of following the Lord’s instruction to the tee.
On That Exact Day
(Exodus 12.41) Furthermore, it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even on that very day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. That day was Pesach / Passover. How do we know when that day began? Abraham was seventy years old on his first trip to the land of Canaan in (Genesis 15.13).
(Genesis 15.13) says, ‘And [the Lord] said to Abraham, [when he was seventy years old] Know for a certainty that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years’ When do the four-hundred years begin? With the birth of Isaac. (Genesis 18.14) says, ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time, I will Return to you, at that season, and Sarah shall have a son. The season was Pesach / Passover 2048 From Creation.
Ramban states that Abraham’s family were Semites meaning they were descendants of Noach’s son Shem. He is also known as Melchizedek, king of [Jeru] Salem, i.e., Jerusalem. Abraham descended from a Holy Righteous line of unique men who lived by high standards. They were as different as night is from the day when compared to Terah and Nimrod. So when (Genesis 14.13) says, ‘Abram the Ivri,’ it refers to the one who came from the other side of the Euphrates River. He spoke the original language, Ivri / Hebrew. Abram was on the opposite side from idolatries.
Country
בְּאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים Bih Oor Cahs Deem – Fiery Furnaces – A stern dictator, Nimrod, ruled Ur of the Chaldeans, – The Persian Gulf area, Nivinah, Babylon. He was glib. Phrases rolled off his tongue. He was slick, fast-talking, disingenuous, insincere, superficial, flippant, and silver-tongued. He led his country in the opposite direction. Nimrod led his fellow countrymen away from serving God into idol worship. The message of holiness and separation did not resonate with Nimrod or his ministers.
In a short time, America changed. We used to be a God-fearing, law-abiding, generous, loving, compassionate nation. What has happened to us? America is NOT united. Wicked influential people, politicians, lobbyists groups, and countries who are like Nimrod intend to destroy America. Each of us bears some responsibility because we have allowed other things to supplant God in our lives. We have allowed our government to drift into godlessness.
Relatives
(Genesis 12.1) also says, ‘Go! Get out וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ and away from your relatives.’ The issue here is that Abram’s relatives were idol manufacturers who tried to push Abram into paganism. His Father, Terah, his mother, Amalia, the daughter of Kanebo, His stepmother, and his brother and half-brother. (Bava Basra 91) says, ‘[The name of] Abraham’s mother was Amathlai, the daughter of Karnebo.’ (Sefer Yayashar 20) says, ‘she raised Abram in a cave on her own within her moon-based, goddess-worshipping Pagan religion – Rebooting.com.
His Father’s House
(Genesis 12.1) also says, ‘The Lord had previously said to Abram [while he was in Ur Kasdim,] Go! Get out away from your Father’s house, וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ [and go to a land] that I will show you. That was a huge problem because Terah was a high-ranking minister in Nimrods dictatorship – kingdom. Nimrod said that he trusted Terah the most among the ministers of this court. Rabbi Moshe Weissman, The Midrash Says(Brooklyn, New York: Benei Yakov Publications 1980), p 117; 120. He profited from his association with Nimrod. ‘Terah was chief captain of Nimrod’s army.’ Sefer Ha Yaysahar pp 21; 25. (Genesis 11.32) says,’ And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.’ Ha Torah identifies Terah as a wicked man who was spiritually dead. He was alive, but in actuality, he was dead. He colluded with those who were corrupt, supported Nimrod’s evil reign of terror, raised his family among the cursed people, chose idolatry instead of God the Almighty – the one true God, brought the righteous Abram before Nimrod to make him give account for rejecting and defying idolatry, Terah confused [muddied the waters for] Charan thus causing his son to die in the fires of Kasdim. Terah raised his sons in the path of idolatry and rebellion.
The Responsibility of Parents
(Deuteronomy 6.5-7) says, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your resources. Furthermore, these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart; And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.’
The Responsibilities of The High Priesthood
Those in the Tava exited and followed Noach about 700 miles from Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey on the Armenian border to Jerusalem, The Holy City. Noach as the High Priest traveled to the specific location of The Altar of Atonement to construct the Holy Altar. (Genesis 8.20) Says, ‘Noach built the altar to The Lord; and took of every ritually clean beast, and every ritually clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on The Altar.’ He sanctified the world after the destruction. That is the first mention of the word מִזְבֵּחַ Meez Bay Chah – Altar in Ha Torah. That was Noach’s responsibility.
(Midrash – Bereisheit Rabba 34.9) States that Noach וַיִּבֶן – Vah Yee Behn – built an Altar unto the Lord. Prophetically Noach understood the purpose of the pure animals and birds who entered the Tava in (Genesis 7.2-3) ‘Of every clean beast you shall take to you seven pairs, the male and his female; and of beasts that are not clean one pair, the male and his female. Furthermore, birds of the air also by seven pairs, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.’ Why did the Lord say that? It was because He desired that pure – clean animals and birds be offered as sacrifices to Him on the great Altar in Jerusalem by Noach, The High Priest. That is why The Holy Scriptures state, ‘And Noach built an altar to the Lord.’ Then he dressed in the Garment of the first High Priest [Adam], which he had preserved for this occasion. It was the garment The Lord Made from shed snakeskin, lamb, and goats wool to cover Adam and Chavah. (Bemidbar Rabba 4.8) Says, ‘From the skin which the serpent cast off the Holy One, blessed be He, made garments of glory for Adam and his helpmate.’ (Genesis 3.21). (Bemidbar Rabba 4.8) informs us that they wore robes of honor which subsequently the firstborn, i.e., each High Priest wore. When Adam died, he transmitted the garments of glory to Seth, and Seth to Methuselah, and Methuselah to Noach, and Noach to Shem. These were their responsibilities.
The High Priest lived and served in Jerusalem near ‘The Altar of Atonement that Noach built unto the Lord. That is why Noach came to Jerusalem and why Shem, also known as Melchizedek, lived there. He was known as the king of [Jeru] Salem, i.e., Jerusalem. He established and headed a Yeshiva where he taught about the one true God. Rabbi Moshe Weissman, The Midrash Says (Brooklyn, New York: Benei Yakov Publications 1980), p. 142
Before 1657 From Creation, people knew nothing about the Altar of The Lord or offering Burnt Sacrifices. Why? Humanity was forbidden to take life, be it human, bird or animal.
(Sanhedrin 59b) says, ‘Rab Judah said in Rab’s name: Adam was not permitted to eat flesh, for it is written, [Behold I have given you all the herbs, et cetera.] to you it shall be for food, and to all the beasts of the earth, implying, but the beasts of the earth shall not be for you. Nevertheless, with the advent of the sons of Noah, it was permitted, for it is said, [Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you;] even as the green herb have I given you all things. Noach built the Tava from which animal and birdlife benefited. Noach fed and cared for them. He is entitled to benefit from the fruits of his labor.’
One of the responsibilities of the Priest is to teach. Noach was the only one The Lord Communicated His will too. Rabbi Moshe Weissman, The Midrash Says (Brooklyn, New York: Benei Yakov Publications 1980), p. 98-101 Later, when he could no longer serve as High Priest, he returned to Mesopotamia. Sefer HaYashar states that Noach’s home in Mesopotamia became a refuge for Abram. Sefer HaYashar (Hoboken, NJ: KTAV Publishing House, Inc., 1993) p 31.
Study Partners many points are discussed in our study. Please ask questions regarding anything that is unclear. May The Lord Bless all who follow the teachings of Ha Torah.
Good Sabbath!
Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk
