It is written: “The Lord said afterwards unto Abram: Get thee out of thy country, etc.” Rabbi Abba opened one of his discourses in the following manner: It is written: “Hearken unto Me, ye stout-hearted, that are far from righteousness.” By the words “stout-hearted,” Scripture designates the guilty, whose hearts are greatly hardened; for they behold the paths and ways of the esoteric doctrine, and yet will not examine them. Their hearts are also hardened because they will not repent before their Master. Scripture adds: “... Ye that are far from righteousness,” which means: far from the esoteric doctrine. Rabbi Hizqiya said: By the words “... Ye that are far from righteousness,” Scripture designates the Holy One, blessed be He; for it is because they are far from the Holy One, blessed be He, that their hearts are hardened. And because they are far from righteousness, they are likewise far from peace, as it is written: “There is no peace for the wicked, saith the Lord.” And why have they no peace?—Because they are far from righteousness. Observe that Abraham desired to draw near to the Holy One, blessed be He; and he did indeed draw near to Him, as it is written: “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.” Thus, because Abraham loved righteousness and hated iniquity, he drew near to Him Who is called “Righteousness.” Therefore Scripture says: “Thou, seed of Abraham, My friend...” Why did God call him “My friend”? Because of the words of the Psalm cited above: “Thou hast loved righteousness.” Hence it is that the Holy One, blessed be He, loved Abraham more than all the other men of his generation, whose hearts were hardened and who were far from righteousness, as we have just said.
Rabbi Yossé opened one of his discourses in the following manner: It is written: “How lovely are Thy tabernacles, O God of hosts!” How great is the duty laid upon men to contemplate the works of the Holy One, blessed be He! For men neither know nor seek to know upon what the world is founded, nor even what serves as their own support. They know not that, when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He made the heavens of mingled fire and water; thus the heavens did not yet form solid bodies. It was only afterwards that the celestial Spirit made them solid. Thus the heavens and the worlds exist only by virtue of the celestial Spirit, which gives them substance; remove the celestial Spirit, and the whole world would be shaken and crumble into atoms, as it is written: “He shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.” Thus all things in the world are founded only upon esoteric doctrine; and so long as Israel devotes itself to the study of the doctrine, the world is stable and its pillars remain unshaken. Observe that at midnight, when the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden to delight the Just, all the trees of the Garden of Eden intone hymns and sing the glory of God, as it is written: “Then shall the trees of the forest sing praises unto the Lord in His presence, because He is come to judge the earth.” Then a mighty voice resounds and utters sacred and sublime words. “He that hath ears…
Let him hear; let him who hath eyes see; and let him who hath understanding comprehend the things which the Spirit of spirits maketh known at this hour, when He raiseth the souls unto Himself.” Then this mighty voice resounded and made known the following mystery to the four corners of the world:
One ascendeth on high, on one side.
One descendeth below, on the same side.
One entereth between the two.
Two beget a third.
Three enter into one.
One sendeth forth many rays of colour.
Six of these colours are on one side, and six others descend on the other side.
Six enter into twelve.
Twelve produce twenty-two.
Six are comprised in ten.
Ten are comprised in one.
One ascendeth on high, on one side.
One descendeth below, on the same side.
One entereth between the two.
Two beget a third.
Three enter into one.
One sendeth forth many rays of colour.
Six of these colours are on one side, and six others descend on the other side.
Six enter into twelve.
Twelve produce twenty-two.
Six are comprised in ten.
Ten are comprised in one.
Woe to those who slumber and know not, nor wish to know, what shall befall them on the day when the Supreme Judge shall call them to account for their deeds. When the body is defiled, the soul that issues forth from it hovers in the pure air of the higher regions; it ascends and descends; and the celestial gates open not before it; it is constantly shaken like the stone of a sling. Woe to these men; for they shall not enjoy the delights which are the reward of the Just in that place. Their souls shall be entrusted to the angel Douma; they shall descend into Hell and shall never come forth from it; it is of them that Scripture hath said: “As a cloud vanisheth and passeth away without leaving a trace, so he that goeth down to Sheol (Hell) shall come up no more.” — At the moment when the celestial voice maketh these words resound, a flame issuing from the north spreads in the four directions; it descendeth also below and entereth between the wings of the cock; and this is what causeth him to crow at midnight. None riseth, save the blessed who love truth; these rise and devote themselves to the study of esoteric doctrine. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the Just who are with Him in the Garden of Eden, hearken to the voice of these blessed ones, as it is written: “O thou that dwellest in the Gardens, the companions are attentive to hear Thy voice; let me hear it, therefore.”
