Shishi - Bereishis/Genesis - Parshas Vayeira 21:22-34

At that time, Avimelech and Fichol, his general, came to Avraham and said, "G-d is with you in everything you do." They recognized that Hashem was with Avraham in all his endeavors. This recognition came because they saw that Avraham had left the neighborhood of Sodom in peace—he was not affected by the destruction of Sodom. They also saw that Avraham had fought wars with the kings and had been victorious, and that his wife Sarah was remembered and gave birth to a child in her old age. All these miracles and blessings made it clear to Avimelech and his general that Hashem was with Avraham in everything he did.

Rashi explains that Avimelech and Fichol saw three things: first, that Avraham left the area of Sodom in peace, unaffected by the destruction; second, that he fought with the kings and they fell into his hands; and third, that his wife Sarah was remembered and gave birth to a child in her old age. These were the signs that made them realize that Hashem was with Avraham.

Avimelech then said to Avraham, "Now, swear to me here by Hashem that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my grandson. Just as the kindness that I did with you, you should do with me and with the land in which you have lived." Avimelech is asking Avraham to make a pact not just for himself, but also for his son and grandson. Why does he mention his son and grandson? Because the mercy and concern of a father extends to his child and even to his grandchild, but not further. Avimelech asks Avraham to reciprocate the kindness that he, Avimelech, had shown him. What was this kindness? Avimelech had allowed Avraham to dwell wherever he wanted in his land and did not expel him, as he had said earlier, "Here is my land before you."

Rashi explains that when Avimelech says "to my son and to my grandson," it is because the mercy of a father for his child extends until the grandson. That is the natural limit of a person's concern and compassion.

On the words "just as the kindness that I did with you, you should do with me," Rashi explains that the kindness Avimelech refers to is what he said earlier: "Here is my land before you"—Avimelech did not tell Avraham to leave, but allowed him to stay wherever he wanted in his territory.

Avraham responded, "I will swear." He agreed to make the oath and the pact with Avimelech, promising to deal honestly and kindly with him and his descendants, as requested.

However, Avraham then brought up a complaint to Avimelech regarding a well of water that Avraham had dug, which had been seized by Avimelech's servants. Avraham argued with Avimelech about this matter, seeking justice for the well that had been stolen from him.

Rashi explains that "he argued" means Avraham entered into a dispute with Avimelech over this issue of the well, confronting him about the theft and seeking to resolve the matter.

Avimelech responds to Avraham regarding the dispute over the well. He says, "I did not know who did this thing. Also, you never told me, and I also did not hear about it until today." In other words, Avimelech is saying that he was unaware of the fact that his servants had taken the well from Avraham, and Avraham had not informed him about it previously. This is Avimelech's defense, claiming ignorance of the situation until Avraham brought it up now.

Avraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Avimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. This means that Avraham and Avimelech entered into a formal agreement or treaty, and as part of this process, Avraham gave gifts of livestock to Avimelech. This act of giving animals was a way of sealing the covenant between them, signifying peace and mutual understanding.

Avraham set aside seven lambs from the flock by themselves. He separated these seven sheep from the rest, placing them apart. This was a special act, and the separation of these lambs was meant to have significance in the context of the agreement between Avraham and Avimelech. Note that Avraham placed these seven sheep by themselves as part of the process of establishing a testimony or a sign regarding the well.

Avimelech asks Avraham, "What are these seven sheep that you have set apart by themselves?" He wants to know the meaning or purpose behind Avraham's action of separating these seven lambs from the rest of the flock. This question sets up Avraham's explanation of the significance of the seven sheep in the next verse.

Avraham answers, "For these seven sheep, you shall take from my hand, so that it will be for me as a witness that I dug this well." Avraham is saying that by Avimelech accepting these seven sheep from him, it will serve as a testimony or proof that Avraham is the one who dug the well. The act of giving the sheep is meant to establish Avraham's rights to the well, and the acceptance of the sheep by Avimelech is a form of acknowledgment of this fact. Note that the word for 'witness' here is in the feminine form, which Rashi will explain further.

On the phrase "Ba'avur tiheye li" (so that it will be for me): This means that the act of giving the seven sheep is intended to serve as a testimony for Avraham. The point is that the giving of the sheep is for the purpose of establishing proof or testimony regarding the well.

