ויהי רעב בארץ בבראשית רבה (בראשית רבה מ׳:ו׳) רבי פנחס בשם רבי אושעיא אמר אמר הקב"ה לאברהם צא וכבוש את הדרך לפני בניך ואתה מוצא כל מה שכתוב באברהם כתוב בבניו באברהם כתוב ויהי רעב בארץ בישראל כתיב (בראשית מ״ה:ו׳) כי זה שנתים הרעב בקרב הארץ:
AND THERE WAS A FAMINE IN THE LAND.
The Rabbis have explained this subject in Bereshith Rabbah: “Rabbi Pinchas said in the name of Rabbi Oshaya that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, ‘Go forth and tread out a path for your children!’ Thus you find that whatever is written concerning Abraham is also written concerning his children. In connection with Abraham it is written, And there was a famine in the land; in connection with Israel, it is written For these two years hath the famine been in the land.”
(2) I will make of you a great nation,
And I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
And you shall be a blessing.*a blessing I.e., a standard by which blessing is invoked; cf. v. 3 end.
(3) I will bless those who bless you
And curse the one who curses you;
And all the families of the earth
Shall bless themselves by you.”
(א) אַחַ֣ר ׀ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה הָיָ֤ה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם בַּֽמַּחֲזֶ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר אַל־תִּירָ֣א אַבְרָ֗ם אָנֹכִי֙ מָגֵ֣ן לָ֔ךְ שְׂכָרְךָ֖ הַרְבֵּ֥ה מְאֹֽד׃ (ב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַבְרָ֗ם אֲדֹנָ֤י יֱהֹוִה֙ מַה־תִּתֶּן־לִ֔י וְאָנֹכִ֖י הוֹלֵ֣ךְ עֲרִירִ֑י וּבֶן־מֶ֣שֶׁק בֵּיתִ֔י ה֖וּא דַּמֶּ֥שֶׂק אֱלִיעֶֽזֶר׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַבְרָ֔ם הֵ֣ן לִ֔י לֹ֥א נָתַ֖תָּה זָ֑רַע וְהִנֵּ֥ה בֶן־בֵּיתִ֖י יוֹרֵ֥שׁ אֹתִֽי׃ (ד) וְהִנֵּ֨ה דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֤ה אֵלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א יִֽירָשְׁךָ֖ זֶ֑ה כִּי־אִם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֵצֵ֣א מִמֵּעֶ֔יךָ ה֖וּא יִֽירָשֶֽׁךָ׃
“Fear not, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.” (2) But Abram said, “O lord יהוה,*lord יהוה Heb. ’adonai y-h-w-h, traditionally read aloud as ’adonai ’elohim (rather than ’adonai twice). NJPS “Lord God.” See also the Dictionary under “male metaphors for God.” what can You give me, seeing that I shall die childless, and the one in charge of my household is Dammesek Eliezer!”*and the one in charge of my household is Dammesek Eliezer Meaning of Heb. uncertain. (3) Abram said further, “Since You have granted me no offspring, my steward will be my heir.” (4) The word of יהוה came to him in reply, “That one shall not be your heir; none but your very own issue shall be your heir.”
The meaning of the expression, And, behold, the word of the Eternal came unto him, is that while Abraham was still saying, And, lo, my household slave will be mine heir, the word of G-d suddenly came to him, saying This man shall not be thine heir.
(5) [Then in the vision, God] took him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them”—continuing, “So shall your offspring be.” (6) And he put his trust in יהוה, who reckoned it to his merit. (7) Then [God] said to him, “I am יהוה who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to assign this land to you as a possession.” (8) And he said, “O lord יהוה, how shall I know that I am to possess it?”
Hevrutah:
Consider the last verse we looked at:
“O lord יהוה, how shall I know that I am to possess it?”
Read the following verses
How do they answer Abraham's question?
You shall go to your ancestors in peace;
You shall be buried at a ripe old age. (16) And they shall return here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” (17) When the sun set and it was very dark, there appeared a smoking oven, and a flaming torch which passed between those pieces. (18) On that day יהוה made a covenant with Abram: “To your offspring I assign this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates— (19) the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, (20) the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, (21) the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”