Danny Ginsbourg - Lech Lecha

 For some reason this was posted by A7 on Shabbat, accident or on purpose?

Avraham descended to Egypt - why?

Why would a famine make Abraham leave the land G-d had told him to go to?

Our Parasha relates:(12:10-19)’There was a famine in the land, and Avraham descended to Egypt..for the famine was severe in the land’, and ‘he said to his wife Sarah’, that, due to her beauty, ‘when the Egyptians see you, they will say:’This is his wife’, then they will kill me, but you they will let live. Please say that you are my sister, that it may go well for me for your sake, and that I may live on account of you’.

"And so it occurred, that ‘when the officials of Pharoah saw her, they lauded her to Pharoah, and the woman was taken to Pharoah’s house. And he treated Avraham well for her sake’, and gave him many gifts. ‘But Hashem afflicted Pharoah and his household with severe plagues, because of Sarah..Pharoah summoned Avraham, and said:’What have you done to me? Why did you not tell me that she is your wife. Why did you say:’She is my sister, so that I would take her as my wife? Now, here is your wife, take her and go!’ So Pharoah gave men orders..and they escorted him and his wife, and all that was his.’

Rashi comments:’And there was a famine in the land’:’In that land alone, to test him, whether he would think ill of the words of Hashem, Who ordered him to go to the land of Canaan, and now He was forcing him to leave it.’

Rav Israel Meir Lau adds:’Hashem had promised him:’go forth from your homeland, and I shall make you to a mighty nation, and I shall bless you, and make your name great’, and yet, when he came to the land of Canaan, where Hashem promised him:’To your seed I shall give this land’ ; instead, the reality flew in the face of this - can this be called a ‘blessing“?

In this land there was not even food to eat, only famine..but Avraham does not come with complaints to Hashem, but cleaves to Him with complete emunah.’

In the way of the baale’i Midrash, we find differing views, as to the actions of Avraham, as to whether he did the right thing, in not remaining in the land of Canaan, or transgressed in doing so ( as the Ramban holds ).

By your leave, let us travel along the path of the Sages, who expound that all that Avraham did, in this matter, was directed from Above, to pave the way for his descendants, who were decreed to descend to Egypt.

Says the Midrash Rabba:’Hakadosh-Baruch-Hu said to Avraham Avinu:’Go and pave the way before your sons; you find that all that is written here with regard to Avraham, is also written concerning his sons’: that famine in the land caused him to descend and sojourn in Egypt - so too with his sons; and that Avraham left Egypt heavily laden with possessions, so too, Bnei Israel left Egypt with great wealth.

The Netivot Shalom brings this Midrash, and comments:’The descent of Avraham to Egypt, was to weaken the forces of impurity that prevailed there, Egypt being the most impure of lands; and, as it was decreed that Bnei Israel were destined to descend there, so that they could survive in the midst of that impurity, Avraham and Sarah descended there first, to prepare for their descent.

‘By the whole saga of Sarah with Pharoah, the power of the yetzer ha’ra of impurity in Egypt was broken, so that Bnei Israel could survive there spiritually.’

The Alshich Hakadosh sweetens our understanding of the Divine chesed to His people, in this episode:’Hashem was concerned at the outset, for the outcome of these events.

‘This, because it was revealed before Him, that Bnei Israel were destined to be exiled in Egypt - and subsequently, to four other exiles, and, in the natural order of things, it was possible that they would be lost there - as our Sages relate, that had they tarried any longer in the impurity of Egypt, they would have completely sunk in the mire of the Egyptian impurity, as they had already fallen prey to the prevalent idol worship.

‘Our Sages relate, that in the merit of four things - prime among them, the abstinence from immoral relations - Bnei Israel were redeemed from Egypt.

‘This, our Sages add, was in the merit of Sarah resisting the advances of Pharoah, and of Yosef, later, resisting the wiles of Potiphera, that their descendants had the inner strength to retain their purity, in the long years of the exile in Egypt.’

The Alshich Hakadosh also offers a different understanding of Avraham Avinu’s actions, ‘why he descended to Egypt, and did not put his faith in Hashem, that he would sustain him, even in the midst of the famine.

‘The teaching of our Sages, in Avot, is well known: the world stands on three things: on the Torah, on the avoda, and on acts of gmilut chasadim. Our Sages add: till the Torah was given, there was only one thing on which the world stood: on gmilut chasadim.

It is well known that, at that time, Avraham alone was the ‘pillar’ of chesed in the world, and thereby, he alone brought people to belief in the One G-d.

Faced with famine in the land, Avraham asked himself: how can I do chesed for the people, if there is no food for them, in this land? He therefore concluded, that he had no choice but to go to a place where he could help to sustain the people, and continue to teach them Hashem’s message.

‘This is why he descended to Egypt - not to settle there, but for a time, until the famine in the land, ended. This is why, he felt compelled even to seemingly endanger Sarah, body and soul, with her full consent, to carry on their holy mission, which was more precious to them, than even their lives.’

