More from the Good Emperor

It looks like we still have a couple more loose ends to tie up from the Chevron/B'er Sheva mystery, but as I'm deeply embroiled in studying for a very intense exam, we'll have to catch up on that stuff later. Here's a little breather, just another quote from Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (part of our ongoing saga to trace the Jewish roots of Antoninus' wisdom):

"All things are implicated with one another, and the bond between them is holy... For things have been co-ordinated, and they combine to form the same universe [order]. For there is one universe made up of all things, and one god who pervades all things, and one substance, and one law, one common reason in all intelligent animals (i.e. humans), and one truth..." (Meditations VII, 9)

Now I ask you, does this sound like the product of a pagan Roman society, or the result of the tutelage of one of the sages of Israel?

Location! Location! Location!

SUMMARY: In an earlier post we began an investigation of the following problem in Scripture (If you have been following the investigation, you may skip the summary.):

In B'reshith (Genesis) 23:2, Scripture records that Sarah (wife of Avraham/Abraham) died in Chevron (Hebron). This implies that Avraham and Sarah were living in Chevron at this time. Furthermore, it is an accepted Jewish tradition, although not explicit in Scripture, that Sarah died at the time of the Akeydah (the "binding") of Yitzchok (Isaac) described in 22:1-19. If so, why does Avraham's journey to perform the Akeydah at Mt. Moriyah, synonymous with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, take 3 days (22:4)? Chevron and Jerusalem are not so far apart! Furthermore, verse 19 there states that Avraham went to B'er Sheva after the Akeydah. Why did Avraham not go home to Chevron? And if he lived in B'er Sheva, why was Sarah in Chevron?

We explained in the last post that according to Rashi, Avraham and Sarah most definitely were living in Chevron at the time of the Akeydah, leaving us with 2 questions:

1. Why did Avraham's journey from Chevron to Mt. Moriyah take 3 days?
2. Why did Avraham go to B'er Sheva after the Akeydah and not back home to Chevron?

For the answer to the first question, see this post.

As for the 2nd question, we left off with the Ramban's suggestion that Avraham went to B'er Sheva to give thanks to G-d for the miracle of the Akeydah. But we asked why it was necessary for Avraham to travel three days in the opposite direction for this purpose when he was already on the Temple Mount itself! What was so special about B'er Sheva?

END OF SUMMARY

(And now, the exciting continuation . . .)

Let us explore the answer. Perhaps we can garner a clue from the fact that the Ramban mentions that Avraham went "to B'er Sheva, the place of his eshel, to give thanks for his miracle," whereas the Ramban could have as easily said that Avraham went "to B'er Sheva to give thanks for his miracle." The Ramban specifically mentions the eshel, as though to give us a clue as to the reason the place was special.

And indeed this makes perfect sense when we understand what the eshel was and who Avraham was. Let us examine 21:33 and Rashi's comments there:

"[Avraham] planted an eshel in B'er Sheva. There he called in the name of HaShem, G-d of the World."

Rashi:

"Eshel" - Rav and Sh'mu'el (ed. -- two Talmudic figures) [disputed the identity of the eshel.] One said [it was] an orchard, from which to bring fruits to [his] guests during the meal, and one said [it was] an inn for lodging containing all types of fruit.

"There he called . . ." - By way of this eshel, the name of the Holy One Blessed is He was called Deity of All the World. After they would eat and drink, [Avraham] would say to them, "Give blessing to the One from Whom you ate! You think you ate of mine? You ate of the One Who spoke and [thereby] the world came to be!"

Avraham exemplified the attribute of chesed, or loving kindness, as is demonstrated by his actions in many places (e.g. his hospitality to the wayfarers in 18:2-8, his prayers on behalf of the wicked men of S'dom/Sodom in 18:23-32). It was via this personal strength of his that Avraham directed his service to G-d. (And that is precisely why the Akeydah was his greatest test -- for the one who personifies loving-kindness on earth to be commanded by G-d Himself to sacrifice the only son of his union with his beloved Sarah, born to them in their old age! But I digress.)

