(א) וַיְהִ֤י רָעָב֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ מִלְּבַד֙ הָרָעָ֣ב הָרִאשׁ֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָיָ֖ה בִּימֵ֣י אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיֵּ֧לֶךְ יִצְחָ֛ק אֶל־אֲבִימֶּ֥לֶךְ מֶֽלֶךְ־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים גְּרָֽרָה׃ (ב) וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ ה' וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אַל־תֵּרֵ֣ד מִצְרָ֑יְמָה שְׁכֹ֣ן בָּאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֖ר אֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ׃ (ג) גּ֚וּר בָּאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את וְאֶֽהְיֶ֥ה עִמְּךָ֖ וַאֲבָרְכֶ֑ךָּ כִּֽי־לְךָ֣ וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֗ אֶתֵּן֙ אֶת־כָּל־הָֽאֲרָצֹ֣ת הָאֵ֔ל וַהֲקִֽמֹתִי֙ אֶת־הַשְּׁבֻעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖עְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם אָבִֽיךָ׃ (ד) וְהִרְבֵּיתִ֤י אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֙ כְּכוֹכְבֵ֣י הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְנָתַתִּ֣י לְזַרְעֲךָ֔ אֵ֥ת כָּל־הָאֲרָצֹ֖ת הָאֵ֑ל וְהִתְבָּרֲכ֣וּ בְזַרְעֲךָ֔ כֹּ֖ל גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ה) עֵ֕קֶב אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֥ע אַבְרָהָ֖ם בְּקֹלִ֑י וַיִּשְׁמֹר֙ מִשְׁמַרְתִּ֔י מִצְוֺתַ֖י חֻקּוֹתַ֥י וְתוֹרֹתָֽי׃ (ו) וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב יִצְחָ֖ק בִּגְרָֽר׃
(1) There was a famine in the land—aside from the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham—and Isaac went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines, in Gerar. (2) The LORD had appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land which I point out to you. (3) Reside in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; I will assign all these lands to you and to your heirs, fulfilling the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. (4) I will make your heirs as numerous as the stars of heaven, and assign to your heirs all these lands, so that all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your heirs— (5) inasmuch as Abraham
heard My voice;
and guarded/kept/observe My position/charge;
My mitzvot; [commandments]
My chukim [statutes]
and My Torot. [laws]
(6) So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
~ Define for yourself, before we go on with the study, each of those FIVE aspects of Avraham's life. What do those words mean?
~ Do you think that the patriarchs observed all of Torah? Why or why not?
וישמר משמרתי AND KEPT MY CHARGE — This refers to precautionary measures which are intended to make us avoid the infringement of Biblical prohibitions: such are the Rabbinical inhibition of marriage between relatives in the second degree and the Rabbinical regulations regarding not doing certain acts on the Sabbath (Yevamot 21a).
מצותי. דְּבָרִים שֶׁאִלּוּ לֹא נִכְתְּבוּ רְאוּיִן הֵם לְהִצְטַוּוֹת, כְּגוֹן גֶּזֶל וּשְׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים:
מצותי MY COMMANDMENTS — those matters which, had they not been written in the Torah, would still be appropriate to be commanded, such as robbery and murder (cf. Yoma 67b).
חקותי MY ORDINANCES — matters which our evil inclination and the heathen nations argue against the necessity of prohibiting, such as the eating of swine’s flesh and the wearing of garments made of a mixture of wool and linen — things for which there are no apparent reasons but which are the King’s decrees and enactments imposed on His subjects (see Yoma 67b).
The classical Torah commentators take three basic approaches:
1. Word match - each of those terms might be found in Avraham's life from Lech Lecha to Chayey Sarah, in a discrete event.
2. Concept match - each of those words point out not to a discrete event, but to a general concept used in Tanach. From there the commentator looks back to Avraham's life and finds events that match that concept.
3. Generalization - No specific act or discrete event is intended, rather once the definition is reached we understand that to be a general description of Avraham's life.
(1) BECAUSE AVRAHAM HEARD MY VOICE. Regarding the Akeidah, as it is written (22:18), "Because you heard my voice."
(4) MY LAWS AND MY TEACHINGS. According to the basic plain meaning, the logical laws, such as theft, sexual sins, coveting, civil laws, and hospitality, all of which were practiced before the Giving of the Torah, but were renewed and explained to Israel, and they made a covenant to affirm them.
~ The Rashbam was really trying for approach number 1. Which approach does he take for the last two?
~ Does the Rashbam see Avraham as observing all the mitzvot? How?
עקב אשר שמע אברהם בקולי, “as a consequence of Avraham having listened to My voice;” a reference to the binding of Yitzchak. The same formulation occurs also in Genesis 22:18: עקב אשר שמעת בקולי, “as a consequence of your having listened to My voice.”