It is written: “... And the Lord said unto Abram: Get thee out of thy country, etc.” The preceding chapter ends with the words: “... And Haran died in the lifetime of his father Terah.” To what end does Scripture teach us this? It is to indicate to us that until that day no man had died during the lifetime of his father, except Haran, who died before his father. When Abraham was cast into the furnace of Chaldea, Haran perished therein. Therefore God told Abraham to leave his country with all his family. Observe the manner in which Scripture expresses itself: “Terah took Abram his son, Lot his grandson, the son of Haran, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son; and these went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldeans.” Why does Scripture say, “... And these went forth with them,” whereas it ought to have said, “... And these went forth with him,” seeing that it was Terah who had brought them with him? The truth is that Terah and Lot went forth with Abraham and Sarah; for the latter were the principal persons whom God desired to rescue from the company of the guilty. As soon as Terah saw that Abraham, his son, had been saved from the furnace into which he had been cast, he converted and entered upon Abraham’s path. By saying, “... And these went forth with them,” Scripture makes us understand that Terah and Lot were converted by the example of Abraham and Sarah. And what does Scripture say after their departure from Chaldea? Scripture says: “... To go into the land of Canaan,” which means that, since their intention was to go to Canaan, they were deemed already to be there. From this we infer that whoever resolves to amend his conduct is aided therein by Heaven. Observe that this is indeed so; for it is only after Scripture has told us that Abraham and his household resolved to leave their country and go to Canaan that it informs us that God said to Abraham: “Get thee out of thy country...” But it did not inform us of this command of God until after the resolution of Terah and his family. Observe that nothing is done above without that
the impulse be given below. The reason for this phenomenon lies in the mystery of the various colours of the flame of which we have spoken; for the union of the black flame with the white flame to take place, it is necessary that the black flame, which is the lower one, should begin to rise; only then does the white flame appear above it. This is why Scripture says: “O Elohim! be not silent. O God! restrain the effects of Thy might no longer.” Scripture means that Elohim is entreated not to restrain the rays of the white flame which reach the world. And elsewhere it is written: “They shall never be silent, neither by day nor by night. All ye that remember the Lord, be not silent, neither keep silence before Him, until He establish Jerusalem, and make it the praise of the whole earth.” It follows, therefore, from these words that, in order to bring about the actions of above, one must begin with a movement below. Likewise, the Prophets who desire to draw down upon themselves the celestial Spirit are obliged, in order to succeed, first to prepare themselves and give free rein to their imagination.
