Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
In This Week’s Parashah: מָה בַּפָּרָשָׁה
Full Parashah Reading: Bereishit 12:1-17:27
- God commands Avram to go from his home to a land God will show him.
- (When we first meet Avraham and Sarah, their names are Avram and Sarai. God changes both of their names later in this parashah—Avram becomes Avraham, and Sarai becomes Sarah. Below, they will be called Avram and Sarai in all the parts of the story before their names are changed.)
- Avram and Sarai travel to אֶרֶץ כְּנַעָן (Eretz Canaan, the land of Canaan) together with their nephew, Lot.
- Avram and Lot each own large herds of cattle, but their shepherds argue, so Lot decides to move to Sedom, which is a wicked city.
- A group of four kings, on one side, wages war against a group of five kings, on the other side. The four kings conquer Sedom and take Lot captive.
- Avram chases down the four kings, defeats their armies, and rescues Lot.
- God makes a special promise to Avram that he will have children as numerous as the stars in the sky, and they will inherit Eretz Canaan.
- Sarai has her servant, Hagar, marry Avram in order for them to have children together. Hagar and Avram have a son named Yishmael.
- God changes Avram’s name to Avraham, and gives him the mitzvah of בְּרִית מִילָה (brit milah, circumcision).
- God changes Sarai’s name to Sarah, and says the בְּרִית (brit, covenant) will continue through her own son.
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