Weekly Torah portion from Genesis 12:1 - 17:27
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7answers
148 views
Why did Avraham wait to have a bris?
Chazal tells us (Midrash Rabbah Bereishis 64:4 and 95:3; Yoma 28b, based on. Gen. 26:5; Kiddushin 82a) that the Patriarchs observed the mitzvahs before they were given. But Avraham did not circumcize ...
5
votes
0answers
95 views
Abrahamic covenant and Brit Milah - how is the covenant passed down?
Why is it so that if a Jew has a male child with a non-Jewish woman the child is not circumcised, even though, like Ishmail, the child is under Abrahamic (but not Mosaic) covenant, since the father is ...
6
votes
2answers
68 views
Neither from a thread to a shoe strap [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why did Avraham take gifts from Pharaoh, but not the King of Sodom?
After Avram saved Lot and the people of Sodom from the 4 kings, the king of Sodom offered him the ...
5
votes
1answer
95 views
How can you see words?
Has anyone else noticed the seeming incongruity in Lekh Lekha, Gen 15:1...that Avram is "seeing" the words? The verse states:
אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, הָיָה דְבַר-יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, ...
8
votes
1answer
114 views
Sarah's treatment of Hagar and Ishmael
How could Sarah's treatment of Hagar and Ishmael be considered righteous? I intend this as a sincere and serious question. While Hagar was pregnant, Sarah "prevent[ed] her intercourse with Abraham, ...
4
votes
1answer
78 views
Why not do as Avraham and Sara did w.r.t. conversion
Rashi to B'reshis 12:5 quotes Rav Huna: "... whom they brought [to Judaism]. Avraham was converting the men and Sara the women...".
My understanding is that nowadays female prospective converts study ...
5
votes
2answers
73 views
Shifting subjects and objects in Gen 12:15
There are three statements in Genesis 12:15:
וַיִּרְאוּ אֹתָהּ שָׂרֵי פַרְעֹה וַיְהַלְלוּ אֹתָהּ אֶל פַּרְעֹה וַתֻּקַּח הָאִשָּׁה בֵּית פַּרְעֹה
And Pharaoh's princes saw her, and they ...
11
votes
1answer
98 views
Were Avraham's tactics in rescuing Lot typical of the time?
Parshat Lech L'cha describes how Lot was captured in the battle of four kings against five kings. When Avraham heard, he mounted a night-time attack to rescue him. This got me wondering: was a ...
14
votes
8answers
418 views
Why did Avraham take gifts from Pharaoh, but not the King of Sodom?
In Bereshit 12:11-16, we see that Avraham was willing to receive gifts from Pharoah:
11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife: 'Behold ...
7
votes
2answers
237 views
How are we to understand Malchi-Tzedek, non-Jewish priest of God?
Malchi-Tzedek is a gentile priest who worships God. I initially read this as just saying God is not exclusive (it says somewhere in Nevi'im that God also has covenants with other peoples), but today ...
9
votes
1answer
127 views
Why did Hashem not tell Avraham to have a Bris earlier?
Avraham Avinu was told to have a Bris at 99 years of age. Why didn't Hashem have him do a Bris earlier?