Avraham's chief career of kindness, and simultaneously, his chief service to G-d, it seems, was during his extended sojourn in B'er Sheva, where he lived "many days." He was not merely living there, he was running a business of bringing the world to the recognition of G-d through his acts of loving-kindness and giving. Through Avraham, G-d was revealed, recognized as the true giver, the true provider, the true Creator, Ruler and Sustainer. B'er Sheva, therefore, the place of the eshel, became Avraham's unique place of service and connection to G-d. It is reasonable, then, to suggest that even though Avraham and Sarah did ultimately return to Chevron, Avraham maintained a special emotional and spiritual connection to B'er Sheva as a place of his personal connection with G-d. As such, it follows that at the time of his greatest test, and his greatest success, when he had the greatest level of gratitude to G-d, the place he would choose to channel that outpouring to G-d would be that place where his connection with G-d was deepest and most pronounced -- B'er Sheva.

Indeed, we find the concept of setting a particular spot for communion with G-d expressed in a Jew's daily living. The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 90:19) rules:

One should set a place for one's prayer that one should not change without necessity. And it is not enough that one set for oneself a synagogue in which to pray, rather, even in the synagogue in which one [prays] regularly, one must have a set place.

When I looked up the source for this halachah (law) in the Talmud (B'rachoth 6B), I was astonished to find the following:

Rabbi Chelbo said: Rav Huna said: Anyone who sets a place for his prayer -- the G-d of Avraham is at his assistance, and when he dies they say to him . . ., "[You are] of the disciples of Avraham our father!"

From where [is it known] to us that [Avraham] set a place?

As it is written: "Avraham [went] early in the morning to the place where he had stood [before HaShem (G-d)]" (B'reshith 19:27). (ed. -- i.e. We find that Avraham returned to the same place where he had previously communed with G-d.)

Amazing! Avraham is in fact considered to be the archetype for the concept of setting a place for prayer! This is entirely consistent with our characterization of Avraham above, and thus is explained his detour to B'er Sheva after the Akeydah.

Case closed? I leave it to you to decide.

The Plot Thickens

In my last post, we began an investigation of the following question:

In B'reshith (Genesis) 23:2, Scripture records that Sarah (wife of Avraham/Abraham) died in Chevron (Hebron). This implies that Avraham and Sarah were living in Chevron at this time. Furthermore, it is an accepted Jewish tradition, although not explicit in Scripture, that Sarah died at the time of the Akeydah (the "binding") of Yitzchok (Isaac) described in 22:1-19. If so, why does Avraham's journey to perform the Akeydah at Mt. Moriyah, synonymous with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, take 3 days (22:4)? Chevron and Jerusalem are not so far apart! Furthermore, verse 19 there states that Avraham went to B'er Sheva after the Akeydah. Why did Avraham not go home to Chevron? And if he lived in B'er Sheva, why was Sarah in Chevron?

We presented an excerpt from Sepher haYasher suggesting that they lived in B'er Sheva but that Sarah had reached Chevron and died there on her search for Avraham and Yitzchak.

In a comment to that post, Andrew challenged this answer with a citation from Rashi's classic commentary on the Torah, as follows:

22:19
Avraham returned to his attendants, and they rose and went together to Beer Sheva. Avraham dwelt in Beer Sheva.

Rashi
"Avraham dwelt in Beer Sheva."

his does not refer to a permanent dwelling for he lived in Chevron. Twelve years before Yitzchok's akeidah he left Beer Sheva and moved to Chevron, as it is said: "Avraham lived in the land of the Philistines for many days," more than the first years in Chevron which totaled 26 years as we explained above.


Now... I'm not sure exactly what math Rashi is doing at the end of that but he seems to disagree with you. Avraham was living in Hebron, not Beer Sheva, at the time of the akeidah.

So the question still remains. Why did he go to Beer Sheva afterwards?

First off, good snoop work, Andrew!

As for the math Rashi does at the end, Rashi is referring back to his comments on 21:24:

"Avraham lived in the land of the P'lishtim (Phillistines) many days."

