Abraham, Cursed by His Own Father and Banished Again Launched Shavuot 5773 / 2013 | Copyright Project TABS, All Rights Reserved, script type="text/javascript"> These events are seennot without causeas being singular and special. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." If this is a story, he said, it is a very human story. Ep 200 | Luke 12-17; John 11, Come Follow Me 2023 (May 1-7), Ep 199 | John 7-10, Come Follow Me 2023 (April 24-30), Ep 198 | Matthew 18; Luke 10, Come Follow Me 2023 (April 17-23), Ep 197 | Matthew 15-17; Mark 7-9, Come Follow Me 2023 (April 10-16), Ep 196 | Matthew 14; Mark 6; John 5-6, Come Follow Me 2023 (March 27-April 2). Is it less true than a simple chronology of events describing the beginning of the world and of humankind? why dost thou worship . The text designates Terah, Abraham's father, as a "manufacturer of idols." One day, while Terah is away from his workshop, he entrusts it to young Abraham. 12They faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes, and the consecrated things; and Conaniah the Levite was the officer in charge (N)of them, and his brother Shimei was second. Can those idols in which thou trustest deliver thee? 2Ch iiCh ii ch 2 chr 2chr). De Du). [7], There are several different ways in which this Midrash has been discussed. Scripture strongly advises against the following of idols other than God. Over the years, the interpretive tradition has taken this statement far out of its original meaning, which refers to the way a person is to behave on the night of the 15thof Nissan, and turned it into a key phrase describing Jewish consciousness in general. [8]In fact, seeResponsa Rashba1:116, where Rashba makes this point. 3 And all these joined forces in the Valley of . Now, therefore, hasten and fetch a kid from the flock, and make of it savory meat, that I may bring it to my fathers gods, perhaps I may thereby become acceptable to them. His mother did according to his request, but when Abraham brought the offering to the gods, he saw that they had no voice, no hearing, no motion, and not one of them stretched forth his hand to eat. 6The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and (I)the tithe of [d]sacred gifts which were consecrated to the Lord their God, and placed them in heaps. [b](P) 23Then Abraham approached him and said: Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? either making or worshiping idols or "other gods.". Exodus 23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. His father came in and asked what he had been doing, what great sin this was that he had committed, why he was so sacrilegious in his feelings and so wicked as to seek to destroy these gods? [27] Putting this view forward before those who believed that God had a body probably caused those believers a crisis of faith. 11, p. 68. 48-49 [Hebrew]. The Torah crafts its story line purposefully in such a way as to support the aims of the Narrator, including the Narrators values and moral lessons. An event with significant import to the wider population that is never reported will end up being known by only a handful of people who witnessed it.[12]. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.". See,Iggrot Raayahvol. that there is a real God, then that God will save him. the literary character. The Life of Our Forefather Abraham - Chabad.org Abraham at last thought he would teach his father a lesson by making a clean sweep of his gods. 21Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in the Law and in the commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and (X)prospered. Abraham's father, Terah, joined the adamant opposition to his son in Harran, which indicates that he had continued to cling to his profession of making and selling idols. What is a believer to do, when he or she is convinced that a new religious outlook, as innovative and brazen as it may be, not only doesnt diminish the value of faith but even colors it in stronger and more vibrant colors? There is also no Biblical record of Abraham 42 Is there in these gods spirit, soul or power to do all thou hast told me? 2 Chronicles 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. It is precisely the struggle of thinkers like Rambam and Rav Kook that can be most helpful in answering such questions. [19]InThe Guide of the Perplexed(3:31), Rambam sharply criticizes people who believe that it would be best not to ascribe positive human characteristics to God. Terah, having heard the crash of the hatchet on the stone, ran to the room of the idols, and he reached it at the moment when Abraham was leaving it, and when he saw what had happened, he hastened after Abraham, and he said to him, What is this mischief thou hast done to my gods? Abraham answered: I set savory meat before them, and when I came nigh unto them, that they might eat, they all stretched out their hands to take of the meat, before the big one had put forth his hand to eat. ! [Terah] took him and brought him before Nimrod (. This comes from the idea that Abraham did not need proof of God before being cast into the fire, which is why God saved him. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. It is about humanitys religion and its faith, its moral struggles, its successes and failures, its hopes and aspirations for greatness, its dream of breaking into the world of the infinite and clinging to God. Amplified Bible Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went out together to go from Ur of the Chaldeans into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran [about five hundred and fifty miles northwest of Ur], they settled there. Psalms 135:15 - 127:17 - The idols of the . 36 And Terah entered the room and found all the idols fallen down and broken, and the hatchet in the hand of the largest, which was not broken, and the savory meat which Abram his son had made was still before them. Exodus 20:3 - Thou shalt have no other gods before me. The power of a story cannot be found purely in the ideological explication of the divine message contained within, even if the message once understood, requires a person to live up to it in his or her life. In verse 7 God said the covenant He established with Abraham was to be everlasting and that He alone was to be God to Abraham and his offspring. The giving of the Torah at Sinai turns a story or mitzvah included in it into the barometer for proper religious behavior. "[5] There is no description of a biblical interaction between Nimrod and Abraham. Will Gods story be diminished if we do not connect it with the actions of specific people, as great as they may have been? Nimrod becomes angry with Abraham and declares that Abraham shall be cast into the fire, and if Abraham is correct, i.e. The Bible says we should put living in a righteous manner above all other pursuits of the flesh and mind. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. Philip Munoa notes that 'the Testament of Abraham studi- ously avoids physical description of God when describing Abraham's heavenly ascent and tours of heaven explicitly identifying God with 7In the third month they began to [e]make the heaps, and they finished them by the seventh month. The plot point of Abrahams fattempted murder for his beliefs is found in four source texts. Delivered at Provo, Sunday Afternoon, August 28th, 1881, Reported by Geo. Child sacrifice was one reason for the Babylonian captivity (verse 36). Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession. Does the Torahs Abraham really need the historical Abraham in order to claim an important role in Jewish religious consciousness? [28]Rambam himself understood that this was the way his opponents conceptualized the issue. Of course, great challenges to Abram's faith lay ahead on his life's journey. Shalom Carmy; Orthodox Forum; Northvale: Aaronson, 1996), 159-180. This Abraham is entirely in the hands of heaven (in a different and positive sense). New American Standard Bible Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel's saddlebag, and she sat on them. 17Then the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham(B) what I am about to do? Nimrod the mighty hunter was one of the sons of Kush. My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help. 54 And the king said to Abram, Had they power to speak and eat and do as thou hast said? 9Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. Said he, Father, I did not do anything to them, they quarreled among themselves and went to work fighting and knocked one another down, broke one anothers heads and knocked off one anothers arms and legs. Oh, said his father, my sons do not tell me anything of that kind, for they are made of wood and they could not move or stir from their place nor knock one another down; it has been some other agency that has done it. Why, father, said he, would you worship a being that could not stir or move, that had hands and could not handle, that had legs and could not walk, a mouth that could not speak, and a head and it was of no use? Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 10 - English Standard Version The Midrash is also used by James Kugel, the chair of the Institute for the History of the Jewish Bible at Bar Ilan University in Israel, in his book The Bible As It Was, published in 1997 by Harvard University, to look at how stories from the Bible have been changed to how they are taught in the modern day. New International Version (NIV). Abram Rescues Lot. Enter code SPRINGSTUDY15 and have answers to your Bible questions at your fingertips. These were the feelings of Abraham, and he taught his father's house, and all around him, as far as he had the privilege. According to Genesis Rabbah 38.13, iyya b. Abba, a third-generation Amora, told following story: Terah was an idol manufacturer who once went away and left Abraham in charge of the store. "Turn from Thy burning anger and change Thy mind about doing harm to Thy people. [22]This distinction is similar to that of Achad Ha-Am between historical truth (the way a group relates to events from its past, what we now call cultural memory or mnemohistory) and archaeological truth (what actually happened in the past.) I simply believe it. Join today!. Bible Verses About Idols - King James Bible Online 14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. his father put him in charge of caring for the idols, and Abraham tried to discourage people from bringing them offerings. PDF 'The Gods of My Father Terah': Abraham the Iconoclast and the Polemics If he had possessed the spirit which his son had, he would have said there is no power with these gods; but he did not, and Abraham had to flee from his fathers house, confiding in the Lord, who gave many promises to him and concerning his posterity. Rabbi Amit Kulaisthe rabbi of Kibbutz Alumim as well as of Beit Midrash Daroma at Ben Gurion University. The interpretive strategy of the received text is paramount takes an entirely different approach, which attempts to encounter the word of God without any mediation. Nimrod and Abraham - The Two Rivals - Chabad.org 46 Did not our fathers in days of old sin in this matter, and the Lord God of the universe brought the waters of the flood upon them and destroyed the whole earth? [21]An ant and an elephant are running through the desert. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. So Nimrod declares they worship clouds. [10]In my opinion, which is based on multiple encounters with a number of different groups, this critique can be found at the heart of many peoples objections to ahistorical reading of the Torah, and feeds their intuitive rejection of this paradigm. ),Shitat ha-Beinot shel ha-Rav Mordechai Breuer: Qovetz Maamarim u-Teguvot(Alon Shevut: Tevunot, 2005). (Joshua 24:2), there is no Biblical record of him actually making Rambams approach here applies to our case as well. 57 I thought thou wouldst teach thy servants the upright way, but thou hast not done this, but hast filled the whole earth with thy sins and the sins of thy people who have followed thy ways. Finto: Iconclass: Abraham destroys his father's idols Regarding this, seePinkasei Ha-Raayahvol. How can virtual classrooms help students become more independent and self-motivated learners? are also to be treated as idols." 16When the men(A) got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. So, one day when I was very young, I went to our basement and smashed on the concrete floor every bottle of liquor! To me, it seems likely that the par between those who criticize the ahistorical paradigm and those who embrace it can be traced to the par between the correspondence theory of truth and the coherence theory of truth, but a full analysis along these lines would take us too far afield. 