Vayeira
1) Birth of Yitzchak.
a) Tidings of birth and destruction of S'dom.
b) Incident in Gerar.
c) Birth of Yitzchak.
2) Treaty with Avimelech and Pichol.
3) The Binding of Isaac.
4) The descendants of Nachor.
Section 1 begins with Sarah being told of the birth of Yitzchak - the first time this was made known to anyone besides Avraham, which perhaps in some way gave it a greater reality - and ends with the expulsion of Yishma'el that was a result of his interactions with Yitzchak, thereby implying that the entry of Yitzchak into the story is the primary topic being discussed. It must be examined, though, why the incidents of Sodom, Lot and his daughters, and Hagar and Yishmael in the wilderness are included in this section.
Section 2 is a short parsha that discusses only one episode. Its placement is somewhat curious, though. What happened between the first encounter between Avraham and Avimelech and now that led Avimelech to exclaim that God was with Avraham in all that he did? It could be the fact that Avimelech saw that he was healed from his illness upon the prayer of Avraham (perhaps Avraham did not pray until he and Sarah were out of the capital city) or perhaps the miraculous birth of Yitzchak, but in either of these cases, why did Avimelech wait so long (at least two years, perhaps more) before coming to Avraham? This episode immediately follows the explusion of Yishma'el and Hagar, but what effect would that have on Avimelech's international politics?
Section 3 is a climax to the development of Yitzchak into Avraham's heir, but section 4 is something of an anticlimax. I would say this is akin to the other lineage parshiyos in this book that are used to seal up the loose ends of one generation before focusing on one specific lineage within this generation, much as is done by Yishma'el opposite Yitzchak and Eisav opposite Ya'akov, but this parsha is different in that it is specifically stated from Avraham's viewpoint. Bereishis Rabbah at the end of this week's parsha, based on the singling out of Rivkah from all of the other grandchildren of Nachor, says that the purpose of the parsha is to foreshadow the upcoming marriage of Yitzchak, which would seem to answer the question of the unique nature of this section.
This latter point would appear to indicate a possible dividing line between the story of Avraham and the story of Yitzchak at the end of this sedra. Thus, if P' Lech Lecha is the story of Avraham and his failed heirs, Vayeira is the story of Avraham and his true heir; Chayei Sarah, for that matter, would be the story of the transition between Avraham and his heir, an idea that I will examine next week.
a) Tidings of birth and destruction of S'dom.
b) Incident in Gerar.
c) Birth of Yitzchak.
2) Treaty with Avimelech and Pichol.
3) The Binding of Isaac.
4) The descendants of Nachor.
Section 1 begins with Sarah being told of the birth of Yitzchak - the first time this was made known to anyone besides Avraham, which perhaps in some way gave it a greater reality - and ends with the expulsion of Yishma'el that was a result of his interactions with Yitzchak, thereby implying that the entry of Yitzchak into the story is the primary topic being discussed. It must be examined, though, why the incidents of Sodom, Lot and his daughters, and Hagar and Yishmael in the wilderness are included in this section.
Section 2 is a short parsha that discusses only one episode. Its placement is somewhat curious, though. What happened between the first encounter between Avraham and Avimelech and now that led Avimelech to exclaim that God was with Avraham in all that he did? It could be the fact that Avimelech saw that he was healed from his illness upon the prayer of Avraham (perhaps Avraham did not pray until he and Sarah were out of the capital city) or perhaps the miraculous birth of Yitzchak, but in either of these cases, why did Avimelech wait so long (at least two years, perhaps more) before coming to Avraham? This episode immediately follows the explusion of Yishma'el and Hagar, but what effect would that have on Avimelech's international politics?
Section 3 is a climax to the development of Yitzchak into Avraham's heir, but section 4 is something of an anticlimax. I would say this is akin to the other lineage parshiyos in this book that are used to seal up the loose ends of one generation before focusing on one specific lineage within this generation, much as is done by Yishma'el opposite Yitzchak and Eisav opposite Ya'akov, but this parsha is different in that it is specifically stated from Avraham's viewpoint. Bereishis Rabbah at the end of this week's parsha, based on the singling out of Rivkah from all of the other grandchildren of Nachor, says that the purpose of the parsha is to foreshadow the upcoming marriage of Yitzchak, which would seem to answer the question of the unique nature of this section.
This latter point would appear to indicate a possible dividing line between the story of Avraham and the story of Yitzchak at the end of this sedra. Thus, if P' Lech Lecha is the story of Avraham and his failed heirs, Vayeira is the story of Avraham and his true heir; Chayei Sarah, for that matter, would be the story of the transition between Avraham and his heir, an idea that I will examine next week.
posted by Josh M. at 4:17 PM
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