Bereshit 15 – One Prophecy or Two/2

Chronology of the Covenant Between the Pieces

Exegetical Approaches

Two Events

Chapter 15 comprises two distinct prophecies.  The vision described in the first six verses of the chapter is in chronological order and took place after the battle of the five kings, while the rest of the chapter recounts a separate prophecy (ברית בין הבתרים) which happened earlier when Avraham was 70.

Sources:Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelBo 14About Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Shemot, Seder Olam Rabbah13About Seder Olam Rabbah, Baraita of 32 MiddotMiddah 32About Baraita of 32 Middot,  RashbamShemot 12:40-41MS Oxford 271/8About R. Shemuel b. Meir, Chizkuni15:1-7About R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach, TosafotShabbat 10bAvodah Zarah 9aAbout Ba'alei HaTosafot, RanBereshit 12:5About R. Nissim Gerondi

400 or 430 years ? The motivation for this approach is the discrepancy in the account of the length of the Egyptian exile in Bereshit 15:13 (400 years) and Shemot 12:40-41 (430 years). This position maintains that the 400 years started from the birth of Yitzchak while the 430 count began thirty years earlier, at the Covenant of the Pieces.  Since Avraham was 100 when Yitzchak was born, the covenant must have occurred when he was 70. For elaboration, see Duration of the Egyptian Exile.

Achronology – As Bereshit 12 is explicitly dated to the 75th year of Avraham's life, this approach is forced to say that the Covenant of the Pieces is written out of order. Rashbam, Chizkuni and Tosafot point out that, nonetheless, the first part of the chapter is in its chronological place, as both the phrase "אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה" and Avraham's fear¹ serve to connect it to the war of the five kings in the previous chapter.²

"וְאַבְרָם בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה בְּצֵאתוֹ מֵחָרָן" – Bereshit 12:4 suggests that Avraham first left to Canaan at 75.   As such, this position must assume either that the covenant took place out of Israel, or, as Seder Olam Rabbah asserts, that Avraham went to Israel at 70 but then returned to live in Charan for five years.³  Each assumption is difficult:

• Occurred out of Israel – Chizkuni points out that the phrase, "אֲנִי ה' אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים לָתֶת לְךָ אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת" assumes that the covenant is taking place in Israel (‏הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת) rather than outside.‎⁴
• Returned to Charan – Ralbag questions this on several grounds. He finds it unfathomable that once Avraham was in Israel and was promised the land, that he would have left unless he found himself in dire circumstances (such as famine).⁵ In addition, he points out that Bereshit 11:31 suggests that Avraham went from Ur Kasdim (rather than Canaan) to Charan.⁶ Ibn Ezra also questions how Hashem could say "אֲנִי ה' אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים " when Avraham was to return to live outside of Israel.⁷

Why write the story achronologically? Rashbam and Chizkuni suggest that the story is written out of order in order to juxtapose the promise of land with the promise of progeny mentioned in the first part of the chapter.  This suggestion, though, is unsatisfying as there are multiple places where Hashem promises Avraham land or seed, and not always together.

Night or day? Rashbam points out that the difference in time between the two halves of the chapter is easily explained if one posits that the two are distinct prophecies.

Introductory formula – "אֲנִי ה'‏" – Hashem's introduction, "אֲנִי ה" makes sense only if verse 6 is the beginning of a new prophecy, rather than the continuation of Hashem's words from verse 1.⁸  Moreover, if the Covenant took place when Avraham was 70, it is possible that this was the first time that Hashem spoke with Avraham, making such an introduction even more understandable.

"וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו" – The language of "וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו" at the beginning of the Covenant of the Pieces is difficult for this approach as it appears to indicate that this story continues from where the preceding narrative left off. Were it an opening of a separate story, one would have expected the standard opening formula of ויאמר ה' אל אברהם to identify the participants in the conversation.

Avraham's doubts – "הֵן לִי לֹא נָתַתָּה זָרַע"

Avraham's doubts – "בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶׁנָּה" – Chizkuni asserts that according to this chronology, since Hashem had just promised Avraham land, but had not yet promised him progeny, Avraham's question is a legitimate one.  He is merely asking that if he dies, how is the land to be his inheritance?⁹ Moreover, according to this position, this is the first (not the third) promise of land, and so it is logical that questioning comes here rather than elsewhere.

Belief versus doubt – The inconsistency of tone between verse 6 where the text relates that Avraham "believed in Hashem" and verse 8 where Avraham questions Hashem is not problematic for this position since there is no continuity in time between the verses.  The doubting does not follow belief, but rather precedes it by several years.

וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ צְדָקָה

Vision vs. sleep – This position might suggest that the two different prophecies were relayed in different ways.  The first was a vision while the second began as a series of active actions and ended with sleep.

One Event

The events of the entire chapter are connected and took place at one time.  This position subdivides regarding when these occurred:

Chronological

The whole chapter is found in its chronological place, after the war of the 5 kings.

