Here Israel is described as the First Created Being. There are several other divine beings who are described in these terms, among them the Heavenly Man, Adam, Adam Kadmon, and the Shekhinah. In this case, however, it is not an individual divine being who is identified as the First Created Being, but a nation, a people, whose destiny is interwoven with that of their God.
Sources:
B. Sanhedrin 44a; B. Berakhot 32b; B. Hullin 91b; Genesis Rabbah 12:9; Exodus Rabbah 38:4; Numbers Rabbah 2:2; Ecclesiastes Rabbah 1:9; Eliyahu Rabbah 14; Leviticus Rabbah 36:4; Midrash Tehillim 104:15; Rashi on Genesis 1:1; Zohar 1:24a; Degel Mahaneh Ephraim 68d; Sefer Ba’al Shem Tov, Bereshit 4, Lekh Lekha 27; Keter Shem Tov 194; Likutei Moharan 17:1, 52, 94; Ohev Yisrael, Hayei Sarah 8a; Sippurei Ma’asiyot; Maggid Devarav le-Ya’akov 124, 229; Ohev Yisrael, Shemot 25a; Kedushat Levi 98, 180; Beit Yisrael, Lekh Lekha 36.
421. THE SOULS OF ISRAEL
Some say that all souls come from Adam’s soul. But others say that Abraham was the source of the souls of Israel, as it is said, And the souls that they had acquired (Gen. 12:5). After God had created them, these souls were preserved on high, and before the time of Abraham they had never descended to this world.
After the souls of Israel had emanated from God and had been brought into being, the future existence of this world was reaffirmed. For the universe and everything in it was created only for the sake of Israel.
This myth reflects the point of view that history really begins with the story of Abraham, the first Jew, and suggests that the people of Israel were a separate creation, for God had saved the souls of Israel until that time. Thus these souls are untainted by the events recounted in Genesis that took place before Abraham—the Fall of Adam and Eve, Cain’s murder of Abel, the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Tower of Babel. See “Adam’s Soul,” p. 162.
A parallel idea is found in the myth of the Innocent Souls—souls that hid in the Garden of Eden at the time that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and thus were not tainted by their sin. The soul of the Ba’al Shem Tov was said to be one of these Innocent Souls.
Sources:
Likutei Moharan 52.
422. THE BODY OF ISRAEL
All of Israel is one body and everyone of Israel is a limb of that body. That is why, when one’s fellow has sinned, it is as though one has sinned oneself. All of Israel is described as being attached to the Tree of Life. All of Israel heard God speak at Mount Sinai and all of Israel was said to have sung as one when it sang the Song at the Sea. All of Israel is responsible for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. And all of Israel must participate in raising up the Shekhinah from Her exile.
Here Israel is viewed as more than a nation or a people, but as one body, since, in the eyes of God, Israel, His people, is rewarded and punished as if they were one. Note the parallel of this concept to the Christian doctrine of Corpus Domini, where each member of the church is a member of the body of God. This is a key concept that is also found in other sources. In the myth of the Ari, the combined efforts of all of Israel are required in order to gather the holy sparks that had been scattered around the world, so that the messianic era may be initiated. See “God’s Image,” p. 33; “The Fruit of the Tree of Life,” p. 402; “The Shattering of the Vessels and the Gathering of the Sparks,” p. 122; and “The Shekhinah Within,” p. 63.
Sources:
Yesod ha-Teshuvah 6, quoting the Ari.
Studies:
“Corpus Domini: Traces of the New Testament in East European Hasidism” by Byron L. Sherwin.
423. THE LESSON OF THE STARS
When Abraham was still a boy, he saw the sun shining upon the earth, and he thought that surely the sun must be God, and therefore he would serve it. So he served the sun all that day, and prayed to it. But when evening came and the sun set, Abraham said to himself, surely this cannot be God. And Abraham wondered who had made the heavens and the earth.
That night, when Abraham lifted his eyes to the sky, he saw the stars and moon before him, and he thought that the moon must have created the world, and the stars were its servants. And Abraham served the moon and prayed to it all night.
But in the morning, when the sun shone upon the earth again, and the moon and stars could not be seen, Abraham understood that they were not gods, but that they were the servants of God. And from that day on Abraham knew the Lord and went in the ways of the Lord until the day of his death.
This is an important midrash, in that it offers an explanation of how Abraham discovered the existence of God, and therefore it provides the origin of monotheism. It grows out of a problem in the biblical story of Abraham. When Abraham is first encountered, he is already a grown man and God tells him to leave the land he was born in and go to the land that God will reveal to him. Notably missing from this narrative is any indication of the childhood of Abraham, or how Abraham discovered God. This midrash supplies an answer to both of these problems, recounting Abraham’s childhood and showing, at the same time, how the child Abraham used logic to determine that there must be a God who ruled over the sun and moon and everything else. There are many other midrashim about Abraham’s birth and childhood, primarily modeled on the childhood of Moses.
Sources:
Sefer ha-Yashar 9:6, 9:13-19; IFA 10009.