Note that it is only after Scripture has taught us that Tharé and all his household departed from Ur of the Chaldeans that it adds the command God gave to Abraham to leave his country; an order apparently incorrect, since Scripture should first have begun by teaching us of the command given to Abraham to leave his country, and should afterwards have made known to us that he actually left his country with Tharé and all his household. What, then, is the reason that Scripture has reversed the order of events? Rabbi Éléazar said: By the words, “Go forth from thy country (lekh lekha),” God meant to say to Abraham: The command I gave Thee to leave thy country was for thine own good, so that Thou mightest improve, so that Thy condition might be improved; go forth, then, from Thy country, for thy salvation requires that thou abide not among those guilty ones. The mystery contained in the words, “Go forth from thy country (lekh lekha),” is as follows:
The Holy One, blessed be He, had endowed Abraham with a spirit of wisdom. Using this spirit, Abraham came to know the celestial chiefs who govern the various parts of the inhabited world, parts situated under different climates; but when he came to study the centre of the inhabited world, he was unable to discover who was the chief that governed it. Pursuing his studies further, he discovered that the centre of the inhabited world, that is, Palestine, was the point from which the creation of the whole earth began. He deduced from this that, just as the centre of the earth is the point that gave birth to the development of all the rest of the world, so the chief who governs it must rule over all the other celestial powers. Therefore Scripture says: “These went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan.” Abraham thus wished to behold the centre of the earth at close quarters. When he arrived at Haran, Abraham began to study the reasons for the superiority of the centre of the earth over the rest of the world; for, as he approached Palestine, Abraham had experienced its beneficent influence. Unable to attain this, Abraham began to calculate and make very profound combinations concerning the celestial chiefs who govern the various parts of the world; and, by means of his knowledge of the course and influence of the stars and all the celestial bodies, he came to know the importance, greatness, and influence of each of the celestial bodies; he also succeeded, through his knowledge, in understanding the hierarchy of the various celestial powers that govern the innumerable worlds. But all his efforts proved vain whenever he applied himself to penetrating the essence and importance of the supreme Power on which all the others depend. Seeing all the efforts Abraham was making in his desire to learn, the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to him and said: “Lekh lekha,” which means: return into thyself, know thyself, and strive to improve thyself; but “go forth from thy country,” that is to say: abandon these studies concerning the moral influences of countries; “and go forth from thy kindred,” which means: reject that science which consists in predicting the future of men by the constellation, and which maintains that the day, hour, and minute of each person’s birth
He writes: “Man, exercise influence over thy future”; “and go forth from thy father’s house,” that is to say: imitate not the conduct thou mayest have observed in thy father’s house. God likewise meant, by the words “and from thy father’s house”: abandon that deceitful science and put no more faith in it. Observe that this verse can indeed be interpreted in no other way than that which we have just set forth. For, since Abraham and all his family had already departed from the city of Ur in Chaldea, how could God have said to Abraham: “Go forth from thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house,” when Abraham was no longer in his country in Chaldea, but in Haran, in Mesopotamia? Therefore, the verse aforesaid admits of no other interpretation than the one we have just given. Scripture adds: “... And come into the land that I will show thee.” By the word “that I will show thee (arekha),” God indicated to Abraham that henceforth he should concern himself only with that which God would show him; but that he should no longer seek to fathom the essence of the supreme Power that governs this land; for this Power, being beyond human understanding, remains veiled.
It is written: “I will make of thee a great nation; I will bless thee; I will make thy name renowned; and Thou shalt be blessed.” These four divine promises correspond to the four commands that God gave unto Abraham. “I will make of Thee a great nation” corresponds to the command “Go forth” (lekh lekha). “I will bless Thee” corresponds to the command “Get thee out of thy country.” “I will make Thy name renowned” corresponds to the command “and from thy kindred.” “And Thou shalt be blessed” corresponds to the command “and from thy father’s house.” Rabbi Siméon saith: The four divine promises correspond to the four feet of the celestial throne: “I will make of Thee a great nation” corresponds to the right side. “I will bless Thee” corresponds to the left side. “I will make Thy name renowned” corresponds to the Middle Column. “And Thou shalt be blessed” corresponds to the side of the land of Israel. Thus God showed Abraham that all four feet of the celestial throne would be contained in him. But at the same time He showed him that all the other peoples of the earth would draw their spiritual sustenance from this event. Therefore it is written: “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse Thee; and all the peoples of the earth shall be blessed in Thee.” Rabbi Éléazar was one day sitting at the feet of Rabbi Siméon, his father. Rabbi Yehouda, Rabbi Isaac, and Rabbi Hizqiyay were also present. Rabbi Éléazar then said unto Rabbi Siméon, his father: Why doth Scripture say: “And God said unto Abraham: Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred,” when it ought to have said: “Get ye out of your country, etc.,” in the plural, since the other members of Abraham’s family left their country at the same time as he? For although Tharé was an idolater, God could nevertheless have given him the command at the same time as Abraham, seeing that he had repented. And we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, accepteth the repentance of the guilty. Now it is certain that Tharé had repented, since he was already preparing to leave his country before God had even given this command unto Abraham. Why, then, did God address this command exclusively to Abraham? Rabbi Siméon answered him: If thou thinkest that Tharé left the city of Ur in Chaldea as a penitent, thou art in error. If Tharé left his country, it was because all his fellow countrymen wished to kill him. When they saw Abraham miraculously escape from the fire of the furnace into which they had cast him for refusing to worship the idols, they became convinced of the powerlessness of their idols. Therefore they accused Tharé of having led them astray by making them believe in the divinity of those idols. It was thus to escape persecution by his fellow countrymen that Tharé left his country. Accordingly, as soon as he arrived in Haran, he settled there and left that city no more; for Scripture saith further on: “Abram went forth from Haran, as the Lord had commanded him; and Lot went with him.” But Tharé is no longer mentioned.