Sources:Bereshit Rabbah46:2About Bereshit Rabbah, R. Saadia GaonTafsir Bereshit 11:31Tafsir Bereshit 15:13HaEmunot VeHaDeot 8:4About R. Saadia Gaon, Ibn EzraBereshit 11:29Bereshit 12:1Bereshit 15:1,7,12-13,17Bereshit 24:4Long Commentary Shemot 12:40Short Commentary Shemot 12:40About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorBereshit 12:1Bereshit 15:1-8, 12Shemot 12:40About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, Rambam, RadakBereshit 11:31Bereshit 12:1Bereshit 15:1-9, 12-13About R. David Kimchi, Ralbag, Abarbanel, Hoil Moshe

When was the covenant?

When did Hashem command Avraham, "לֶךְ לְךָ"?

"וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו"

Introductory formula – "אֲנִי ה'‏"

Night or day?

Vision vs. sleep

Avraham's doubts – "הֵן לִי לֹא נָתַתָּה זָרַע"

Avraham's doubts – "בַּמָּה אֵדַע כִּי אִירָשֶׁנָּה"

Belief versus doubt

"אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים"

Achronological

The entire chapter is written out of order and occurred when Avraham was 70.

Night or day?

Introductory formula – "אֲנִי ה'‏"

¹ See Chizkuni who explains that Avraham feared that surrounding nations would retaliate for his battle, leading Hashem to calm him, "אַל תִּירָא אַבְרָם".

² This position works best if one assumes that Chapters 12-15:6 follow chronologically and occurred at some point after Avraham was 75. This appears to be the way Seder Olam Rabbah reads the verses, as he suggests that Avraham's arrival in Canaan, the famine, and the war all took place in the same year, when Avraham was 75. [One could have just as easily spread the events over several years, especially since the next dated event (Bereshit 16) occurs when Avraham is 85.]
See, though, Rashi,  Tosafot [Ms. Oxford 271/1] and others, who understand  that Seder Olam Rabbah assumes that the war took place when Avraham was 74.  The midrash counts the years of the servitude to and rebellion against the four kings as 26 years, which according to the midrash's reckoning would make Avraham 74 during the war. [See Chizkuni who attempts to reconcile the internal contradiction.]   Cf. Tosafot Shabbat 10b who similarly assumes that Avraham was 73.
This dating is extremely difficult as it suggests that Avraham was in Canaan not only at 70 for the covenant, but also at 74 for the war.  R. Yechiel of Paris, in fact, is forced to suggests that Avraham made multiple trips back and forth to Israel, when he was 70, 74 and 75.  Such a reading, though, is not compatible with the verses which present the events of chapters 12-15:6 as causal and sequential. (Avraham gains wealth and cattle in Egypt, leading to the dispute between his and Lot's shepherds. As a result Lot decides to move to Sedom and it is his presence there that prompts Avraham to fight the five kings.)  As such, if one dates the war to 74, before Avraham leaves Charan for good, one must similarly date chapters 12-13 earlier.  This creates total chronological havoc in the chapters.

³ The Ran suggests that this might explain the doubling in the description of Avraham's leaving Canaan.  The verse first says, "וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו י"י" and then adds, "וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו".  Ran posits that first "וַיֵּלֶךְ" refers to Avraham's leaving at the age of 70, while the second speaks of his second aliyah, at the age of 75.

⁴ He suggests that this is what motivates Seder Olam Rabbah to maintain instead that Avraham was in Israel during the making of the covenant but then returned to Charan.  See, though, R. Yaacov Medan in an article in מוסף השבת, מקור ראשון, פרשת לך לך תש"ע who attempts to uphold this position and suggests that the words "הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת" and "הֵנָּה"‎ (15:16) refer to the land Avraham is viewing (Cf. Devarim 34:4).

⁵ The Ran suggests that Avraham really only returned to take care of his possessions and pack up his "lift".  If so, though, it is strange why Hashem would need to command Avraham, "לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ" as if he had not been planning on returning to Israel. The Ran does not say so, but he could have suggested that this command, too, occurred when Avraham was 70, before making the covenant and Avraham did in fact leave to make a permanent home is Canaan then, but it took five years to finish the move and make all the necessary arrangements. If so, "וְאַבְרָם בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה בְּצֵאתוֹ מֵחָרָן" refers to Avraham's final and full departure, not his initial one.

⁶ Ralbag also posits that it was first at the age of 85 that Avraham despaired of having children, attested to by the story of his taking Hagar as wife in Bereshit 16. As such, he finds it much more reasonable to assume that Avraham's words "וְאָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ עֲרִירִי" and the Covenant of the Pieces took place close to that event (which immediately follows) and not fifteen years earlier.
Ralbag's argument assumes that Seder Olam Rabbah understands that the entire chapter took place when Avraham was 70, but it is more likely that they assume that only verses 7ff occurred then.

⁷

This position would respond that Hashem's words refer not to His permanent uprooting of Avraham but rather this initial trek from Ur Kasdim to Israel for the covenant.

⁸ It is not logical to first introduce one's self mid-conversation.

⁹ He asserts that, if the chapter really were chronological, it would not be a valid question from a man of faith like Avraham.  If Hashem had just promised him that his own  biological child would inherit him, how could Avraham then question the inheritance?