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Week 137 - Sunday - 7 July 2002

PIRKEI AVOT: CHAPTER 5: MISHNAH 2

There were ten generations from Adam to Noah to show us how great was His long-suffering, for all the generations continually angered Him until He brought upon them the waters of the Flood. There were ten generations from Noah until Abraham, to show us how great was His long-suffering, for all the generations continually angered Him until Abraham came and received the reward for all of them.

Kehati

Our Mishnah contains further lessons on the purpose of the Biblical narratives; like the previous Mishnah it begins with the number ten.

There were ten generations from Adam to Noah - Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Kenan, Mehalalel, Yered, Hanokh, Metushelah, Lemekh, and Noah. The Torah enumerated them - to show us how great was His long suffering - the patient withholding of the Divine wrath, for all the generations continually angered Him - as it is written (Gen. 6:5): "And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth," until He brought upon them the waters of the Flood - God waited for them to repent during all those generations, and when they failed to do so, He brought upon them the Flood in the days of Noah.

There were ten generations from Noah until Abraham - Shem, Arpakhshad, Shelah, Ever, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abraham, to show us - the Torah enumerated them to teach us - how great was His long-suffering, for all the generations continually angered Him - as it is written (Josh. 24:2): "Your fathers dwelt of old time beyond the River... and they served other gods." Until Abraham came and received the reward for all of them - that which all would have deserved had they mended their ways (Rashi). Some comment: Until Abraham came and excelled in good deeds and pointed out to the whole world the right path, thereby saving it from destruction; and for this rescue of mankind, God gave him the reward for all of them; since God does not delight in the death of sinners, but rather in their repentance and Abraham taught them the way of penitence, as it is said (Gen. 12:5): "and the souls that they had gotten in Haran" which, the Sages say teaches us that Abraham converted the men, and Sarah the women to the service of God (Mahzor Vitri). Tiferet Yisrael comments: and received the reward for all of them - that originally set aside for all humanity: that they should come close to God, that He reveal Himself and conclude a covenant with them, to give their seed the Torah, and let them witness God's miraculous intervention, to bestow upon them the gift of prophecy. God indeed intended that all mankind should benefit from these gifts. But when the nations sinned, they were rejected, and only Abraham and his chosen progeny, "the seed of Israel his servant" merited these Divine gifts.

PIRKEI AVOT: CHAPTER 5: MISHNAH 3

With ten temptations was our father Abraham tempted, and he withstood them all, to show us how great was the love of our father Abraham .

Kehati

With ten temptations was our father Abraham tempted - Rambam lists the following trials: 1. "Go forth from your country" (Gen. 12: 1); 2. "And there was a famine in the land" (Gen. 12: 10); 3. Sarah's abduction to the house of Pharaoh (ibid. 12:15); 4. Abraham's battle with the four kings (ibid. 14:15); 5. Marriage to Hagar after despairing of a child from Sarah (ibid. 16:2); 6. His circumcision in old age by Divine command (ibid. 17:10); 7. Sarah's abduction to the house of Avimelekh (ibid. 20:2); 8. The banishment of Hagar (ibid. 21:10); 9. The removal of his son Yishmael (ibid. 11); 10. The binding of Isaac (ibid. 22). Other commentators account for the trial differently. Thus, according to Bartenura, first came the casting of Abraham into the furnace by Nimrod. Rambam omits this event at Ur Kasdim, since it is not mentioned explicitly in the Torah, as are all the instances listed by him.

And he withstood them all - without questioning the criteria of Divine justice (Rashi). Tosefot Yom Tov explains our Mishnah's repeated reference to Abraham as our father, because his steadfastness in the face of all these trials continues to be the source of the Divine favor granted to Israel, to show us how great was the love of our father Abraham - for God, Whose commandments he eagerly obeyed. Other commentators say that the Mishnah refers to the love of God for Abraham who won God's favor and repeatedly tried to show mankind his religious and moral perfection. His suffering and exertion to enhance the glory of his Creator were fit to be emulated by all the generations, as is written (Gen. 18:19): "For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice" (Sefer Hama’or in the name of Hameiri).

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