Leaving Ur For Canaan or Lech Lecha Part II)

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                 

Abram and Sarai on the move from Haran to Canaan  

They are now away from Abram's father's house.  Terah, Abram's father, had died in 2083 BCE in Ur Kasdim. His son and Abram's brother, Haran, also died in Ur Kasdim.  Sarai's sister, Milkah, married Nahor, Abram's 3rd and last brother.  

Terah had 3 sons; Abram, Haran and Nahor.  Terah had started off with son Abram and Lot, the son of Haran and his grandson, his daughter-in -law Sarai, wife of Abram and his son, and they left Ur Kasdim and set off for Canaan. That's 4 people.   First they arrived at Haran where son Haran lived and settled there.

 Isaac, Abram's son, was 35 years old at the time.  His mission is to leave these influences which could alter a person's thoughts and actions.   This same call comes to all Abram's descendants in every generation, to

They will leave the Euphrates River and go west through Syria to Canaan.

separate themselves from all associations and influences that are inimical to their Faith and Destiny.  Their country had been Babylonia, north of their homeland of Ur.  It had been the most powerful empire in the world with a highly developed city-civilization, commercial society, and literary culture.  The land they are headed for has not been specified.  He was to follow whithersoever the will directed him.       

      They are going out West, to beautiful unsettled land, unlike urbanized Ur, largest city in the world.  

Abram and his family are leaving Ur and all it implies for Canaan in the Wild West.  They are leaving a highly urbanized society similar to Los Angeles or New York City for unknown, uncharted land to start anew.  They are to leave as the evil in Ur and Haran would contaminate them.  "When a flask of balsam is sealed and stored away, its fragrance is not perceptible;  but, opened, and moved about, its sweet odor is widely diffused." Away in Canaan, the hope is that evil will be diffused.   It's a monumental shift in the Bible.  

                       Noah on his ark, an ancestor of Abraham. 

The first 2,000 years from Creation were considered as the Eve of Desolation by the Rabbis.  Adam had fallen, his son Abel had been murdered by his own brother, Cain, showing the impulse of rebellion and killing,   Idolatry had been introduced to the world, and 10 dismal generations of life had been washed away by the Deluge or Flood, and the 10 generations from Noah had failed.                      

Abram had been born in the year 1948 BCE  from the time of Creation. (a number selected by imminent rabbis including my great ancestor, Rashi) With the emergence of Abram, The Era of Desolation had come to an end and the Era of Torah had begun.  Abraham will now be viewed by the rabbis as being on trial and the judge is G-d who gives him 10 trials to pass through.  The first is leaving the land he was brought up in.   In the year of 2,000 BCE---4 years after the Dispersion and 6 years before the death of Noah---he started to influence disciples to serve G-d. 

Abram is told to leave his land, leaving his relatives and leaving his father's house where he had lived. He was expected to give up his entire past.   He is to become a great nation, in other words, his descendants will become a great nation of people, unlike those he's leaving in Ur who worship idols; greater than they have been.  They will become a great and blessed people with a wonderful reputation and will be a blessing to others.  Those that help you shall be helped by me, and those who are your enemies will be cursed by me.  

Abram left with his nephew, Lot, son of his brother, Haran.   They most likely left after Haran had died.  Terah, his father, had also died in Haran before they had left from there (Haran is Abram's brother and for this the place of his home became a town and then a city, also called Haran.)  He had lived for 205 years.  They had been living with Haran, outside of Ur which was on the highway to the West.  Abram had made this decision to leave at the age of 75.  He took Sarai, daughter of his brother, Haran, his wife and his niece,  for his family was very concerned about how he had married, and kept land and goods in the family this way.  Also, they were very proud of their lineage, coming from Noah.  They left with all the wealth they had amassed.  Coming this far from Ur had given Abram the assurity that this is what he is to continue doing now.  Lot is pictured as a mere follower.  He doesn't seem to be inspired with the same ideals as prompted Abram's departure.  