On the word "Le'eidah" (for a witness): Rashi explains that this is a feminine form of the word for testimony. Just as in the verse later on (Bereishis 31:52) "Ve'eidah hamatzeivah" (and the monument will be a witness), the word for witness is in the feminine. Note that the word here is in the feminine form, and Rashi brings another example where the word for witness is also feminine.

On the words "Ki chafarti es habe'er" (that I dug this well): Note that the shepherds of Avimelech were arguing over the well, claiming, "We dug it." They said among themselves that whoever comes to the well and the water rises up toward him, that person is the true owner. When Avraham came to the well, the water rose up to greet him, demonstrating that he was the rightful owner. Therefore, the act of giving the seven sheep served as a testimony that Avraham was the one who dug the well, and this resolved the dispute with Avimelech's shepherds.

Therefore, he called that place Be'er Sheva, because there they both swore. The name Be'er Sheva comes from the word for oath, shevuah, because both Avraham and Avimelech made a covenant and swore there. The verse emphasizes that the place was named specifically because of the oath that was made between the two of them.

They made a covenant in Be'er Sheva. Avimelech and Fichol, his general, got up and returned to the land of the Plishtim. After the covenant was made, Avimelech and his army officer Fichol left and went back to their land, the land of the Plishtim. This marks the conclusion of the agreement and the peaceful resolution between Avraham and Avimelech.

Avraham planted an Eshel in Be'er Sheva, and he called there in the name of Hashem, God of the world. The verse says that Avraham established an Eshel—which will be explained in Rashi—and through this, he called out in the name of Hashem, making Hashem known as the God of the world. This means that Avraham used this place, the Eshel, as a means to publicize and spread awareness of Hashem to others.

Rashi explains the word Eshel as a dispute between Rav and Shmuel. One says it means an orchard, planted so that Avraham could bring fruit from it for guests to eat at their meals. The other says it means an inn, a lodging place for guests, and in it there were all kinds of fruits. Rashi adds that we also find the term 'planting' used in connection with tents, as it says in Daniel: 'He will plant the tents of his palace.' So, according to one opinion, Eshel means a tree or orchard, and according to the other, it means a tent or inn where people could stay and be hosted by Avraham.

Rashi explains the phrase 'he called there in the name of Hashem, God of the world' to mean that through that Eshel, the name of Hashem was called upon and made known as the God of the entire world. After people would eat and drink there, Avraham would tell them, 'Bless the One from Whose food you have eaten. You think you ate from mine? You ate from the One Who spoke and the world came into being.' In other words, Avraham used the opportunity of hosting guests to teach them about Hashem and to encourage them to thank and bless Hashem for their food, thereby spreading knowledge of Hashem to all who came.

Avraham lived in the land of the Plishtim for many days. The verse says that Avraham dwelled in the land of the Plishtim for an extended period. The phrase 'many days' will be explained by Rashi to mean more years than he lived in Hebron.

Rashi explains that 'many days' means more than the years he spent in Hebron. In Hebron, Avraham lived for twenty-five years. Here, in the land of the Plishtim, he lived for twenty-six years. Rashi calculates this as follows: Avraham was seventy-five years old when he left Charan, and that same year, as it says earlier, 'he came and settled in Elonei Mamre.' Before that, we do not find that he settled anywhere; in all his other places, he was like a guest, camping and moving on. For example, the Torah says, 'Avram passed through the land,' 'he moved from there,' 'there was a famine in the land, and Avram went down to Egypt.' In Egypt, he stayed only three months, since Pharaoh sent him away immediately. Then, 'he went on his journeys' until he came back to Elonei Mamre in Hebron, where he stayed until Sodom was overturned. Immediately after Sodom was overturned, Avraham left because of the embarrassment of Lot and came to the land of the Plishtim. At that time, he was ninety-nine years old, since the angels came to him on the third day after his circumcision, and he circumcised himself at ninety-nine. So, from seventy-five to ninety-nine is twenty-five years in Hebron. Here, in the land of the Plishtim, the Torah says 'many days,' meaning more than the earlier years. The Torah is not being vague but is specifying that it was more than the previous period. If it had been two or more years extra, the Torah would have specified the number. Therefore, it must be only one year more, making it twenty-six years in the land of the Plishtim. Immediately after that, Avraham left and returned to Hebron. That year was twelve years before the binding of Yitzchak, as is taught in Seder Olam.