Endangering Sarai in Egypt/2

Endangering Sarah in Egypt

Exegetical Approaches

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Endangered Unwittingly

Avraham never intended to place his wife in danger and had not thought that she would be taken to Paroh's palace.  This position subdivides regarding what Avraham was thinking in acting as he did:

Unaware of Danger

Avraham simply did not recognize that going down to Egypt was going to endanger Sarah until it was too late.

Sources:Bavli Bava Batra16aAbout the Bavli, Bereshit Rabbah40:4About Bereshit Rabbah, TanchumaLekh Lekha 5About the Tanchuma,¹ RambamCommentary on the Mishnah Avot 5:17About R. Moshe Maimonides, RadakBereshit 12:11-17About R. David Kimchi, Akeidat YitzchakBereshit #16About R. Yitzchak Arama, AbarbanelBereshit 12:10Bereshit 12:16About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel²

Descent to Egypt – Most of these commentators assert that Avraham only left the land promised to him by Hashem because the severe conditions brought by the famine left him no choice.³  As such, his actions are not considered problematic. Both Radak and Abarbanel further stress that Avraham only planned to move temporarily and was thus not rejecting Hashem's chosen land.

"הִנֵּה נָא יָדַעְתִּי..." – Most of these commentators define the word "נָא" in this verse as  "now".⁴ Avraham had either truly never noticed Sarah's beauty beforehand,⁵ or only first appreciated its ramifications now, when contrasting Sarah with the Egyptians.⁶ It was thus, only on entry into Egypt, that Avraham recognized that there was potential danger.⁷  Radak and Abarbanel maintain that had he known sooner, Avraham would never have gone down.

"וְהָרְגוּ אֹתִי וְאֹתָךְ יְחַיּוּ" – According to Radak, Akeidat Yitzchak and Abarbanel, in these words Avraham is pointing to the dangers that faced both him and Sarah - for him, death, and for her, an equally terrible fate, to be left alive so as to be raped.

"וְחָיְתָה נַפְשִׁי" - Is his life more important? Radak explains that Avraham thought that Sarah would be in worse danger if he were dead rather than alive.  Though the Egyptians might take her either way, Avraham's presence would shame them into minimizing their base actions, whereas his death would leave Sarah at the mercy of their whims.⁸

Why a sister specifically? Radak might maintain that Avraham thought he could best watch over Sarah if others believed that they were related (but not married).  This way they could live together, and their kinship would help ensure that the Egyptians acted with at least a modicum of conscience.⁹

Lying and leading Egypt to sin – Most of these commentators would likely maintain that lying is not problematic if it will help save a life, and that telling the truth would not have stopped the Egyptians from sinning anyway.¹⁰ Akeidat Yitzchak suggests that even Paroh agreed that the ruse was valid in light of the Egyptian's reputation, and that he only complained why Avraham had not told him personally the truth.

"לְמַעַן יִיטַב לִי בַעֲבוּרֵךְ" - asking for riches? Radak, Akeidat Yitzchak and Abarbanel explain that this clause is parallel to and defined by the immediately following one, "וְחָיְתָה נַפְשִׁי בִּגְלָלֵךְ".‎¹¹  It is inconceivable that Avraham would desire to get rich off the shame of his wife.¹²  Moreover, he had no need of riches, being independently wealthy.  The only reason he even accepted the later gifts was his fear of displeasing Paroh.¹³

Why punish Paroh?

Why does Avraham repeat the actions in Gerar? The repeated actions in Gerar are difficult for this position as it would be hard to say that there too Avraham was taken by surprise.¹⁴

Hoped to Avert Danger

Avraham's actions were part of a calculated plan which was meant to protect Sarah and prevent her from being forcibly taken by the Egyptians.