They also "left with all the souls they made in Haran."  These "souls" were their slaves and dependents.  They were proselytes whom Abram and Sarai made among the men and women each knew.  These "converts" willing to leave and who saw the truth about idols after Abram had spoken to them,  became subservient to a law and followed their master in his spiritual adventure.  To travel now on the road less traveled was more dangerous, and good that they left in a large group, a group of like people.  

Abram left the land of his birth and all the glamour and worldly prosperity of his native place and became a pilgrim for life, enduring trials,famines, privations, and wandered into Canaan as a traveler and then into Egypt as a refugee and back again into Canaan---all for the sake of humanity that it might share the blessings of his knowledge of G-d and Righteousness; a way to look at their own importance of life in a far better way.                               

They found that Canaanites were living in the land scattered about. They went through and came to the site of Shechem (modern Nablus, 30 miles N. of Jerusalem, one of the oldest cities of Israel.) Then they came to the Plain and Terebinth of Moreh and saw evidence of Canaanites.  This was an oracular tree held sacred by the tree-worshipping Canaanites.  Such trees were attended by priests, who interpreted the answers of the oracle to those who came to consult it.  The terebinth or turpentine tree grows to a height of from 20 to 40 feet, and may therefore well have served as a landmark.  

Before the age of Abram, the Canaanite was then in the land, and had settled there in these lowlands.  The Canaanites had formed part of the population down to the  days of the later Kings.  Nevertheless, Abram felt and was told that this was to be his land, even though the Canaanites were warlike and racially alien.  He was told that this land would be given to his sons.  So he built an Altar to G-d in that place.  Then he went to the mountain on the east of Beth-el and pitched a tent.  Beth-el (in Central part of Canaan, the modern Beitin, 10 miles North of Jerusalem.  Jacob had given it this name) was then on the west and Ai was on his east and he built another altar there.  They journeyed onward, going toward the South this time. 

1. Primarily an altar was a place of worship; where G-d was adored for who He is and what He has done. Only burnt offerings were offered to Him in the days of the patriarchs, since the Law of Moses was not yet given.
2. An altar was also a place of testimony to the only true God in the midst of widespread idolatry. We read that Abraham built his altars unto the Lord, and that there he called upon His Name, Gen. 12. 7-8. Thus recognizing no other god but HaShem-one G-d)

                                                

A famine came into his land.  (This is another test of faith.) He went southward now, leaving his promised homeland,  and went into Egypt.  When nearing Egypt, he warned Sarai that since she was a beautiful woman, the Egyptians would kill him being he's her husband to have her.  He told her that they had to pretend they were siblings.  Sure enough, the princes of the Pharaoh saw Sarai and took her away to the Pharaoh of Egypt.    

This was a common custom in those days.  A papyrus tells of a Pharaoh who, acting on the advice of one of his princes, sent armed men to fetch a beautiful woman and make away with her husband.  Another Pharaoh is promised by his priest on his tombstone, that even after death he will kill sheiks and include their wives in his harem.  We see that our hero, Abram, falls prey to fear several times in the biblical narrative and plays with the truth in order to preserve is life.  There is no partiality towards its heros in the Bible.  They tell it like it was and not like superheros beings being superhuman and sinless.  They err.  Scripure does not gloss over their faults.  The great Jewish commentator, Nachmanides, refers to Abram's action as "a great sin."  Well, Sarai being his niece was rather partially true, wasn't  it.  

Because of the pretense that they carried on, the pharaoh gave Abram sheep, cattle, donkeys, slaves, maidservants, female donkeys and camels as a reward for Sarai.  Sarai was taken to the Royal Harem.  

Then the Pharaoh's house was hit with a plague,  illness, sickening the Pharaoh himself with his household.  The Pharaoh decided immediately it was Abram who caused it because of Sarai and had him brought before him.  He asked Abram why he didn't say she was his wife?  He gave her back and told them to leave.  Soldiers escorted them out and all that he had.  

End of Chapter 12 in Genesis of the Adventures of Abram and Sarai

Abram and Sarai's names will be changed later to Abraham and Sarah.   

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terebinth

Tanach, The Stone Edition (Bible-Old Testament)

Pentateuch and Haftorahs, Volume I, Genesis, Dr. JH Hertz, chief Rabbi of the British Empire  (my father's) 1941

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