Rav Zalman Sorotzkin adds:’Why did Avraham place himself, and his wife, in danger, by descending to Egypt? Our Sages provide the answer: Avraham was engaged full time, with his ‘yeshiva’, where he taught all and sundry the knowledge of Hashem, and His ways - funded solely by his limited resources; further, our Sages teach that Avraham fed and sustained wayfarers, at the same time teaching them, that all they received, was, in fact, from the bounty of Hashem.

‘Having exhausted all his financial resources in these noble endeavours, he felt compelled to endanger himself and his wife - to keep alive his mission in life.

This is the meaning of his words to Sarah:’so that it should go well for me, on your account’ - as Rashi expounds:’that they should give me gifts’, ‘and so that my soul should live, because of you’.

‘These words surely cannot be understood literally! Avraham Avinu shunned all earthly possessions - as we learn from his refusal to partake of the spoils of battle, from the ruler of S’dom - clearly he did not contemplate risking the life and the virtue of his beloved Sarah, so as to receive gifts from the abhorrent Egyptians.

Rather, his sole intent, was to secure funds - even if by way of gifts from Pharoah - to sustain his disciples, who came to learn Torah from him. Sustaining then was ‘the soul’ he sought to continue. 

As soon as he collected sufficient funds, he immediatel returned to his tent, in the land of Canaan, to continue his holy mission.’

Rav Yehonatan Eybeshitz offers a different insight:’The local population - who were all idol worshippers - accused Avraham, that the plenty - which had previously existed - ceased, because they had ceased to make offerings to the heavenly forces, and blamed this on Avraham turning them away from their idolatry, and that, because of him, there was now famine.

‘Therefore, in the way of nature, we might have thought that to escape their wrath, Avraham departed.

‘To allay such misplaced musings, the Torah testifies that Avraham had full faith in Hashem, and only departed because ‘the famine was severe in the land.’

The Chatam Sofer also alludes to these false accusations, that Avraham was to blame for the famine, and adds, that Avraham, remained steadfast in his trust in Hashem, and when, he returned from his sojourn in Egypt, laden with all the good of the land, the futile claims of the scoffers were laid to rest.’

If we have, in some way, learned why Avraham descended to Egypt, Rav Pinchas Friedman notes, that ‘we are still left to answer the question that arises from this matter: what compelled Avraham to ask Sarah to say what appears to be a falsehood:’say that you are my sister’.

First, let us note what we learn from the holy tomes, that Hakadosh-Baruch-Hu redeemed Bnei Israel from Egypt, by a combination of the Attribute of Mercy AND the Attribute of Justice.

‘This is alluded to in Hashem’s words: I am ה׳ אלקים who took you out of Egypt’ - the two appellations teaching that the redemption was by the two Attributes - the former being for the relief of Bnei Israel, and the latter, for the punishment of the Egyptians.

‘It is well known from the Ariza’l that Avraham and Sarah served Hashem, respectively, by these rwo attributes: Avraham being the pillar of chesed, whilst Sarah acted in her attribute of judgement - as we learn from her being the one who demanded that Ishmael be expelled from their household, because of his bad ways - something which Avraham, the pillar of chesed, was unable to contemplate.

‘Thus, in our Parasha, we find that Pharoah was afflicted by Hashem, because of Sarah, whilst Avraham was rewarded with gifts - each of them laying the path, in their respective attributes, for the events which befell their descendants: affliction of thE Egyptians by the plagues, and great riches which Bnei Israel received, on leaving Egypt.

‘Avraham was faced with a great dilemna, as he neared Egypt: If the Egyptians saw his beautiful Sarah, and knew that she was his wife, they would kill him - whose attribute was chesed - and let her - whose attribute was דין, live.

‘The Egyptians would thereby benefit, because then the Attribute of דין would reign alone; true, it would afflict the Egyptians, but it would also afflict Bnei Israel for their idolatry; and, if it didn’t afflict Bnei Israel, then it would also spare the Egyptians.

‘Therefore, the solution at this which our wise forfather arrived, was to ‘commit a transgression for the sake of a Mitzvah’, and to direct Sarah to utter an untruth, to say that ‘she was his sister’, as thereby the Egyptians would curry his favour - a forerunner to the presents with which Bnei Israel would leave Egypt - and thereby the attribute of chesed - Avraham’s attribute - would remain.

‘Thereby, both attributes would have a foothold, as it was, in Egypt, so that, since all that happened to Avraham and Sarah was to befall their descendants, and would, at the right time, unite, so that Bnei Israel would be redeemed in mercy - by the attribute of Avraham, the Attribute of Mercy - and, at the very same time, the Egyptians would be afflicted by the Attribute of Judgement, the attribute of Sarah Imenu.

‘This, in fact, was what happened, as Hashem Himself declared: ‘I am ה׳ אלקים who took you out of Egypt’: by both my Attributes, at the one time.’