Sources:Bereshit Rabbah40:5About Bereshit Rabbah, TanchumaAbout the Tanchuma, RashiAbout R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, Ba'alei HaTosafot, RanBereshit 12:11About R. Nissim Gerondi, AbarbanelBereshit 12:10About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, SefornoAbout R. Ovadyah Seforno, Ma'asei Hashem, ShadalBereshit 12:11-13About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, R. S"R HirschAbout R. Samson Raphael Hirsch, MalbimAbout R. Meir Leibush Weiser, Hoil Moshe

The Plan

• Prolong marital negotiations  ­­– Most of these commentators assert that Avraham meant to act as Sarah's guardian who could negotiate her nuptials,¹⁵ and planned to ask for such a high dowry that no one would be able to meet it.  During the prolonged discussions Avraham would be able to get provisions enabling him to return to Israel before any harm was brought to Sarah.¹⁶
• Pass Sarah off as married ­­– Chizkuni, instead, suggests that Avraham told the Egyptians that Sarah was indeed married but that her husband was overseas. Unable to kill her spouse, and fearful of committing adultery, they would thus leave Sarah alone.¹⁷
• Hide Sarah ­­– According to Bereshit Rabbah, Tanchuma, and Rashi, Avraham was hoping to hide Sarah during their stay.¹⁸

Descent to Egypt –

 All of these sources justify Avraham's decision, but for different reasons:

• Test from Hashem ­­–  Rashi, Ran and Malbim count the famine as one of Avraham's ten trials,¹⁹ asserting that Hashem was testing whether Avraham would complain when forced out of the land.  As such, they assume that Hashem intended Avraham to leave and view his acceptance of the situation as a show of faith, not a lack thereof.²⁰
• No reliance on miracles ­­– R. Hirsch and Malbim maintain that one is not supposed to rely on miracles,²¹ but rather do whatever one can to avert disaster naturally.²²
• Caring for others ­­– The Ran suggests that had Avraham only needed to care for himself and Sarah, he would likely not have gone to Egypt, but since he felt responsible for many others and desired to continue his hospitable ways, he chose to go down.²³
• Plan to save Sarah ­­– Ran points out, though, that even the necessity to escape death from famine can not explain nor justify a decision to endanger Sarah's honor, leading him to conclude that Avraham descended with a ruse which he thought would prevent such an issue.²⁴

"הִנֵּה נָא יָדַעְתִּי..." – These commentators split, with some²⁵ suggesting that "נָא" means "now",²⁶ and others viewing the term as a figure of speech or a sign of emphasis.²⁷  If the latter, Avraham is simply saying, "behold, I know you are beautiful..." as a preface to the discussion of this fact's ramifications.

"וְהָרְגוּ אֹתִי וְאֹתָךְ יְחַיּוּ" – Ran, Ma'asei Hashem, and R. Hirsch assert that Avraham is equating the potential fates of both he and his wife; Avraham will die, and Sarah be left alive to have her honor harmed. When he requests that Sarah pose as his sister, his purpose is to save them both.

"לְמַעַן יִיטַב לִי בַעֲבוּרֵךְ" - asking for riches? Most of these commentators could say, like Seforno, that Avraham is referring to the dowry that he is to ask of the Egyptians who seek to marry Sarah.²⁸ Malbim defends this read by pointing out that the word "בַעֲבוּרֵךְ" means "on your behalf" rather than "because of you" ("בִּגְלָלֵךְ‎").²⁹

"וְחָיְתָה נַפְשִׁי" - Is his life more important? Avraham was not planning on saving himself at Sarah's expense, but rather trying to save both.

Why a sister specifically? For most of these commentators Avraham needed to pass himself off as Sarah's brother specifically since only such a relative could negotiate her dowry and push off potential suitors.

Lying and leading Egypt to sin

Why punish Paroh? According to Chizkuni, Paroh believed that Sarah was married and nonetheless took her. The fact that he did not know that Avraham specifically was her spouse is irrelevant.

Why does Avraham repeat the actions in Gerar? Since Avraham's plan was actually a logical one which would very likely have worked in most situations, it made sense to try again.³⁰

Self-preservation

Avraham's conduct was motivated by a desire to save himself. Placing Sarah in potential danger was justified in face of the supreme value placed on preservation of life.

