AND THE LORD SAID TO ABRAM. Just before this it is written, “And Haran died in the presence of Terah his father” (Gen. 11, 28). The connection is as follows. Up to that time no one had ever died in the lifetime of his father. Haran, however, was killed at the time when Abram was cast into the furnace. Then it says, “And Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, etc…. and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees.”
We should expect “and they went forth with him״, referring to Terah; why, then, does it say “with them”? The reason is that Terah and Lot went forth with Abram and Sara, who led the way in departing from that sinful district; for when Terah saw that Abram was rescued from the fire, he began to be guided by Abram, and therefore we read, “and they went forth with them”, i.e. Terah and Lot with Abram and Sara.
Also it was “to go into the land of Canaan”, where they wanted to go. We learn further from this text that whoever makes an effort to purify himself receives assistance from above. For no sooner is it written, “to go to the land of Canaan” than we read “and God said to Abram, Get thee forth”; this message was not given to him until he made the first move himself.
For the upper world is not stirred to act until an impulse is given from the lower world. The prototype of this process is that the blackish light is not caught up by the white light until it has first itself begun to mount;1v. p. 163. but when it does so, forthwith the white light rests upon it,
and therefore it is written, “O Lord, keep not thou silence, hold not thy peace and be not still, O God” (Ps. 83, 2), in order that the white light may never be withheld from the world. So, too, it says, “Ye that are the Lord’s remembrancers, keep not silence” (Is. 62, 6), in order to give the impulse from below for the influence to descend from the upper world. Similarly the prophetic spirit rests upon man only when he has first bestirred himself to receive it. So here, too, when once Abram and his family had left Ur of the Chaldees, then God said to him, “Get thee forth”;
וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ אֶל אַבְרָם, מַה כְּתִיב לְעֵילָא (בראשית י״א:כ״ח) וַיָּמָת הָרָן עַל פְּנֵי תֶּרַח אָבִיו וְגו'. מַאי אִירְיָא הָכָא, אֶלָּא עַד הַהוּא יוֹמָא לָא הֲוָה בַּר נָשׁ דְּמִית בְּחַיֵּי אֲבוֹי בַּר דָּא, וְכַד אִתְרְמֵי אַבְרָם לְנוּרָא אִתְקְטִיל הָרָן, וּבְגִין דָּא נָפְקוּ מִתַּמָּן מַאן קָטִיל לוֹן לְהָרָן, אֶלָּא כֵּיוָן דְּרָמוּ אַבְרָהָם לְנוּרָא דְכַּשְּׂדָאֵי, אִתְגְּלִי עֲלֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּשֵׁזָבֵיהּ, וְהֲוָה הָרָן אֲחוּי קָאֵי תַּמָּן. אָמְרוּ כַּשְּׂדָאֵי בְגִין זְכוּתֵיהּ דְהָרָן אִשְׁתְּזִיב, מִיָּד נָפַק שַׁלְהוֹבָא דְּאֶשָׁא וְאוֹקְדֵיהּ לְהָרָן, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיָּמָת הָרָן עַל פְּנִי תֶּרַח אָבִיו. וְאִית דְּאָמְרֵי זַרְעָא דְתֶּרַח לֵית אֶשָׁא שָׁלְטָא בֵּיהּ, אֲבָל נְּרָמֵי לְהָרָן לְנוּרָא, וְאִי לָא אִיתּוֹקַד נֵדַע בְּוַדַּאי דְּלָא שָׁלְטָא נוּרָא בְּזַרְעֵיה, מִיָּד רָמִי לֵיהּ לְהָרָן לְנוּרָא וְאִתּוֹקְד וְהֲוָה תֶּרַח אֲבוֹי קָאִים תַּמָּן הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיָּמָת הָרָן עַל פְּנֵי תֶּרַח אָבִיו. בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא יָדְעוּ כָּל אוּמַיָא וְלִישְׁנַיָא דְלָא שֵׁיזְבֵיהּ לְאַבְרָהָם אֶלָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּאִיהוּ יְחִידָאִי דְעָלְמָא, וְהֲווּ מַיְיתֵין בְּנַיְיהוּ לְמִשְׁכְּנֵיהּ דְאַבְרָהָם וְאָמְרִין לֵיהּ חָמִינָן לָךְ, דְּאַתְּ רָחִיץ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּאִיהוּ רִבּוֹנֵיהּ דְעָלְמָא, אוֹלִיף לְּבָנָנָא מֵאוֹרְחָךְ דְּאַתְּ יֵדַע, וְעֲלַיְיהוּ אָמַר קְרָא (תהילים מ״ז:י׳) נְדִיבֵי עַמִּים נֶאֱסָפוּ עַם אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם).