Rabbi Simeon then began to speak as follows:
The words: “... He ariseth in a strange land, and no man sustaineth him; his strength shall be taken away, and shall rise no more” (Job, viii, 21), refer to Nimrod and his contemporaries, from whom Abraham, who was the light of the world, was taken away. The words: “... And their uplifted arm shall be broken” refer to Nimrod. According to another interpretation, the words: “The light of the wicked shall be taken away from them” refer to Thare and his family, whose light was Abraham; therefore Scripture does not say: “The light shall be taken away from the wicked,” but says: “their light” (oram), because this light was indeed theirs. And the words: “... And their uplifted arm shall be broken” refer to Nimrod, who subdued all his contemporaries. Therefore Scripture says: “Lekh lekha,” which means: Go forth for your own salvation, so that the heavenly light may shine upon Thee and thy descendants.
The words: “... He ariseth in a strange land, and no man sustaineth him; his strength shall be taken away, and shall rise no more” (Job, viii, 21), refer to Nimrod and his contemporaries, from whom Abraham, who was the light of the world, was taken away. The words: “... And their uplifted arm shall be broken” refer to Nimrod. According to another interpretation, the words: “The light of the wicked shall be taken away from them” refer to Thare and his family, whose light was Abraham; therefore Scripture does not say: “The light shall be taken away from the wicked,” but says: “their light” (oram), because this light was indeed theirs. And the words: “... And their uplifted arm shall be broken” refer to Nimrod, who subdued all his contemporaries. Therefore Scripture says: “Lekh lekha,” which means: Go forth for your own salvation, so that the heavenly light may shine upon Thee and thy descendants.
Rabbi Simeon also began to speak as follows: It is written: “... But now they see not the light; the air suddenly thickens into clouds; and a passing wind shall scatter them.” These words portray the successive stages of Abraham’s separation from his family. “... But now they see the light no more.” When do they see the light no more?—From the moment when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: “Go forth from thy country, from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house.” The words: “... The air suddenly thickens into clouds” signify that the Holy One, blessed be He, by commanding Abraham to leave his country, wished to bind him to the light of the supernal regions. Finally, the words: “... And a passing wind shall scatter them” signify that Thare himself at last became converted, together with all the members of his family. How do we know that the family of Thare had become converted? From what Scripture says: “... With all the souls they had made in Haran,” that is, whom they had converted. Whence do we know that Thare himself had become converted?—From what Scripture says: “As for thee, thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; and thou shalt be buried in a good old age.”
It is written: “And Abram went (va-Ielekh), as the Lord had commanded him.” Rabbi Eleazar said: Observe that Scripture does not say, “And Abram went forth, as the Lord had commanded him.” But it says, “And Abram went,” just as in the command of God it is said, “Go” (lekh lekha); but it does not say, “Go forth”; for he had already departed from the land before God’s command, as it is written: “... And these went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan.” Therefore Scripture says, “And Abram went,” and not, “And Abram went forth.” The words, “... As the Lord had spoken unto him,” mean that Abraham had faith in all the promises God had given him. Scripture adds: “... And Lot went with him.” Lot attached himself to Abraham, desiring to take inspiration from his good conduct; but, despite this, he did not learn much from Abraham.