424. GOD CALLS UPON ABRAM
The Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse him that curses you; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.”
Abram went forth as the Lord had commanded him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left the city of Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the wealth that they had amassed, and the persons that they had acquired in Haran; and they set out for the land of Canaan.
This is the beginning of the Abraham narrative in Genesis that starts with the famous words, Lekh Lekha, “Go forth.” No explanation is given about how Abraham (originally named “Abram,” as Sarah was originally “Sarai”) discovered God or God discovered Abraham and when we first meet him, Abraham is a grown man. But because of his great faith, Abraham uproots himself and leaves Haran and sets out on a journey to the Holy Land. All of Abraham’s actions are consistent with this one—more than any other individual, Abraham exhibits perfect faith in God, even when God asks him to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac.
Sources:
Genesis 12:1-5
425. GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAM
And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had parted from him, “Raise your eyes and look out from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west, for I give all the land that you see to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring too can be counted. Up, walk about the land, through its length and its breadth, for I give it to you. And Abram moved his tent, and came to dwell at the terebinths of Mamre, which are in Hebron; and he built an altar there to the Lord.
This is one of the most famous of the covenants God makes with Abraham (then known as Abram), along with Genesis 15:1-5 where God says, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He added, “So shall your offspring be.” For centuries, God’s statement that “I give all the land that you see to you and your offspring forever” has been the basis of the claim that Jews have the right to all of the traditional Land of Israel. Most recently, Israeli settlers have asserted this claim, which many regard as the root issue of the Arab-Israeli conflict. For these settlers, this and similar biblical passages serve as a kind of deed, proving their ownership of the land.
Sources:
Genesis 13:14-18.
426. GOD APPEARS TO ABRAHAM
The Lord appeared to Abraham
by the terebinths of Mamre; he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot. Looking up, he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them and, bowing to the ground, he said, “My lords, if it please you, do not go on past your servant. Let a little water be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree. And let me fetch a morsel of bread that you may refresh yourselves; then go on—seeing that you have come your servant’s way.” They replied, “Do as you have said.”
Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quick, three seahs of choice flour! Knead and make cakes!” Then Abraham ran to the herd, took a calf, tender and choice, and gave it to a servant-boy, who hastened to prepare it. He took curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared and set these before them; and he waited on them under the tree as they ate.
They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he replied, “There, in the tent.” Then one said, “I will return to you next year, and your wife Sarah shall have a son!” Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years; Sarah had stopped having the periods of women. And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “Now that I am withered, am I to have enjoyment—with my husband so old?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?’ Is anything too wondrous for the Lord? I will return to you at the time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was frightened. But He replied, “You did laugh.”
The visit of the three angels to Abraham is one of the most important episodes in the Bible. It is here that Abraham demonstrates his great hospitality to the three visitors, and it is here that the promise that Sarah would give birth is made, despite the fact that both Abraham and Sarah were quite old. Sarah is so skeptical of this prophecy that she laughs, and her laugh is immortalized in Isaac’s name, which means “to laugh.” This, then, is a crucial stage in fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham that his offspring would be like the sands of the shore and the stars of the sky, and this promise is fulfilled in a miraculous form, by having the couple become parents in their old age.
Note that while the men who arrive at Abraham’s tent are identified as angels, it is God who says, “Why did Sarah laugh?” This indicates that two versions of this episode have been combined together, one in which Abraham’s guests were angels and another in which God Himself comes to visit him, accompanied by two angels—the two angels who then set out for Sodom, to inform Lot, Abraham’s nephew, that the city was about to be destroyed.
Sources:
Genesis 18:1-15.
427. ABRAHAM’S VISION OF GOD
On the third day after Abraham circumcised himself, the Lord appeared to him (Gen. 18:1) as he sat in the door of his tent. As God spoke to him, Abraham was transformed, and became a full-fledged prophet. After that, the Shekhinah spoke from his throat, and God’s presence remained with him. So too did God show Abraham each generation and its leaders, as He had shown Adam.
Prior to his circumcision, Abraham’s prophetic experience was purely visionary, but now the voice of prophecy issued forth from his lips, and he enjoyed a measure of the Holy Spirit, for the Voice of God was revealed in his speech. After this Abraham did not only receive messages from God, but he was able to initiate communication with God as well.
As a result of the circumcision, Abraham had become an even holier person, capable of receiving a visit from God while remaining seated and fully awake, even during the hottest time of the day. So too was he able to absorb a vision of God in His superior light. For not all visions are of the same caliber—this vision was of a superior nature compared to the previous ones. For once Abraham was circumcised, he attained the fullest possible prophetic vision.
Then, just as God had shown Adam each generation and its leaders, He also showed each generation and its leaders to Abraham, as well as each generation and its sages.
Some say that God manifested Himself to Abraham that day by means of a tree, since the vision took place at the terebinths of Mamre. Why did God choose a tree to be the site at which He manifested Himself? To show Abraham that, like an old tree, he could still bear fruit.