2 Chronicles 34:7 - Josiah Destroys Idolatry - Bible Hub 20Hezekiah did this throughout Judah; and (W)he did what was good, right, and true before the Lord his God. Finally, Abraham is not punished . But Abram said that the largest of the idols had killed all the others in a fight over an offering brought to them. But Abraham, inspired by the Lord, went on a certain occasion into the temple of these gods and smote them right and left, upsetting and breaking them in pieces. what are the 3 odd numbers just before 200 003? [7]Doubtless, this claim reveals an important educational principle whose significance is beyond reproach. 4Also he told the people who lived in Jerusalem to give (F)the portion due to the priests and the Levites, so that they might devote themselves to (G)the Law of the Lord. My suggestion avoids this problem altogether. Even religious feeling, if it is possible to speak of this as a thing, is poised to gain from the intimate connection that is formed between humanity and God, when one understands the Torah as God telling a story just as a parent tells a story to his or her child. And yet, even as a boy, I knew I was missing something. Smashing Idols: A Paradoxical Semiotics - RCNi Company Limited The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. Even for such a person, something still lingers from the dissonance required in reframing the story as ahistorical. 5. Abraham's father in fact agrees with Abraham regarding idol worship unlike the Qur'anic version! Furthermore, this objection often remains inchoate and not fully articulated. 10 These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Bible. went away on a journey, and he left Abraham in charge of the store. There is also a third option, of course, that the Abraham who lived in Ur continued to live in the hearts of Israel. Nimrod is a descendant of Noah and is considered to be a "mighty one on the earth. Nimrod proclaims to Abraham that we should worship fire. The Torah tells the story in a certain way, and other traditions tell it in different ways. In order for such values to find a permanent place in the spiritual life of individuals, they must be narrated. Abram Destroys Terah's Idols | We Are Israel Rav Kook, in his analysis of this approach, found that Rambam made use of it as he wrestled with Aristotles notion of an eternal universe. 18 And Abram went from them, and his anger burned within him. Muhammad describes Abraham's anguished attempts to reason with His father and persuade him to accept a new divine Message this way: "O my Father! See also the words of Maharal of Prague about Abraham and Sarah in hisGlosses on Aggadot(part 3, p. 83), but compare these with his comments inGevurot Hashem(ch. Will you really sweep it away and not spare[c] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? This is a false dichotomy. Commentary on Parashat Lech-Lecha, . 52 And the king sent three men of his servants, and they went and brought Abram before the king. Abraham had three wives: Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah (by date when Start for FREE. It is the Torah of God, turning its face to Torah students in every generation. I discuss this halacha in greater detail in the book. 49 And Abram hastened and sprang from before his father, and took the hatchet from his fathers largest idol, with which Abram broke it and ran away. [28] Although they believed that the great and majestic body of God was not comparable to their small and weak bodies, nevertheless, they could not let go of a God with some sort of a physical body. 39 And Abram answered Terah his father and he said, Not so my lord, for I brought savory meat before them, and when I came nigh to them with the meat that they might eat, they all at once stretched forth their hands to eat before the great one had put forth his hand to eat. In his view, such an approach implies a weakness of faith and a deviation from the authentic approach of the Jewish tradition. 2 Chronicles 31 NASB - Idols Are Destroyed - Now when all this - Bible She said to [Abraham]: Here, offer this before them. [Abraham] picked up a staff and broke [the idols] and placed the staff in the hands of the largest of them. Hebrews 13:5 - Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. what is the supplement of an angle measuring 54 degrees? 2 And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Is it somehow illegitimate that the scriptural Author would retell a version of a popular story and include it within the broader narrative, and, with tremendous creativity, recast the story anew according to Gods own principles. that we are sacrificed to the Lord for this end, that our former life being destroyed in us, we may be raised up to a new life. Abraham told him that a woman came in to make an offering to the idols. A different approach (cutting edge and more realistic) assumes that reconstruction of the past, with a point-by-point accurate portrayal, is impossible. Wisely, Abram was not looking back to the home and comforts he had left behind in Ur. returned from his journey, he found his merchan- [9] Kugel's interpretation continues in the tradition of looking at this midrash as part of the analysis of monotheism. The idols argued about which one should eat the offering first, then the largest idol took the stick and smashed all the other idols. What does the Bible say about child sacrifice? | GotQuestions.org can they hear thy prayers when thou callest upon them? 4 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. This is something best accomplished by narrative, not by list of laws or principles. Abraham mocked them, and said, Surely, the savory meat that I prepared doth not please you, or perhaps it is too little for you! Abraham chose to follow God alone, and he demonstrated his commitment by circumcising every male in his household. It is one that any person who wishes to renew his or her faithperhaps even to limit its horizons for a timeshould take to heart.
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