Tuesday Night Gemara - Avraham, and the 2000 Years Of Torah

Rather, the two-thousand-year time period of the Torah is counted from the time when it is stated about Abraham and Sarah: “And the souls that they had gotten in Haran” (Genesis 12:5), which is interpreted by the Sages as referring to the men and women who were brought closer to the Torah by Abraham and Sarah. Therefore, it was at this point that the Torah began to spread throughout the world. And it is learned as a tradition that at that time Abraham was fifty-two years old.

Some time later, the word of יהוה came to Abram in a vision:
“Fear not, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”

And Rava bar Meḥasseya said that Rav Ḥama bar Gurya said that Rav said: A person should never distinguish one of his sons from among the other sons by giving him preferential treatment. As, due to the weight of two sela of fine wool [meilat] that Jacob gave to Joseph, beyond what he gave the rest of his sons, in making him the striped coat, his brothers became jealous of him and the matter unfolded and our forefathers descended to Egypt.

Even though at any rate it was decreed (that the children of Israel would go down to Egypt) as it says (Berieshit 15-in the covenant with Avraham) "and they will enslave them and oppress them" perhaps such great oppression was not decreed upon them. Rather the fact that the 4oo years began 3o years before Yitzchak was born demonstrates (that the length and harshness of the decree was not preordained)

The length of time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years;

שלשים שנה וארבע מאות שנה FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS — Altogether from the birth of Isaac until now were 400 years, and we must reckon from that event, for only from the time when Abraham had offspring from Sarah could the prophecy (Genesis 15:13) “Thy offspring shall be a stranger” be fulfilled; and there had been 30 years since that decree made at “the convenant between the parts” until the birth of Isaac. It is impossible to say that this means that they were 430 years in the land of Egypt alone, for Kohath was one of those who came into Egypt with Jacob (Genesis 46:11); go and reckon all his years and all the years of Amram his son and the whole eighty years of Moses, the latter’s son, until the Exodus and you will not find that they total to so many; and you must admit that Kohath had already lived many years before he went down to Egypt, and that many of Amram’s years are included in the years of his father Kohath, and that many of the 80 years of Moses are included in the years of his father Amram, so that you see that you will not find 400 years from the time of Israel’s coming into Egypt until the Exodus. You are compelled to admit, even though unwillingly, that the other settlements which the patriarchs made in lands other than Egypt come also under the name of “sojourning as a stranger” (גרות), including also that at Hebron, even though it was in Canaan itself, because it is said, (Genesis 35:27) “[Hebron] where Abraham and Isaac sojourned”, and it says, (Exodus 6:4) “[the land Canaan], the land of their sojournings wherein they sojourned”. Consequently you must necessarily say that the prophecy, “thy offspring shall be strangers… [four hundred years]” began only from the time when he had offspring. And only if you reckon the 400 years from the birth of Isaac will you find that from the time they came into Egypt until the time they left it, was 210 years (as alluded to in Genesis 15:13). This was one of the passages which they altered for king Ptolemy (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 12:40; Megillah 9a).