God’s appearance to Abraham in Genesis 18:1 is the subject of much debate by commentators, since the matter spoken of is not mentioned. Rashi assumes that three days after his adult circumcision, God came to inquire about Abraham’s well-being. On the one hand, the Zohar views this appearance as a mystical experience, which profoundly transforms Abraham into a prophet. On the other hand, Rashi views God as making a sick call.
The role of God in this passage is further complicated by the fact that the same figure is sometimes identified as an angel and sometimes as God. Possibly two variants of the myth were combined, without resolving their inherent contradictions.
The notion that God appeared to Abraham as a tree takes the interpretation in another direction. This is deduced from the reference to the terebinths of Mamre. There are some natural links between the two: one famous passage, associated with the Torah, states that she is a tree of life to those who grasp her (Prov. 3:18). God is so closely linked to the Torah, which is His creation, that any identification of the Torah with a tree might, at the same time, apply to God. It is also important to recall that the Canaanite goddess Asherah was linked to sacred groves, and therefore identified with a tree. A womblike shape was carved into the base of these trees.
One question the rabbis wrestled with was whether Abraham circumcised himself, or if someone else did it. The question arises because of the great difficulty of any man circumcising himself. Although Genesis 17:24 seems to indicate clearly that Abraham did this himself, Rabbi Levi in Genesis Rabbah 47:9 asserts “It is not written here that Abraham circumcised himself, but rather that he was circumcised by God.” Zohar 1:96b describes a miraculous circumcision when Abram threw himself upon his face; and God spoke with him further, “As for Me, this is My covenant with you” (Gen. 17:3-4). And when Abraham arose, he found himself already circumcised.
Sources:
Zohar 1:97b-98a; Midrash Tanhuma, Vayera 1, 2; Rashi on Genesis 18:1; Midrash Rabbenu Bahya on Genesis 18:1; Ziv ha-Zohar on Genesis 18:1; Rabbi Moshe Alshekh on Genesis 18:1; Or ha-Hayim on Genesis 18:1; Akedat Yitzhak on Genesis 18.
Studies:
The Hebrew Goddess by Raphael Patai, pp. 34-66.
428. ABRAHAM’S GLOWING STONE
Abraham wore a glowing stone around his neck. Some say that it was a pearl, others that it was a jewel. The light emitted by that jewel was like the light of the sun, illuminating the entire world. Abraham used that stone as an astrolabe to study the motion of the stars, and with its help he became a master astrologer. For his power of reading the stars, Abraham was much sought after by the potentates of East and West. So too did that glowing precious stone bring immediate healing to any sick person who looked into it.
At the moment when Abraham took leave of this world, the precious stone raised itself and flew up to heaven. God took it and hung it on the wheel of the sun.
This talmudic legend about a glowing stone that Abraham wore around his neck is a part of the chain of legends about that glowing jewel, known as the Tzohar, which was first given to Adam and Eve when they were expelled from the Garden of Eden and also came into the possession of Noah, who hung it in the ark. See “The Tzohar, p. 85. This version of the legend adds the detail that the glowing stone was also an astrolabe, with which Abraham could study the stars.
Sources:
B. Bava Batra 16b; Zohar 1:11a-11b, Idra Rabbah.
Studies:
The Jewish Alchemists by Raphael Patai.
429. ABRAHAM IN EGYPT
There was a famine in the land, and Abraham and his wife Sarah went down into Egypt. First they went South until they reached Hebron, but since the famine was there as well, they made their way to Egypt, where there were said to be sufficient fr
uits and vegetables. Eventually they reached one of the seven branches of the Nile, and the night they entered Egypt, Abraham dreamed a dream.
In the dream he saw a cedar and a palm that grew side by side. For many years they flourished together, but then men came who wanted to cut down the cedar, leaving the palm there alone. But the palm tree spoke to them, saying “Do not cut down the cedar, for we are two of a kind.” And they were so astonished to hear these words from a tree, that the cedar was spared for the sake of the palm.
When Abraham awoke he was greatly afraid, for he knew that the dream must be a sign that his life was in danger. For surely he was the cedar and Sarah was the palm. He told Sarah his dream, and she too recognized its meaning. For Sarah was a great prophetess and interpreter of dreams. Sarah told Abraham that while the dream did signify that his life was in danger, it also indicated that he would be saved in the end, and somehow she would cause him to be saved.
This prophecy came to pass when Pharaoh saw Sarah’s beauty, and sought to kill Abraham, believing him to be her husband. Then Sarah assured Pharaoh that he was only her kinsman and Pharaoh agreed to spare his life. Thus did Sarah save Abraham, just as the cedar was saved by the palm.
This myth from Genesis Apocryphon, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, serves to explain and justify Abraham’s behavior in Genesis 12:10-20, when he identified Sarah as his sister rather than his wife. The use of dreams to convey a prophecy or a divine message is common, with the dreams of Joseph serving as the primary model. Note that this myth includes both the dream and the interpretation, as do the dreams of Joseph. The notion that Sarah was a great prophetess is widely found. In B. Sota 29a, it is stated that Sarah was the only woman to whom God ever spoke directly.
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