Sources:Iggeret Pirkoi b. BavoiAbout Iggeret Pirkoi b. Bavoi (Ginze Shechter Part I, RalbagBereshit 12 Toelet 3About R. Levi b. Gershon, AbarbanelBereshit 12:10About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel³¹

Descent to Egypt – This approach lauds Avraham's decision to escape the almost certain death due to famine rather than stay in Israel and trust that Hashem would save him.³²  Since commandments were given to live by, temporarily leaving the land to save one's self is not seen as a transgression but rather as an act to be emulated.

"הִנֵּה נָא יָדַעְתִּי..." – Ralbag does not read any significance into the word "נָא" and assumes that Avraham had recognized Sarah's beauty earlier.  Avraham is simply remarking upon it now in the context of the danger that this fact brings to his life.³³

"וְהָרְגוּ אֹתִי וְאֹתָךְ יְחַיּוּ" – According to Ralbag the two phrases are reversals of each other.  Avraham is telling his wife that the Egyptians will kill him,  leaving only her alive, thus emphasizing that the danger is to him personally (rather than to Sarah).

"וְחָיְתָה נַפְשִׁי" - Is Avraham's life more important? Though these commentators agree that Avraham was placing his life before the honor of his wife, they differ in their justification of this:

• Pirkoi b. Baboi asserts that all other transgressions are overridden in order to save a life.³⁴  Even a case of potential danger to life allows one to push off a potential case of forced relations.³⁵ 
• Abarbanel instead suggests that Avraham was convinced that Sarah's being taken was inevitable.  If so, nothing is gained by Avraham martyring himself and it is logical that he should try to save himself.

Why a sister specifically? According to this approach there was no special need posit to a sibling relationship, but the guise would easily enable them to continue living together.

Lying and leading Egypt to sin – Though the commentators do not address the issue explictly, they would likely say that lying is permissible in face of danger to one's life, even if it causes a stumbling block for another.

"לְמַעַן יִיטַב לִי בַעֲבוּרֵךְ" - asking for riches? While Abarbanel assumes that the good Avraham is referring to is that his life be saved, Ralbag seems to suggest that he is referring to presents or honor that would be given to him by the Egyptians who desired Sarah.  He does not address the issue of the insensitivity of such a deed.

Why punish Paroh?

Why does Avraham repeat the actions in Gerar? Since preservation of life trumps all, it is not surprising that any time Avraham was to find himself in a life-compromising situation, he would act similarly.

Avraham Sinned

Avraham's actions in descending to Egypt and endangering Sarah were problematic and Avraham was punished for them.

Sources:RambanBereshit 12:10-13Bereshit 20:12About R. Moshe Nachmanides, ZoharPart 1, p. 81bAbout the Zohar, U. Cassuto

Descent to Egypt – Ramban views Avraham's decision to leave Israel as an expression of lack of faith in Hashem.³⁶  He claims that Avraham was in fact punished severely for his actions and the decree of slavery in Egypt was a direct outcome of this story.  As evidence, he points to the many parallels³⁷ between the two episodes,³⁸ suggesting that the enslavement was a measure for measure punishment for Avraham's deeds.

"וְחָיְתָה נַפְשִׁי" - Is Avraham's life more important? Ramban similarly faults Avraham for endangering Sarah, claiming that Avraham should instead have trusted in Hashem to save them.³⁹

"הִנֵּה נָא יָדַעְתִּי..." – Ramban  maintains that the word "נָא" refers to any fact which is a continuous truth⁴⁰ pointing to its usage in Bereshit 16:2 and 19:8.  The phrase does not connote that Avraham first came to recognize Sarah's beauty upon entry into Egypt, but rather that he had known it all along.

"וְהָרְגוּ אֹתִי וְאֹתָךְ יְחַיּוּ"

Why a sister specifically? Ramban does not address this point.