B'er Sheva is understood by Rashi to be within the land of P'lishtim, and therefore we understand that the verse refers to his sojourn there. Rashi on this verse, based on Seder Olam (an ancient Jewish chronology), calculates, according to the Scriptural narrative, how Avraham spent 25 years in Chevron, 26 years in B'er Sheva, and then another 12 years in Chevron until the death of Sarah, as follows (this is complicated; if you don't care about the calculation, skip the next paragraph):

The phrase "many days" in this verse implies that Avraham lived there longer than anywhere else until that point. Avraham left Charan (Haran) for the land of K'na'an (Canaan) at the age of 75. At that age he arrived and settled in the Plains of Mamre that are in Chevron (13:18). At the age of 99 he was circumcised, and on the 3rd day after his circumcision he was visited by angels predicting the birth of Yitzchak one year later and proceeding to overturn S'dom (Sodom). Avraham was still living in the Plains of Mamre at this time (18:1). Immediately after the destruction of S'dom, (20:1) in Avraham's 99th year, Avraham relocates to G'rar, in the land of P'lishtim, where the incident with Avimelech, king of P'lishtim, occurs (see there), after which Avimelech tells Avraham (20:15), "Behold, my land is before you; dwell wherever it is good in your eyes." Scripture is not explicit at this point about where in the land of P'lishtim Avraham chooses to dwell, although it is implicit later on, as when Avraham sends Hagar and Yishma'el (Ishmael) away (21:14) the verse tells us: "She went and wandered in the wilderness of B'er Sheva," and when Avraham meets Avimelech again (21:22-34) Scripture tells us that the place was named B'er Sheva after the oath (sh'vu'ah) taken between Avraham and Avimelech there. So Avraham was in Chevron from the age of 75 until 99, which, including the 75th year, totals 25 years in Chevron. Now, if he dwelt in B'er Sheva from the age of 99, and lived there more years than in Chevron, as implied by 21:34, he must have lived there for at least 26 years. If Avraham would have lived in B'er Sheva more than one year longer than in Chevron, Scripture would have been explicit about it, therefore we can assume that Avraham's years in B'er Sheva totalled no more than 26. That would make Avraham 125 when he left B'er Sheva. Accordingly, Sarah would have been 115 at the time. Since Sarah died in Chevron at the age of 127, this implies that Chevron was their destination after leaving B'er Sheva. So, Sarah's last 12 years were lived in Chevron. Since she died at the time of the Akeydah, they were certainly living in Chevron at this time. Thus is Rashi's calculation. And thus we fall right back into our initial questions:

Why did Avraham's journey from Chevron to Mt. Moriyah take 3 days?
Why did Avraham go to B'er Sheva after the Akeydah and not back home to Chevron?

As for the first question, Rashi, in his comments to 22:4, explains, according to the Midrash Tanchuma (VaYera 22), that G-d did not show Avraham the place right away, because if Avraham would have carried out G-d's directive to slaughter his son immediately, it would appear that Avraham lost his mind, abducted his son and killed him. However, since the journey took a number of days, it would have been enough time for a crazed Avraham to come to his senses. This delay, then, made it clear that Avraham acted with sound mind and body under the influence of nothing other than a divine directive.

As for the second question, the Ramban, in his comments to 23:2, suggests that Avraham went back to the place of his eshel, the orchard/inn he had established in B'er Sheva in 21:33, in order to give thanks to G-d for the miracle of the Akeydah. The Ramban does not, however, elaborate as to why it was necessary for Avraham to go all the way to B'er Sheva to do so.

In the meantime, then, this detail remains shrouded in mystery and subject to speculation. I invite the reader to submit his/her own thoughts as to the mystical B'er Sheva connection. For my part, I do intend to dig deeper and hope to requite the readership in due time with my conclusions.

Get to work, gumshoes!