Rabbi Eleazar further said: Happy is the lot of the righteous, who strive to know the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, that they may walk in His ways and learn to tremble before the Supreme Day, when man shall have to give an account of his conduct to the Holy One, blessed be He. Rabbi Eleazar then resumed his discourse and spoke as follows: It is written: “He causeth every man to sign with his own hand, that each may know his deeds.” This verse has already been interpreted. But here is its spiritual meaning:
Observe that on the day which marks the end of a man’s life, when the body is about to be broken and the soul ready to leave it, man is granted to see things which he was not permitted to see while the body was sound. At the hour of death, man sees three heavenly messengers descend, who begin to count the days he has lived, the sins he has committed, and all the works he has performed during his passage through this lower world. The dying man confesses, moving his lips, all the deeds recounted by the heavenly messengers; and thereafter he signs this record with his own hand. Such is the meaning of the words of Scripture: “He causeth every man to sign with his own hand.” Man is made to sign with his own…
Observe that on the day which marks the end of a man’s life, when the body is about to be broken and the soul ready to leave it, man is granted to see things which he was not permitted to see while the body was sound. At the hour of death, man sees three heavenly messengers descend, who begin to count the days he has lived, the sins he has committed, and all the works he has performed during his passage through this lower world. The dying man confesses, moving his lips, all the deeds recounted by the heavenly messengers; and thereafter he signs this record with his own hand. Such is the meaning of the words of Scripture: “He causeth every man to sign with his own hand.” Man is made to sign with his own…
with his own hand, so that he may be judged in the world to come for all his deeds, those performed in youth as well as those committed in old age, both for recent sins and for former ones, so that no deed of his life may remain forgotten. Therefore Scripture adds: “… That each man may know his deeds.” Since all the deeds were performed while body and spirit were together, man must likewise give account of them while the spirit is still bound to the body, and before it leaves this world. Observe how obstinate the guilty are; for they persist in their obstinacy even at the hour when they must leave this world. Happy, therefore, is the lot of the man who strives to know the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, that he may walk therein during his passage through this lower world! Since the guilty are wont to persist in their obstinacy, despite the good examples set them by the righteous, it is the duty of the latter to strive to convert the former; and even when the guilty persist in their obstinacy, the righteous must not abandon them; they must not grow weary, nor be discouraged by the failure of their attempts to convert the guilty; but they must continually renew their efforts; for if they abandon them to their fate, they will in the end destroy the world. Observe that we infer this precept from what happened when Elisha cast out Giezi. The same was true of Lot; as long as Abraham received him into his company, he had not attached himself to his wicked contemporaries. But as soon as Abraham had parted from him, Scripture says of him: “… And he chose his dwelling-place toward the Jordan”; and a little farther on: “… And he dwelt in Sodom”; and thereafter Scripture says: “… And the inhabitants of Sodom were before the Lord men given over to every vice; and their corruption had reached its height.”
Rabbi Abba said to Rabbi Éléazar: The explanation thou hast just given of the words, “And Abram went,” instead of, “And Abram went forth from his country,” is very just. But how dost thou explain the words at the end of the same verse: “Abram was threescore and fifteen years old when he went forth from Haran”? Rabbi Éléazar answered him: In this verse, Scripture speaks of Abraham’s departure from Haran; whereas, in saying that Abraham’s departure took place long before his departure for Chanaan, I mean his departure from his native city, which was Ur in Chaldea.
It is written: “And Abram took Sarai his wife.” Why does Scripture use the word “took,” instead of saying “brought”? Scripture means that Abraham won his wife over by good words to follow him; for it is not permitted to a man to bring his wife into a foreign country without her consent. For by the word “take,” Scripture means winning someone over by persuasion, as it is written: “Take Aaron”; and elsewhere it is written: “Take the Levites.” Therefore Scripture says: “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot, his brother’s son,” which means: he won them over to his cause, which was that of departure, by showing them the wickedness of the people among whom they dwelt. For what reason did Abraham take Lot with him? Because, through the Holy Spirit, he had foreseen that David would come forth from the stock of Lot. Scripture adds: “… And all the souls that they had made in Haran.” By these words, Scripture designates the men and women who were converted; this is what Scripture means by the words: “… And the souls that they had made in Haran.” For Abraham had devoted himself in Haran to converting men, and Sara, for her part, had devoted herself to converting women; and since they had saved the souls of those whom they had converted, Scripture ascribes to them as much merit as if they had made them.