Lying and leading Egypt to sin – According to Ramban, the Egyptians took Sarah without asking about her marital status at all; only afterwards did Avraham say that he was Sarah's brother to save himself from potential death.⁴¹

"לְמַעַן יִיטַב לִי בַעֲבוּרֵךְ" - asking for riches? Ramban minimizes the possible negative connotations of Avraham's words by explaining that the good Avraham is referring to relates to the provision of sustenance during the famine, not riches. In addition, in paraphrasing Avraham's thoughts Ramban puts them into plural language, thereby having Avraham include Sarah as a beneficiary of this "good."⁴²

Why punish Paroh?

Why does Avraham repeat the actions in Gerar? The Ran questions Ramban's criticism of Avraham from this point, asking how it is possible that Avraham would have repeated his sin by doing the same exact thing a few chapter later. In Ramban's Derashat Torat Hashem Temimah⁴³ he suggests that Avraham never knew for what he was being punished in the Covenant between the Pieces and so he repeated the error.

¹ The Midrash also mentions Avraham's attempts to protect Sarah by hiding her in a box, combining this approach with the one below.

² Abarbanel combines this approach with the others below.

³ In explaining the necessity, Tanchuma and Abarbanel point to the harshness of the famine while Radak and R. Yitzchak Arama note the many members of his household and the numerous cattle that Avraham had to provide for.  Abarbanel brings evidence for this assertion from the opening verse of the story which emphasizes that Avraham left only "כִּי כָבֵד הָרָעָב בָּאָרֶץ". Had the situation been less severe, Avraham would not have gone down.  To further support this positive evaluation of Avraham's decision to leave the land, both Akeidat Yitzchak and Abarbanel points to the discussion in Bava Kama which sees Avraham's actions as worthy of emulation.

⁴ Though Radak agrees that the word means "now", he suggests that in this case it is simply being used as a figure of speech (similar to its usage in Bereshit 19:2 and 18).  Thus, one should not conclude from this statement that Avraham had never before recognized that his wife was beautiful.  For more about the usage of the word "נָא" in Tanakh see the lexical entry נָא.

⁵ Bava Batra, Tanchuma and Rambam understand the verse in this way, suggesting that due to Avraham's great modesty he had never looked carefully at his wife.  Tanchuma maintains that he only did so now because he happened to see her reflection in a river, "shining like the sun".

⁶ See R. Zera in Bereshit Rabbah, Radak, Akeidat Yitzchak and Abarbanel. Abarbanel asserts that until now Avraham had not thought that there was anything extraordinary about Sarah's beauty since there were other women who were comparable to her in Canaan.  Only upon arrival in Egypt, when he found himself surrounded by "dark-skinned and ugly" people, did he realize that she might be deemed beautiful by the locals.  Akeidat Yitzchak instead posits that Avraham recognized too late the base nature of the Egyptians, and that it was a country where the majority of the inhabitants would have no qualms about killing him in order to take his wife.

⁷ Akeidat Yitzchak asserts that Avraham had weighed the relative dangers of staying in Canaan (almost definite death due to famine) and what he deemed as only an unlikely possibility that there would be danger en route.   Unfortunately, it turned out he had vastly underestimated the latter.  He points to the four lepers of Melakhim II, chapter 7 for another case where people weigh the likely death resulting from hunger against potential dangers of entering enemy territory and choose the latter.

⁸ In this Radak is similar to the approach below that suggests that Avraham's actions were aimed at protecting Sarah.

⁹ See above that Radak assumes that the Egyptians' embarrassment in front of others might not prevent their licentious actions, but at least would put them in check.  Abarbanel, instead, follows in the path of the Ran, asserting that Avraham planned to portray himself as Sarah's guardian, in charge of her nuptials, enabling him to prevent her from being taken by potential suitors.  For elaboration, see below.

¹⁰ It would have led instead to the murder of Avraham and the subsequent taking of Sarah by force.  Though the specific sin of adultery might be eliminated, the alternatives are not better.

