אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא אִי הָכִי כַּמָּה בְּנֵי נָשָׁא הֲווּ, אִי תֵימָא דְּכֻלְהוּ אֲזְלוּ עִמֵּיהּ. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אִין. (ובגין כלהו ד"א ובגין כך כלהו) בְּנֵי נָשָׁא דְּהֲווּ אָזְלִין עִמֵּיהּ כֻּלְהוּ אִקְרוּן עַם אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם. וְהֲוָה מַעֲבַר בְּאַרְעָא וְלָא הֲוָה דָּחִיל דִּכְתִיב וַיַּעֲבֹר אַבְרָם בָּאָרֶץ. Said R. Abba: ‘If so, they must have been a great crowd, if you say that they all went with him.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘That is so; and therefore the whole company that went with him were called “the people of the God of Abraham”, and he travelled through the land without fear, as it is written, “And Abram passed through the land”.’

אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי אַבָּא אִי הֲוָה כְּתִיב וְהַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן הֲוָה אֲמִינָא הָכִי, אֶלָּא וְאֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ כְּתִיב, אֶת לְאַסְגָּאָה זְכוּתָא דְּכֻלְהוּ נַפְשָׁאן דְּהֲווּ אָזְלֵי עִמֵּיהּ, דְּכָל מַאן דִּמְזַכֶּה לְאָחֳרָא הַהוּא זְכוּתָא תַּלְיָא בֵּיהּ וְלָא אַעֲדֵי מִנֵּיהּ, מְנָלָן דִּכְתִיב וְאֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן, זְכוּתָא דְּאִנּוּן נַפְשָׁן הֲוָה אָזִיל עִמֵּיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם. לֶךְ לְךָ. Said R. Abba to him: ‘I interpret differently, viz. that the particle eth here signifies the augmentation of his merit by that of the souls that went with him, since one who puts another in the path of righteousness ever reaps benefit from his merit also. So it was the merit of those souls which were “made” in Haran that accompanied Abram. ‘

אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן מַאי טַעְמָא דְּגִלּוּיָא קַדְמָאָה דְּאִתְגְּלֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עֲלֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם פָּתַח בְּלֶךְ לְךָ, דְּהָא עַד הָכָא לָא מַלִּיל עִמֵּיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, מַאי טַעְמָא פָּתַח לֶךְ לְךָ. אֶלָּא הָא קָאֲמְרוּ דְּרָמַז בְּחוּשְׁבְּנִיהּ מְאָה דְּהָא לְמֵאָה שְׁנִין אִתְיְילִיד לֵיהּ בַּר. GET THEE FORTH. R. Simeon said: What is the reason that the first communion which God held with Abraham commenced with the words “Get thee forth” (lech lecha)? It is that the numerical value of the letters of the words lech lecha is a hundred, and hence they contained a hint to him that he would beget a son at the age of a hundred.

אֲבָל תָּא חֲזֵי, כָּל מַה דְּעָבִיד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּאַרְעָא כֹּלָּא רָזָא דְחָכְמְתָא אִיהוּ, בְּגִין דְּאַבְרָהָם לָא הֲוָה דָּבִיק בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כְּדֵין כְּדְקָא חָזֵי, אָמַר לֵיהּ לֶךְ לְךָ, וְדָא רֶמֶז לְהַהוּא אֲתַר דְּבָעֵי לְאִתְקְרָבָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְאִיהוּ דַּרְגָּא קַדְמָאָה לְאָעֳלָא לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּגִין כָּךְ לֶךְ לְךָ. See now, whatever God does upon the earth has some inner and recondite purpose. Abram was not cleaving to God as closely as he should have done, and therefore God said to him, “Get thee forth”, alluding thereby to the place where he would be able to draw near to God, which was the first grade for entering before God; hence “get thee forth”.

וְהַאי דַרְגָא לָא יָכִיל אַבְרָהָם לְאִתְאַחֲדָא בֵּיהּ עַד דְּיֵיעוּל לְאַרְעָא דְּתַמָּן יְקַבֵל לֵיהּ לְהַהוּא דַרְגָא, כְּגַוְונָא דָא כְּתִיב, (שמואל ב ב׳:א׳) וַיִּשְׁאַל דָּוִד בַּיְיָ לֵאמֹר הַאֶעֱלֶה בְּאַחַת מֵעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ עֲלֵה וַיֹּאמֶר אָנָה אֶעֱלֶה וַיֹּאמֶר חֶבְרוֹנָה. וְכִי כֵּיוָן דְּמִית שָׁאוּל וּמַלְכוּתָא אִתְחֲזֵי לְדָוִד אַמַּאי לָא קַבִּיל מַלְכוּתָא מִיָּד עַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. Abram could not attain to this grade until he had entered the promised land; but there he was destined to attain it. Similarly with David, of whom it is written, “And David inquired of the Lord saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.” (II Sam. 2, 1). Seeing that Saul was dead and the kingship belonged of right to David, why was he not at once declared king over all Israel?

אֶלָּא כֹּלָּא רָזָא דְחָכְמְתָא אִיהוּ, בְּגִין דְּדָוִד לֵית לֵיהּ לְקַבְּלָא מַלְכוּתָא אֶלָּא עַד דְּיִתְחַבַּר בַּאֲבָהָן דְּאִנּוּן בְּחֶבְרוֹן וּכְדֵין בְּהוּ יְקַבֵּל מַלְכוּתָא. וְעַל דָּא אִתְעַכַּב תַּמָּן שְׁבַע שְׁנִין בְּגִין דִּיקַבֵּל מַלְכוּתָא כְּדְקָא יְאוּת וְכֹלָּא בְּרָזָא דְּחָכְמְתָא וּבְגִין דִּיתַקֵּן מַלְכוּתֵיהּ. כְּגַוְונָא דָא אַבְרָהָם לָא עָאל בְּקִיּוּמָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עַד דְּעָאל לְאַרְעָא. Here again there was an inner purpose: David was not qualified to become king until he had attached himself to the patriarchs who were buried in Hebron, and therefore he stayed there seven years in order to qualify himself completely for the kingship. Thus all was done with an inner purpose, and in order that there should be no flaw in his kingship. Similarly Abram did not enter into the covenant of God until he entered the land.

חָמֵי מַה כְּתִיב וַיַּעֲבֹר אַבְרָם בָּאָרֶץ. וַיַּעֲבֹר וַיֵּלֶךְ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, אֶלָא הָכָא הוּא רֶמֶז שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא דְּאִתְחַתִּים בֵּיהּ עָלְמָא בְּע"ב אַתְוָון גְּלִיפָן דְּכֻלְהוּ בִּשְׁמָא דָא. כְּתִיב הָכָא וַיַּעֲבֹר וּכְתִיב הָתָם (שמות לה) וַיַּעֲבֹר יְיָ עַל פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא: Observe that the text says “And Abram passed through the land”, where we should have expected “went through”. We have here an allusion to the holy name of seventy-two letters with which the world is sealed, all of which are in this name. We read here “and he passed “, and in another place we find “And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed” (Ex. 34, 6).