וַיֵּלֶךָ אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יְיָ. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּהָא לָא כְּתִיב וַיֵּצֵא אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יְיָ. אֶלָּא וַיֵּלֶךְ. כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר לֶךְ לְךָ, דְּהָא יְצִיאָה בְּקַדְמִיתָא עֲבְדוּ דִּכְתִיב וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנָעַן, וְהַשְׁתָּא כְּתִיב וַיֵּלֶךְ וְלָא כְּתִיב וַיֵּצֵא. SO ABRAM WENT AS THE LORD HAD SPOKEN TO HIM, ETC. Said R. Eleazar: ‘It is not written “and Abram went forth”, but simply “Abram went”; the first step was “going forth”, as it is written, “and they went forth (vayez’u) from Ur of the Chaldees” (Gen. 11, 31), but the second step was “going”, corresponding to God’s command “Go (lech) thou” (Ibid.XII, 1).

כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יְיָ, דְּאַבְטַח לֵיהּ בְּכֻלְהוּ הַבְטָחוֹת. וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ לוֹט, דְּאִתְחַבַּר עִמֵּיהּ בְּגִין לְמֵילַף מֵעוֹבָדוֹי, וְעִם כָּל דָּא לָא אוֹלִיף כּוּלֵי הַאי. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר זַכָּאִין אִנּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא דְּאוֹלְפֵי אָרְחוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּגִין לְמֵיהַךְ בְּהוּ וּלְדָחֲלָא מִנֵּיהּ מֵהַהוּא יוֹמָא דְדִינָא דְּזַמִּין בַּר נָשׁ לְמֵיהַב דִּינָא וְחוּשְׁבָּנָא לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. AS THE LORD HAD SPOKEN TO HIM: i.e. because he had received all those promises. AND LOT WENT WITH HIM: i.e. he attached himself to him to learn his ways, and in spite of this he did not learn them too well.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘Happy are the righteous who learn the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, to walk in them and to go in fear of that Day of Judgement when man will be called to account before God.’

וּכְדֵין קָיְימֵי עֲלֵיהּ תְּלַת שְׁלִיחָן וְחָשְׁבֵי יוֹמוֹי וְחוֹבוֹי וְכָל מַה דְּעֲבַד בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְהוּא אוֹדֵי עַל כֹּלָּא בְּפוּמֵיהּ, וּלְבָתַר הוּא חָתִים עֲלֵיהּ בִּידֵיהּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב בְּיַד כָּל אָדָם יַחְתּוֹם, Three messengers stand over him and take an account of his life and of all that he has done in this world, and he admits all with his mouth and signs the account with his hand as it is written, “every man sealeth with his hand”

וּבִידֵיהּ כֻּלְהוּ חֲתִימִין לְמֵידַן לֵיהּ (בההוא ד"א בהאי) עָלְמָא עַל קַדְמָאֵי וְעַל בַּתְרָאֵי עַל חַדְתֵּי וְעַל עַתִּיקֵי לָא אִתְנְשֵׁי חַד מִנַּיְיהוּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב לָדַעַת כָּל אַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֵׂהוּ. וְכָל אִנּוּן עוֹבָדִין דְּעֲבַד בְּהַאי עָלְמָא בְּגוּפָא וְרוּחָא הָכִי נָמֵי יָהִיב חוּשְׁבְּנָא בְּגוּפָּא וְרוּחָא עַד לָא יִפּוּק מֵעָלְמָא. the whole account is signed with his hand so that he should be judged in the next world for all his actions, former and later, old and new, not one of them is forgotten (as it is written, “that every man should acknowledge his works”); and for all the deeds which he committed with his body and his spirit in this world he gives an account with his body and spirit before he leaves the world.

תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָה דְחַיָּיבַיָא אַקְשֵׁי קְדַל בְּהַאי עָלְמָא הָכִי נָמֵי אֲפִלּוּ בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּבָעֵי לְנַפְקָא מֵהַאי עָלְמָא אַקְשֵׁי קְדַל. בְגִין כָּךְ זַכָּאָה הוּא בַּר נָשׁ דְּיָלִיף בְּהַאי עָלְמָא אָרְחוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּגִין לְמֵיהַךְ בְּהוּ. וְחַיָּיבָא אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִסְתַּכַּל בְּהַנֵּי (נ"א דאשתדל בהדי) צַדִּיקַיָיא אַקְשֵׁי קְדַל וְלָא בָּעֵי לְמֵילַף. For just as sinners are stiff-necked in this world, so they are stiff-necked even at the moment when they are on the point of departing from the world. Happy, therefore, is the man who learns in this world the ways of God to walk in them. But sinners, even though they observe the righteous, are too stiffnecked to learn from them.

וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִית לֵיהּ לְצַדִּיקָא לְמִתְקַף בֵּיהּ וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּחַיָּיבָא אַקְשֵׁי קְדַל הוּא לָא יִשְׁבּוֹק לֵיהּ וְאִית לֵיהּ לְאַתְקָפָא בִּידֵיהּ וְלָא יִשְׁבּוֹק לֵיהּ, דְּאִי יִשְׁבּוֹק לֵיהּ יְהַךְ וְיַחֲרִיב עָלְמָא. Therefore it behoves the righteous to importune them and, even though the sinner be stiffnecked, not to relax his hold of him, for if he let him go, he may depart and destroy the world.

תָּא חֲזֵי, מִן אֱלִישָׁע דְּדָחָה לְגֵחֲזִי. וְכֵן בְּאַבְרָהָם כָּל זִמְנָא דְּהֲוָה לוֹט בַּהֲדֵיהּ לָא אִתְחַבַּר בַּהֲדֵי רַשִּׁיעַיָּא, כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנֵּיהּ מַה כְּתִיב וַיִּבְחַר לוֹ לוֹט אֶת כָּל כִּכַּר הַיַּרְדֵּן, וּכְתִיב וַיֶאֱהַל עַד סְדוֹם. מַה כְּתִיב בַּתְרֵיהּ וְאַנְשֵׁי סְדוֹם רָעִים וְחַטָּאִים לַיְיָ מְאֹד. We see this from the case of Gehazi when driven out by Elisha. So, too, with Lot: as long as Abram was with him, he did not associate with the wicked, but as soon as he left him, what do we find? “So Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan”; and further, “and he moved his tent as far as Sodom”, the inhabitants of which “were wicked and sinners against the Lord exceedingly”.

אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא הַאי דְּאֲמַרְתְּ וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם וְלָא כְּתִיב וַיֵּצֵא אַבְרָם שַׁפִּיר הוּא. אֲבָל סוֹפָא דִקְרָא מַה כְּתִיב בְּצֵאתוֹ מֵחָרָן. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר מֵחָרָן כְּתִיב וְהַהִיא יְצִיאָה מֵאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתּוֹ הֲוַת בְּקַדְמִיתָא: Said R. Abba to R. Eleazar, ‘With reference to your observation that the text says “Abraham went”, and not “went forth”, what do you make of the end of the verse which says “when he went forth from Haran”?’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘The words “from Haran” are important; the journey was in the first instance a “going forth” from the land of his kindred.