¹¹ Compare Devarim 5:30, Devarim 6:24 and Yirmiyahu 38:20 where the two phrases are similarly paired and seem to be equivalent in meaning.  The difficulty for this position is the fact that the very same words, "וּלְאַבְרָם הֵיטִיב בַּעֲבוּרָהּ", appear several verses later and are understood by these commentators to refer to the giving of riches to Avraham.

¹² As proof of the absurdity of the possibility, Radak points to the story of Sedom where Avraham had legitimate rights to gifts and nonetheless refused them.

¹³ According to Abarbanel, even in the end Avraham does not accept gifts from Paroh.  He asserts that the referent of the words, "וּלְאַבְרָם הֵיטִיב בַּעֲבוּרָהּ" is actually Hashem (mentioned in the next verse) and that the verb in the clause is in the past perfect tense. One might question why the text would be sharing this information now. Abarbanel answers that the verses are simply saying that Hashem had previously given Avraham wealth due to Sarah's righteousness, and here too, He is plaguing Paroh on her behalf.

¹⁴ Radak and Abarbanel, who maintain that Sarah's beauty was only in contrast to the Egyptians, could suggest that Avraham did not think it would be a problem elsewhere.  Nonetheless, one would think that after the near disaster in Egypt, Avraham would have been wary regardless.

¹⁵ See B. Eichler, "On Reading Genesis 12:10-20", who brings much evidence from the Ancient Near East to such guardian roles of brothers.

¹⁶ If some potential suitor became problematic, Avraham figured he would simply return to Israel.  He had never thought of the possibility that it would be the king who would desire Sarah and simply take her without discussion.

¹⁷ The working assumption of this theory is that the Egyptians had no qualms in committing murder but were very hesitant to touch a married woman.

¹⁸ See Jubilees 13:10-16About Jubilees 13:10-16 and the Genesis Apocryphon, which have Avraham in Egypt for a full five years before Sarah was taken, suggesting that he was actually successful in protecting his wife for that long. The Biblical text does not mention the duration of Avraham's stay, but does not contradict this possibility either.

¹⁹ See also R. Pinchas and R. Yehoshua b. Levi in Bereshit Rabbah.

²⁰ Ran further points out that Hashem would not have tested Avraham if he were to fail, so one must conclude that Avraham's actions were not sinful.

²¹ Malbim also points out that Avraham was humble enough not to expect that Hashem would make one on his behalf.  To further defend Avraham, he adds that Avraham was only planning on moving to Egypt temporarily, so it is not as if he was uprooting himself totally from Hashem's promised Land.

²² R. Hirsch adds that it is easy for a modern person to argue that Avraham should have trusted in Hashem, since, from history, one knows that He always cares for the righteous and would never forsake them.  Avraham, though, did not yet have that experience, there being no "Avrahams" before him.  It was only through trials like this one that he was to learn this lesson.

²³

²⁴ See point above for elaboration.

²⁵ See Tanchuma, Rashi and others that the word "נָא" means "now.

²⁶ Thus, Avraham's words reveal that he first appreciated Sarah's beauty, or the danger it brought, upon entry into Egypt.

²⁷ See Ran, Shadal, R. Hirsch, and Malbim.

²⁸

See Ma'asei Hashem, Malbim and R. Hirsch similarly.  Abarbanel and Shadal,  like Radak above, instead equate the term with the immediately following phrase "וְחָיְתָה נַפְשִׁי בִּגְלָלֵךְ" while Ran asserts that the good refers to the fact that the plan will ensure that the Egyptians allow him to stay in the land and do not chase him away. Rashi, in contrast, says that the phrases refers to getting gifts. He is likely motivated by the parallel words in verse 16 which are explicitly followed by a list of gifts, but does not explain how Avraham could really say to his wife that he will be enriched via her loss of honor. 

²⁹ Avraham will remain alive because of Sarah's deeds, but he will accept gifts only on her behalf, as part of the nuptial negotiations.

³⁰ One might suggest that, regardless,  Avraham should have learned to be wary of the possibility that the king would take her and plan accordingly.