Rabbi Abba asked: If this be so, the number of men who followed Abraham and Sarah must have been very great, seeing that they converted many people? Rabbi Éléazar answered him: Indeed, it was so; and all the men who
Those who had followed Abraham are called “the people of the God of Abraham.” And it was because Abraham was accompanied by so great a number of men that he was able to travel through the land without fear, as it is written: “And Abram passed through the land.”
Rabbi Abba objected to Rabbi Éléazar: Had Scripture said, “... And the souls which they made in Haran,” thy interpretation would be admissible; but it says, “... And with the souls” (ve-eth hanephesch). Scripture therefore means, in my opinion, that Abraham’s merit was increased by that of the men whom he had converted in Haran; for whoever brings some wanderer back to the right path also shares in the merits of the one he has converted. Thus, to Abraham’s own merits was added the merit of all the men he had converted.
Those who had followed Abraham are called “the people of the God of Abraham.” And it was because Abraham was accompanied by so great a number of men that he was able to travel through the land without fear, as it is written: “And Abram passed through the land.”
Rabbi Abba objected to Rabbi Éléazar: Had Scripture said, “... And the souls which they made in Haran,” thy interpretation would be admissible; but it says, “... And with the souls” (ve-eth hanephesch). Scripture therefore means, in my opinion, that Abraham’s merit was increased by that of the men whom he had converted in Haran; for whoever brings some wanderer back to the right path also shares in the merits of the one he has converted. Thus, to Abraham’s own merits was added the merit of all the men he had converted.
It is written: “Go forth (lekh lekha).” Rabbi Siméon asked: For what reason did the Holy One, blessed be He, when revealing Himself to Abraham for the first time, say to him, “Lekh lekha,” before addressing any other word to him? But this has already been explained in this way: The words “lekh lekha” represent the numerical value of one hundred; God thus indicated to Abraham, by means of this allusion, that he would have a son at the age of one hundred. But observe that these words of Scripture have yet another meaning. Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, does on earth is prompted by a supreme mystery. Since Abraham was not properly attached to the Holy One, blessed be He, He said to him: “Go forth (lekh lekha).” These words allude to that ladder of holiness by which man may attach himself to the Holy One, blessed be He; it is the supreme ladder by which to attain the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore God said to Abraham: “Go forth (lekh lekha),” because Abraham could not attain this ladder before his arrival in the land of Chanaan.
Likewise, we find the following words concerning David: “After this, David inquired of the Lord, saying: Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto Him: Go up. And David said: Whither shall I go up? And He said: Unto Hebron.” One may ask: Since Saul was dead and the kingdom rightfully belonged to David, why was He not immediately invested with it? The truth is that these words conceal a supreme mystery. David was not worthy of the kingdom before his union with the patriarchs who are buried at Hebron; for it was solely by their merit that He deserved the kingdom. Therefore he had to remain seven years at Hebron, in order thus to prepare Himself for the kingdom. Likewise, Abraham could not enter into the Covenant of the Holy One, blessed be He, until he had entered the land of Chanaan.
Mark the expression of Scripture: “And Abram passed through the land.” Why does Scripture say “passed through the land,” instead of saying “walked in the land”? Scripture wishes to indicate to us the mystery of the Holy Name by which the world was cemented, a Holy Name composed of seventy-two engraved letters and which is the synthesis of all the Holy Names. That Scripture alludes to this Holy Name is proved by a similarity of expression: here Scripture uses the term “passed through” (va-ïaabor), and elsewhere Scripture says: “And the Lord passed (va-ïaabor) before Moses, and said unto him...” Now, it is in this latter verse that the Holy Name of seventy-two letters is indicated.
