Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
God promises Avram that his descendants will be like the stars, and that they will live in Eretz Cana’an. But Avram replies to this promise with a question:
וַיֹּאמַר יהוה אֱלֹהִים בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶֽׁנָּה׃
And he said, “God, how will I know that I will possess it?”
What, exactly, is Avram asking for? Here are two opinions on this question. Try to see if you can explain the difference between them!
כִּי אוּלַי יֶחְטְאוּ הַבָּנִים וְלֹא יִזְכּוּ לְיֵרֵשׁ:
Perhaps my descendants will sin and not be worthy to receive this inheritance.
אֵין לוֹמַר שֶׁשָּׁאַל אוֹת לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁכְּבָר הֶאֱמִין… אֶלָּא בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶׁנָּה כְּלוֹמַר יוֹדֵעַ אֲנִי שֶׁאִירָשֶׁנָּה אֶלָּא בַּמָּה אִירָשֶׁנָּה בְּאֵיזֶה זְמַן וּבְאֵיזֶה דּוֹר וּמָתַי יִהְיֶה...
It is not possible to say that he is asking God for a sign [that his children will inherit the land], since he already believed this… Rather, “How will I know that I will possess it?” is as if he is saying: I know that I will inherit the land, but “How will I inherit it”—during which time and in which generation, and when will it be?
According to Sforno, Avram’s question is rooted in doubt about whether his children would deserve what God was promising. He is asking: “How can I be sure that my children will actually deserve to receive these blessings?”
The Bekhor Shor, however, believes that Avram is just asking God for more specific information, saying: “How and when will my children actually inherit the land?”
- In the Talmud (Nedarim 32a), Shmuel says that it was inappropriate for Avram to express doubt about God’s promise. Does either one of the questions presented by Sforno and the Bekhor Shor seem inappropriate to you? What else could Avram have said after God made that promise to him?
- Even though Sforno and Bekhor Shor don’t agree on what Avram is asking, it seems they do agree that he is very concerned about what will happen to his descendants. What do you think that tells us about Avram?
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