AND THE LORD SAID TO ABRAM. Just before this it is written, “And Haran died in the presence of Terah his father” (Gen. 11, 28). The connection is as follows. Up to that time no one had ever died in the lifetime of his father. Haran, however, was killed at the time when Abram was cast into the furnace. Then it says, “And Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, etc…. and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees.”
תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה כְּתִיב וַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח אֶת אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ וְאֶת לוֹט בֶּן הָרָן וְגו'. וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִים. וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם, אִתּוֹ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. דְּהָא כְּתִיב וַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח וְגו' מַאי וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם. אֶלָּא תֶּרַח וְלוֹט עִם אַבְרָהָם וְשָׂרָה נַפְקוּ דְּאִנּוּן הֲווּ עִקְּרָא לְמֵיפַּק מִגּוֹ אִנּוּן חַיָּיבַיָּא, דְּכֵיוָן דְּחָמָא תֶּרַח דְּאַבְרָהָם בְּרֵיהּ אִשְׁתְּזִיב מִגּוֹ נוּרָא, אִתְהַדַּר לְמֶעְבַּד רְעוּתֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם, וּבְגִין כָּךְ וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם תֶּרַח וְלוֹט.
We should expect “and they went forth with him״, referring to Terah; why, then, does it say “with them”? The reason is that Terah and Lot went forth with Abram and Sara, who led the way in departing from that sinful district; for when Terah saw that Abram was rescued from the fire, he began to be guided by Abram, and therefore we read, “and they went forth with them”, i.e. Terah and Lot with Abram and Sara.
וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּנַפְקוּ מַה כְּתִיב לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן. דִּרְעוּתָא דִלְהוֹן הֲוָה לְמֵיהַךְ תַּמָּן. מִכָּאן אוֹלִיפְנָא כָּל מַאן דְּאִתְעַר לְאִתְדַּכָּאָה מְסַיְיעִין לֵיהּ. תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּהָכִי הוּא דְּכֵיוָן דִּכְתִיב לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן מִיָּד וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ, וְעַד דְּאִיהוּ אִתְעַר בְּקַדְמִיתָא לָא כְּתִיב לֶךְ לְךָ.
Also it was “to go into the land of Canaan”, where they wanted to go. We learn further from this text that whoever makes an effort to purify himself receives assistance from above. For no sooner is it written, “to go to the land of Canaan” than we read “and God said to Abram, Get thee forth”; this message was not given to him until he made the first move himself.
תָּא חֲזֵי, מִלָה דִלְעֵילָא לָא אִתְעַר עַד דְּאִתְעַר לְתַתָּא בְּקַדְמִיתָא עַל מַה דְּתִשְׁרֵי הַהִיא דִלְעֵילָא, וְרָזָא דְמִלָּה, נְהוֹרָא אוּכְמָא לָא אִתְאַחִיד בִּנְהוֹרָא חִוָּורָא עַד דְּאִיהִי אִתְעָרִית בְּקַדְמִיתָא, כֵּיוָן דְּאִיהִי אִתְעָרִית בְּקַדְמִיתָא, מִיָּד נְהוֹרָא חִוְורָא שַׁרְיָיא עֲלָהּ.
For the upper world is not stirred to act until an impulse is given from the lower world. The prototype of this process is that the blackish light is not caught up by the white light until it has first itself begun to mount;1v. p. 163. but when it does so, forthwith the white light rests upon it,
וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב (תהילים פ״ג:ב׳) אֱלֹהִים אַל דָּמִי לָךְ אַל תֶּחֱרָשׁ וְאַל תִּשְׁקֹט אֵל. בְּגִין דְּלָא יִתְפְּסַק נְהוֹרָא חִוָּורָא מֵעָלְמָא לְעָלְמִין. וְכֵן (ישעיהו ס״ב:ו׳) הַמַּזְכִּירִים אֶת יְיָ אַל דֳּמִי לָכֶם. בְּגִין לְאַתְעָרָא לְתַתָּא בְּמָּה דְיִשְׁרֵי אִתְעֲרוּתָא דִלְעֵילָא. וְכֵן כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְעַר בַּר נָשׁ אִתְעֲרוּתָא בְּקַדְמִיתָא כְּדֵין אִתְעַר אִתְעֲרוּתָא דִלְעֵילָא. תָּא חֲזֵי, כֵּיוָן דִּכְתִיב וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִים וְגו' מִיָּד וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ אֶל אַבְרָם וְגו'.
and therefore it is written, “O Lord, keep not thou silence, hold not thy peace and be not still, O God” (Ps. 83, 2), in order that the white light may never be withheld from the world. So, too, it says, “Ye that are the Lord’s remembrancers, keep not silence” (Is. 62, 6), in order to give the impulse from below for the influence to descend from the upper world. Similarly the prophetic spirit rests upon man only when he has first bestirred himself to receive it. So here, too, when once Abram and his family had left Ur of the Chaldees, then God said to him, “Get thee forth”;