NOW THE TIME THAT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DWELT IN EGYPT WAS FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS. “From the birth of Isaac till now there were four hundred years. [We must reckon from that event, for only] from the time that Abraham had a child [from Sarah] could the prophecy, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, be fulfilled. And there had been thirty years since that decree made at the ‘covenant between the parts’ until the birth of Isaac. And when you will reckon the four hundred years from the birth of Isaac, you will find that from the time they came into Egypt, until the time they left, it was two hundred and ten years.” Thus the language of Rashi, and it is also the opinion of our Rabbis.
The explanation, however, is not correct in every detail. It is written, And Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran, and the event of the “covenant between the parts” took place a long time after that. We must therefore explain the case satisfactorily in accordance with what we have been taught in the Seder Olam: “Our father Abraham was seventy years old when G-d spoke to him at the ‘covenant between the parts,’ as it is said, And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years … that all the hosts of the Eternal went out from the land of Egypt. Then he returned to Haran and stayed there five years, as it is said, And Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.” The sense of the verse then is to state that when Abraham finally left Haran, his native land, never to return again to his father’s house, he was seventy-five years old.
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, it is my opinion that G-d said to Abraham, “Know of a surety that before I give you this land, thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs for a long time — four hundred years.” He did not care to mention the additional thirty years to him [i.e., Abraham], because He told him further on, And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither, thereby informing him that they will not come back immediately at the end of four hundred years until the fourth generation when the sin of the Amorite will be full. Thus He alluded to these thirty years, for the Israelites’ staying in the desert for forty years was not on account of the sin of the Amorite not yet being full, [since the four hundred and thirty years were completed at the time of the exodus; their stay in the desert was on account of their own misdeeds].
Accordingly, the purport of the verse [before us] is as follows: Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was until four hundred and thirty years, since they lived there in order to fulfill the period of time set [for Abraham’s seed] to live in a land that is not theirs. Thus Scripture informed us that now when they went forth from Egypt, the exile decreed upon them was completed. He brought them forth from servitude to [complete] freedom, and it was not that He took them out from Egypt and they were yet to be strangers in a land not their own. Now because He has already mentioned this matter and informed us thereof [in the section of the “covenant between the parts”], there was no need to prolong it [here], for this verse [here] is intended only to inform us of the thirty years that were added to [the four hundred years mentioned specifically to Abraham]. This is why He says it briefly, i.e., that in Egypt were completed the four hundred years mentioned to their father Abraham and known to them, and an additional thirty years. Then He reverts and says, And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years of their exile, they went out from the land of Egypt to perpetual freedom.
A similar case is the verse, And the days in which we came from Kadesh — barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered were thirty and eight years. This is to complete the reckoning. The journey from Kadesh–barnea to the brook Zered did not take thirty-eight years. Instead, they abode in Kadesh many years, and then they journeyed from there and turned back by the way to the Red Sea, and in the thirty-eighth year they went over the brook Zered. The purport of the verse is thus: and the days in which we came from Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered were until thirty and eight years had passed. Similarly: Happy is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days means [happy is he who waits and reaches] the end of those days, not the days themselves.

Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, Rabbi Yehuda says: “Go you [lekh lekha]” – twice, one from Aram Naharayim and one from Aram Naḥor. Rabbi Neḥemya says: “Lekh lekha” – twice, one from Aram Naharayim and Aram Naḥor, and one when He flew him from [the Covenant] between the Pieces and brought him to Ḥaran.
That is what is written: “Your people [amekha] will volunteer on your day of battle [ḥeilekha]” (Psalms 110:3) – I was with you [imekha] when you volunteered on My behalf to descend into the fiery furnace. “On your day of battle” – when you assembled for Me all the hosts [haḥayalot] and masses. “In sacred glory [hadrei]” (Psalms 110:3) – from the radiance [hadar] of the world I sanctified you; “from the womb of the dawn [mishḥar]” (Psalms 110:3) – from the womb of the world I have sought you out [sheḥartikha]. “Yours is the dew of youth” (Psalms 110:3) – because our forefather Abraham was fearful, saying: ‘Perhaps I have a sin on my hands because I was an idol worshipper all those years?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “The dew of your youth” – just as dew evaporates, so, too, your sins will evaporate; just as dew is a sign of blessing for the world, so, too, you are a sign of blessing for the world.
That is what is written: “I said: Would that I had wings like a dove; I would fly away and come to rest” (Psalms 55:7). Why like a dove? Because all other birds, when they are weary, they rest on a stone or on a tree, but a dove, when it flies and grows weary, it folds one of its wings and flies with the other wing. “I would wander [nedod] far away” (Psalms 55:8) – movement after movement, wandering after wandering. “To repose in the wilderness, Selah” (Psalms 55:8) – it is preferable to repose in the wildernesses of the Land of Israel rather than to repose in the palaces outside the Land. And if you object that Abraham did not act immediately, and did not rejoice over the words of the Omnipresent, and [you ask] why did he not depart [at once]? It is because he had not yet been permitted, but once he was permitted: “Abram went as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him” (Genesis 12:4).
Rabbi Levi said: When Abraham was traveling through Aram Naharayim and Aram Naḥor, he saw them eating, drinking, and reveling. He said: ‘Would that my portion not be in this land.’ When he reached the Promontory of Tyre, he saw them engaged in weeding at the time of weeding, hoeing at the time of hoeing, he said: ‘Would that my portion be in this land.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “To your descendants I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7).