וישמור משמרתי, “he observed My charge;” this is a reference to the commandment of circumcising himself which he immediately accepted as recorded in Genesis 7:10 - 'זאת בריתי אשר תשמרו וגו, “this is My covenant that you are to observe;”
מצותי, “My commandments;” a reference to circumcision to be performed on the eighth day after the baby’s birth, as is recorded: וימל אברהם את יצחק בנו בן שמונת ימים כאשר צוה אותו אלוקים, “Avraham circumcised his son Yitzchok on the eighth day as God had commanded him.”
חקותי, “My statutes,” a reference to his commanding his children to continue the tradition he had commenced of circumcising himself, as is recorded: והיתה בריתי בבשרכם לברית עולם, ”My covenant shall be on your flesh as an eternal covenant.” (17:13) Also compare Psalms 105:10 - ויעמידיה ליעקב לחוק, “He confirmed it in a decree for Yaakov.”
ותורותי, “and My teachings;” this is a reference to [the beginning of chapter 12] "go to a land that I will show him." As proof for this is [Psalms 32:8]: אשכילך ואורך בדרך זו, “Let me enlighten you and show you which way to go.” Whenever the word תורה occurs, it refers to enlightening. And according to the simple meaning, "My mitzvot and My statutes" refers to the 7 universal laws that apply to all of mankind.
~ Does the Chizkuni accept the idea that Avraham observed all the mitzvot?
וישמור משמרתי. שם כלל כל מה שהוא חייב לשמור ממצות וחוקים ותורות ויתכן המצות לך לך גם קח נא את בנך
And kept my positions - this includes all the commands, statutes and laws that he himself was obligated to keep, and it makes sense that those are the mitzvot of "go" and also "get your son".
והחוקים. הם חוקות השם שילך האדם אחרי מעשיו כאשר אפרש בפ' שעטנז. ואלה החוקות נטועות בלב. והתורה שמל עצמו ובניו ועבדיו. ובפסוק התורה והמצוה אבארם היטב
And the statutes - these are the statues of the Holy One that a person should walk after God's deeds, as I will explain in the portion dealing with shaatnez. And these are the statutes planted in one's heart. "And the Torah" means that he had circumcised himself, and his sons and his servants. And I will explain this clearer when I write about the verse "and the Torah and the Mitzvah."
ויאמר. ... ופי' התורה. תורה שבכתב. והמצוה. תורה שבע''פ כי כל המצות ניתנו למשה בסיני בימים שעמד בהר. ...
And the explanation for "the Torah" - the written Torah. "And the Mitzvah" - the oral Torah, since all the mitzvot were given to Moshe on Sinai on the days he stood on the mountain. ...
~ Does Ibn Ezra believe that Avraham kept all the 613 mitzvot of the Torah?
עקב אשר שמע אברהם, "as a consequence of your having listened to My voice" - the reason why I have given him the land is because he heeded my voice even to the extent of offering his only son.
מצותי חקותי ותורותי, כלל לכל מצות השכל המפורסמות ושאינן מפורסמות. גם יש בשבע מצות שנצטוו ב"נ שאין טעמם נגלה אלא לחכמים והם הרבעת בהמה והרכבת אילן ואבמה"ח לפיכך אמר חקתי; ואמר מצותי כלל לכל מצות השכל בין בלב בין ביד בין בפה מ"ע ולא תעשה. ויש דרש (ב"ר ס"ד) כי בן שלש שנים הכיר אברהם את בוראו כמנין עק"ב וימיו היו קע"ה, הנה כל ימיו חוץ משלש שנים היה שומר את המצות. ויש דרש אחר כי בן ארבעים שנה הכיר אברהם את בוראו, וזה נראה יותר ואמרו (יומא כ"ח) כי כל התורה קיים אברהם ואפילו עירובי תבשילין, ר"ל זה מפני שאמר משמרתי ועירובי תבשילין הוא משמרת למלאכת יום טוב כן עשה הוא דברים יתרים למשמרת המצות:
"My mitzvot, My statutes and My Torot", that includes all the logical commandments, well-known and not well-known. Even the seven Noachide laws, the reason for which has not ever been revealed but whose rationale is familiar only to the wisest scholars, such as the prohibition of grafting or crossbreeding, eating (amputated) limbs of a living animal - and those are called chukotai חוקותי, “My statutes.” The word mitzvotai מצותי refers to logical commandments whether performed by the mouth, the hands, or the heart, whether positive or negative. And there is an interpretation (Bereshit Rabbah 64) say that Avraham was only 3 years old when he recognized the existence of God and began to worship him, so that the numerical value of the letters in the word עקב=172 would comprise the number of years which Avraham kept mitzvot as his life was 175. Another interpretation places the time when Avraham recognized the existence of God on his fortieth year. (Bereshit Rabbah 30:8) This appears to be more probable. Our sages claim that Avraham observed all the commandments spelled out in the written and the oral Torah including such rabbinic ordinances as Eruv Tavshilim (Yoma 28a). They base this on the word משמרתי, "guarding" and Eruv Tavshilin is a safeguard us against violating Biblical injunctions regarding Yom Tov. What the rabbis meant really was that Avraham invented such safeguards for himself to guard what he was commanded.
~ What mitzvot did Avraham keep, according to David Kimchi?