Elementary, My Dear Satan

A question was posed to the author of this blog regarding an interesting puzzle in the Biblical narrative:

In B'reshith (Genesis) 23:2, Scripture records that Sarah (wife of Avraham/Abraham) died in Chevron (Hebron). This implies that Avraham and Sarah were living in Chevron at this time. Furthermore, it is an accepted Jewish tradition, although not explicit in Scripture, that Sarah died at the time of the Akeydah (the "binding") of Yitzchok (Isaac) described in 22:1-19. If so, why does Avraham's journey to perform the Akeydah at Mt. Moriyah, synonymous with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, take 3 days (22:4)? Chevron and Jerusalem are not so far apart! Furthermore, verse 19 there states that Avraham went to B'er Sheva after the Akeydah. Why did Avraham not go home to Chevron? And if he lived in B'er Sheva, why was Sarah in Chevron?

After a bit of searching, I found a piece from the Sepher haYashar that seems to clarify the issue:

The Satan came to Sarah and appeared to her as an old man, very lowly and humble. He said to her, "Did you not know all the things that Avraham did to Yitzchak your son today? For he took Yitzchak and built an altar and slaughtered him and offered him on the altar! Yitzchak was screaming and crying before his father but [Avraham] did not regard [him] nor did he have mercy upon him!" Such did he speak to her a number of times.

Sarah thought he was an old man, a human being, who had been near her son and told her. Sarah raised her voice and cried and screamed greatly and bitterly. She cast herself to the ground and threw dirt upon her head and said, "My son Yitzchok! If only I could die in your place! I am pained over you! I raised you, I cared for you, and my jubilation over you has been turned into mourning! Yet I am comforted over you for you have performed the commandment of HaShem, for who can transgress the word of our G-d? Righteous are You HaShem, for all Your deeds are good and upright, for I too have rejoiced in Your words. Indeed, my eye cries bitterly, but my heart rejoices."

Sarah placed her head into the bosom of one of her maids and was still as a rock. Afterwards, she arose and went searching until Chevron, and she asked all the travellers she encountered on the way what happened to her son. She and her servants and maids reached Kiryath Arba which is Chevron. She sent [them] out from there to discover where Avraham and Yitzchok went. They went to the house of Shem and Ever but did not find them, and they searched in all the land. And behold, the Satan came to Sarah in the form of a man and said to her, "I lied to you, for [Yitzchok] was not slaughtered and is not dead." When she heard this thing she rejoiced greatly over her son and her soul departed in her joy and she died.

And Avraham, when he completed his service [to G-d on Mt. Moriah], returned with Yitzchak to his servants and they went to B'er Sheva to their home. [Avraham] asked, "Where is Sarah?" They said, "She went to Chevron to search for you, for such-and-such they told her." Avraham and Yitzchok went to her to Chevron and found that she had died. Yitzchok fell upon the face of Sarah his mother and cried. He said, "Mother, Mother! How have you left me, going here and there? How have you left me?" and he cried exceedingly.

According to the Sepher haYaShar, then, Avraham and Sarah lived in B'er Sheva, not Chevron. Sarah died in Chevron only on account of having arrived there on her search for her son. This fits very well with the Biblical narrative since B'er Sheva is the last city named where Avraham was before the Akeydah (21:33). Furthermore, it explains why the journey to Mt. Moriah took three days, as B'er Sheva is much more distant from Jerusalem than Chevron. In addition, it explains why Avraham returned to B'er Sheva after the Akeydah, as well as why Sarah died in Chevron despite the fact that Avraham and Sarah did not live there.

So . . . mystery solved, right? Or is it? Stay tuned for (G-d willing) more installments into the investigation of Avraham and Sarah's home town.

The Voice is the Voice of Ya'akov

As mentioned in a previous post, I have been perusing a volume of philosphy called Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and I found much of it strikingly similar to a biblical work, Koheleth (aka Ecclesiastes) by Sh'lomo haMelech (King Solomon). Here is an example:

"There is only one fruit of this terrene (earthly) life, a pious disposition and social acts."
-Meditations, ch. VI pp. 30

"The sum of the matter, when all has been considered: Fear G-d and keep his commandments, for that is man's whole duty."
-Koheleth 12:13

There are many more examples like this, and it certainly lends support to our Talmudic sources that Rabbi Y'hudah haNasi was indeed a tutor of Antoninus. I hope to be able to demonstrate this with more examples as I encounter them. But I seriously recommend anyone interested to read through the two volumes (neither one intimidatingly large) and make a comparison of their own.