In a book of Rabbi Yessa the Elder is found the following passage: Here Scripture uses the word “va-ïaabor,” as it is written: “And Abram passed through (va-ïaabor) the land”; and elsewhere it is written: “I will show you all manner of good things.” Scripture teaches us, by this similarity of words, that the holiness of Palestine emanates from the holiness above. Scripture adds: “... as far as the place called Sichem, and as far as the illustrious valley.” Scripture indicates to us that, by entering the Holy Land, Abraham separated himself from one side, that is, from the impure side, in order to unite himself with the other side, that is, with the pure side. Finally, Scripture adds: “And Chanaan then occupied that land.” This verse corroborates what we have already said above. Until that time, it was the evil serpent that had been cursed and that brought the curse into the world, as it is written: “Cursed be Chanaan; he shall be unto his brethren a servant of servants.”
And elsewhere it is written: “Cursed art thou above all the animals and all the beasts of the earth.” It was at the time when the world was under the dominion of the evil serpent that Abraham drew near to the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore Scripture says thereafter: “And the Lord appeared unto Abram.” This was the first time that the dominion of God manifested itself before Abraham’s eyes; for, until that hour, the supreme Power had not been revealed upon the earth. Therefore Scripture uses the term: “And the Lord appeared,” which indicates that He had been hidden until that moment. For the same reason Scripture adds: “Abram built there an altar unto the Lord.” Since Scripture says “unto the Lord,” why does it need to add: “... Who had appeared unto him”? Scripture wishes to tell us that Abraham built an altar unto the Lord, Who appeared to him for the first time; He Who rules over the earth revealed Himself to him and was made known to him.
He wrote: “And he passed from thence unto a mountain (ha-harah).” Scripture employs the word “ha-harah,” which also signifies the mountain of the Hé, in order to show us that Abraham had already foreseen, at that hour, the mountain of the Hé, as well as all the ladders that depend upon it. Scripture adds: “And he pitched his tent (oholoh), having Beth-El on the west and Ai on the east.” Scripture adds a Hé to the word “oholoh,” although, grammatically, the letter Hé is superfluous, in order to show us that Abraham pitched a tent at the Hé, and accepted the kingdom of heaven and all the degrees attached thereto. As soon as Abraham knew that it was the Holy One, blessed be He, Who reigned over the whole world, he erected an altar. But in truth Abraham erected two altars. As soon as he perceived the revelation of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who deigned at that moment to manifest Himself upon the earth, Abraham erected the first altar; and when he was shown the “Supreme Wisdom,” which he had not known before, he erected the second altar. Thus he erected two altars, one in honor of the celestial degree already known to him, and the other in honor of the degree that was still hidden from him.
See that it is indeed so; for, concerning the first altar, Scripture uses the words: “And he built an altar in that land unto the Lord, Who had appeared unto him,” whereas, concerning the second altar, Scripture says simply: “And he built an altar unto the Lord in that land.” But it does not add: “… Who had appeared unto him,” because the second altar was built in honour of Wisdom. Abraham thus ascended from one rung to another until he came to the one appointed for him, as it is written: “Abraham went onward, journeying ever and advancing toward the south.” By the word “south,” Scripture designates the last rung that Abraham was to reach; and by the words “journeying ever,” Scripture makes known to us that Abraham advanced from one rung to another until he came to the one destined for him. As soon as Abraham had reached the Holy Land, where he arrived at the highest degree of Holiness, Scripture says: “And there was a famine in that land.” Scripture means thereby that the men of that land had been unable to draw near to the Holy One, blessed be He. It is written: “And a famine had come upon that land.” The celestial Power that bestowed upon that land—that is, Palestine—the power of nourishment had not yet descended; for this land was not yet sanctified, having not yet entered into the covenant. As soon as Abraham perceived that the Power ruling over that land did not yet grant it sufficient sacred aid and support, he departed for Egypt, as it is written: “Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there.” How did Abraham know this? He knew it from the words of God: “I will give this land to thy seed.” It was these words that made Abraham understand that this land would be filled with celestial favours only through the merit and holiness of Abraham’s seed. Abraham therefore understood that Palestine had not yet been favoured.