Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 12/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 12

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Overview

This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.

Wives and Sisters

There are several stories in Sefer Bereshit in which a wife passes herself off as a sister.

Tools

• Makbilot Bamikra points out that Avraham’s claim that Sarah is his sister is parallel to two similar stories, one later in the narrative of of Avraham and Sarah (Bereshit 20) and one in the narrative of Yitzchak and Rivka (Bereshit 26).

Articles

• See המוטיב 'אשתי-אחותי ומלך' שלושה סיפורים וארבעה וקריאה אחרת by Prof. Moshe Zipor who compares and analyzes the wife-sister stories, using the comparison as a paradigm for how to do comparative readings of Tanakh in general.
• See Endangering Sarai in Egypt for an exploration of the moral and strategic questions that arise from the behavior of the Patriarchs in this and the other narratives in which they claim that their wives are their sisters.  The article traces the approaches of various commentators to the question. Some  maintain that Avraham did not intend to endanger Sarai, while others suggest that while he did knowingly endanger her honor, this was justified by the need to save his own life. A third group of exegetes finds fault with Avraham’s actions.  

Avraham and Iyyov

There are a number of parallels between the narratives of Avraham and of Iyyov. Both are exceptionally God-fearing individuals who endure difficult tests.

Tools

• Concordance – If one highlights the words "יְרֵא אֱלֹהִים" in Bereshit 22:12 and chooses the concordance from the drop-down menu, all appearances of the phrase in Tanakh will display. At a glance, it becomes evident that the only two named individuals who are so-called are Avraham and Iyyov.¹ The shared description invites a comparison between the two figures.

Primary Sources

Several Rabbinic sources compare Avraham and Iyyov:

• R. Yehuda HaNasi in Tosefta Sotah 6:1Sotah 6:1About the Tosefta compares Avraham and Iyyov, noting that both characters are described as "יְרֵא אֱ-לֹהִים", but that just as Avraham acted out of a love of God (and not merely fear), so too did Iyyov.
• See Tosefta Bava Kamma 9:11Bava Kamma 9:11About the Tosefta, and Bereshit Rabbah 49:949:9About Bereshit Rabbah for other parallels, and Bavli Bava Batra 15bBava Batra 15bAbout the Bavli who notes that Tanakh's praise of Iyyov even surpasses that of Avraham.

Articles

• See Avraham and Iyyov for an exploration of the comparisons and contrasts between the two figures. Both Avraham and Iyyov are tested by Hashem in a way that involved mortal danger to their children and features an angelic figure, both are God-fearing, both pray for others, both have three associates, both are described as wealthy, and both are informed by a single escapee of disaster that has befallen their family members. There are also points of contrast. The divine instructions given to Avraham are more explicit, Avraham does not question God about his own test whereas Iyyov does, and Iyyov’s children actually die whereas Avraham’s does not.  
• Rav Soloveitchik’s writing on Iyyov in Kol Dodi Dofek accentuates the aspects of Iyyov’s personality that are different from the legacy of Avraham. He suggests that while Iyyov was personally righteous at the beginning of his story, he lacked Avraham’s empathy for and investment in other individuals and the community as a whole. 

Avraham and Bilaam

Avraham and Bilaam have been compared by several Midrashic sources, highlighting the contrast between the righteous forefather and the scheming Bilaam.

Tools

• Though there is not significant linguistic overlap between the two stories, one parallel stands out. Use the Tanakh Lab to compare Bereshit 12:3 and Bemidbar 22:6. In the former, Hashem promises Avraham that all who bless him will be blessed, and all who curse him shall be cursed, but concludes by stating "all the families of the land will be blessed through you".  In Bemidbar, Balak tells Bilaam that he knows that all whom he blesses are blessed and all whom he curses are cursed, concluding that therefore Bilaam is the right person to go and curse the Israelites.

Primary Sources

• Mishna Avot 5:19Avot 5:19About the Mishna contrasts the character traits of Avraham and Bilaam.  While Avraham was marked by a "good eye", a humble spirit and a lowly soul, Bilaam was known for the opposite qualities.
• Bereshit Rabbah 55:8 notes how both Avraham and Bilaam wake early and saddle their own donkeys to embark on a mission.  While Avraham is motivated by love and the desire to heed God's words when commanded to sacrifice Yitzchak, Bilaam is motivated by hatred and a desire to curse the nation.

Articles

• See Balaam: The Prophet and the Consultant by R. Menachem Leibtag for analysis of the parallel and contrasting themes of the stories of Avraham and Bilaam. R. Leibtag explains that Bilaam used his prophetic understanding to engineer the idea of entrapping the Children of Israel by leading them to sin with the daughters of Moav so that they would lose divine favor.  As such, in contrast to Avraham who directed his spiritual understanding and gifts toward the betterment of mankind, Bilaam exploited his prophetic knowledge for his own personal motives.
• See Avraham and Balaam: A Biblical Contrast by Ricky Novick for a discussion of the linguistic and conceptual parallels between the stories of the two figures which might have prompted the Sages to compare the two in the sources listed above. In addition to the parallels mentioned above, he notes that Avraham and Bilaam share the homeland of Aram Naharayim, both "embark on missions that produce the reverse of the anticipated outcomes", and both stories involve the theme of blessing and curse.
• Listen to Bilaam and Avraham, by R. Alex Israel, who also compares the two protagonists. He notes that the character of Bilaam is a complex one; though he initially appears to be a positive figure, he is vilified by the Sages, and the Biblical narrative itself paints him progressively blacker as the story continues. R. Israel attempts to deepen the reader's understanding of Bilaam by comparing him to Avraham, noting that the similarities between the figures suggest that they both began with the same potential. It was their independent choices of what to do with that potential that led one to greatness and the other to downfall.
• Listen to For God Is Not A Man - On Bil’am, Blessing and Betrayal, by R. Chanoch Waxman, for exploration of the parallels between Avraham and Bilaam with an emphasis on their relevance to this juncture of the nation's journey in Sefer Bemidbar.  As the Jewish people prepare to enter the land, the Torah introduces allusions to the legacy and story of Avraham, and emphasizes that the blessings of Avraham are irreversible -- even by a figure who acts as the perfect anti-Avraham.

¹ There are others who do not merit the description "God-fearing", but who are nonetheless said to have feared God, such as Yosef and the midwives.