³¹ He combines this approach with the two above.

³² Abarbanel explicitly combats the position of Ramban below that views Avraham's actions as problematic.

³³ See above that Abarbanel combines the above approach, that Avraham was unaware of the danger to Sarah, with this one.  He thus understands the word "נא" to mean "now" and suggests that only upon arrival in Egypt did Avraham recognize his wife's beauty, as contrasted with the local women.

³⁴ Pirkoi b. Baboi is partially motivated by a polemic with the Karaites who denied the principle that salvation of life allows one to disregard certain commandments.

³⁵ One might question this assumption from Sanhedrin 74a which asserts that preservation of life overrides all commandments except murder, idolatry and illicit relations.  Pirkoi b.Baboi might respond that this does not apply to a case of uncertain relations.

³⁶ Cassuto does not fault Avraham on this point, asserting

³⁷

Both stories open with a famine causing those affected to descend to Egypt.  Once there, the Egyptians oppress them leading Hashem to punish the oppressors via plague.  In the end both Avraham and the nation leave with great wealth.

The Genesis Apocryphon and Jubilees, interestingly, add another potential parallel between the two stories. They both suggest that Avraham stayed in Chevron for two years and then in Egypt for five years before Sarah is taken. Michael Segal, in his article, "The Literary relationship between the Genesis Apocryphon and Jubilees: The Chronology of Abram and Sarai's Descent to Egypt", Aramaic Studies 8 (2010): 71-88, suggests that the works are alluding to the similar chronology in the Yosef story. The brothers first go to Egypt after two years of famine and stay there, unharmed, for the remaining five years. Only afterwards do troubles start.

³⁸ Ramban points to R. Pinchas in Bereshit Rabbah who also enumerates the many similarities between the stories, asserting that Hashem told Avraham, "צא וכבוש את הדרך לפני בניך". R. Pinchas, however, does not view Avraham's actions as a sin.  In fact, Abarbanel points to his words in order to justify Avraham's descent, asserting that Hashem planted the idea in his head so that he could pave the way before his children.
See, though, A. Shammah,"תהליכי גיבוש ותמורות בעמדתו הביקורתית של רמב"ן על אברם בירידתו מצרימה", Megadim 50 (2009):199-220, who suggests that Ramban might have originally agreed with the Midrashic take and only later changed his stance to view Avraham more critically.  Thus, when he wrote the first part of his comments on verse 10, he might have simply been showing how Avraham set in motion, on God's bidding, what was to come. Only later did Ramban add the last few lines ("דע כי אברהם אבינו חטא").  It should be noted, though, that this section is found in all the manuscripts of Ramban and does not seem to be  a later edition, so if Ramban's view changed over the years, the change was early enough that it found its way to the earliest versions of the commentary.

³⁹

In his commentary on the Torah, Ramban suggests that Avraham asked Sarah to do this during many of their travels, suggesting that the ruse in and of itself might not have been such a bad idea. Perhaps what troubled Ramban was the decision to go to Egypt specifically, since its inhabitants were likely to harm Sarah's honor.   If so, this would explain why Ramban does not criticize Avraham in the parallel story in the land of the Philistines. 

In his דרשת תורת ה' תמימה, in contrast, Ramban does not mention the repeated usage of the plan and does assume that Avraham sinned in Gerar as well. See Shammah, as per the above note, who suggests that the different works might reflect different stages in Ramban's read of the story.

⁴⁰ In Ramban's words: על כל דבר הווה ועומד יאמרו כן, כי הוא רומז על הענין לומר שהוא עתה ככה. הנה נא ידעתי כי אשה יפת מראה את, מאז ועד עתה.

⁴¹ He asserts that Sarah herself did not say anything one way or the other and simply kept silent on the matter.

⁴² See Shammah (ibid) who makes this point. He asserts that this more positive reading of Avraham's words reflects Ramban's wavering in his criticism of Avraham's actions.

⁴³ He does not address the issue in his Torah commentary, and does not even criticize Avraham in the second story.