Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
Avram is called an עִבְרִי (Ivri, Hebrew) (Bereishit 14:13).
What does Ivri mean?
Here are four ways to understand it. As you read, ask yourself: How do these different aspects of Ivri get passed down from Avram to you?
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ מֵעֵבֶר אֶחָד וְהוּא מֵעֵבֶר אֶחָד.
רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אָמַר שֶׁהוּא מִבְּנֵי בָּנָיו שֶׁל עֵבֶר.
וְרַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי שֶׁהוּא מֵעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר, וְשֶׁהוּא מֵשִׂיחַ בִּלְשׁוֹן עִבְרִי.
R. Yehudah says: The whole world is on one eiver (side), and he is on one eiver (side)
R. Nehemiah said: Because he is one of the descendants of Ever.
The Rabbis say: Because he is from eiver ha-nahar (across the river), and he speaks in the Ivri (Hebrew) language.
R. Yehudah thinks that being an Ivri means being kind of different from the rest of the world. This idea appears in many midrashim - Avram was the first person to realize that there was only one God, and no one else agreed with him.
- Have your beliefs ever set you apart from those around you? How does it feel to have an opinion that no one else agrees with? How might Avram have felt?
- Are there other parts of being Jewish that put you on a different side of things than other people?
R. Nehemiah says Avram is an Ivri because his ancestor was named Ever (see Bereishit 11).
- How is your family story part of your Jewish story? How does your family impact Judaism for you?
The Rabbis connect Ivri to two of the things that Avram does: crossing the great river Euphrates (see Yehoshua 24:3), and speaking Hebrew (which we now call Ivrit!).
- What about being Jewish is like going on a journey to a new place? How is it like taking risks or going on an adventure?
- Why is language so important to being Jewish?
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