The Making of a Flesh and Blood Hero

With all the major events that take place in Parshat Vayera, a contractual agreement between Avraham and Avimelech might seem relatively inconsequential. The episode, which appears between the birth of Yitzhak and the Akedah, the binding of Yitzhak, recounts an encounter in which Avraham and Avimelech establish an agreement concerning Avraham’s right to reside on a portion of Avimelech’s land. In this subsequent encounter, Avimelech seeks to ensure that there will be no further conflict between them:

And it happened at that time that Avimelech, and Phicol, captain of his troops, with him, said to Avraham, saying, “God is with you in whatever you do. Therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my kith and kin…” (Genesis 21:22–23)

For most commentators, the peshat, or plain sense, of the phrase “God is with you” is that Avimelech approaches Avraham to establish a treaty because he recognizes that God is responsible for Avraham’s success. Rashi explains:

Since they saw that Avraham exited Sodom in peace, battled the kings and they fell before him, and his wife became pregnant in his old age.

Sforno similarly explains:

“God is with you” – Therefore, I fear you; not on account of your heroism or your wealth, but rather, I want you to swear to me because God is with you.

Rabbi David Kimhi (Radak) likewise maintains that Avimelech sought to conclude an agreement with Avraham because he recognized the miraculous nature of God’s actions in Avraham’s life:

When they saw that a son was born to him in his old age, and that his wife was old, as they had heard, and they saw her like a young woman, they were astonished by this… and they saw that he was successful in all that he did; so they wanted to make a treaty with him.

Interestingly, one midrash takes a different interpretive path, suggesting that Avraham’s reputation among the nations was considerably more complicated:

“God is with you”—because the nations of the world had been saying: “Were he righteous, would he not have begotten a child?” That was a rhetorical question. Once he begot a child, they said to him: “God is with you.” [They also used to say:] “Were he righteous, he would not have heeded his wife’s voice.” Once it was said to him: “Everything that Sarah says to you, heed her voice” (Genesis 21:12), they said to him: “God is with you.” [They also used to say:] “Were he righteous, would he have spurned his firstborn son?” Once they saw his [Ishmael’s] behavior, they said to him: “God is with you in everything that you do.” (Bereishit Rabbah 54:2, Theodor-Albeck edition, p. 577)

The interpretive point of departure for this midrash differs from those of the interpretations discussed above. It assumes that some of Avraham’s actions required justification and that God’s imprimatur was necessary to vindicate them.

Composed in Eretz Yisrael during the Talmudic period, in a society characterized by religious and cultural diversity, the midrash suggests that Avraham’s actions were not always viewed favorably. Indeed, even we may feel uneasy about certain episodes in his life. The midrash portrays the nations as initially questioning Avraham’s righteousness, only to revise their judgment as events unfolded and his actions came to be understood in a different light. What had initially cast doubt on his character was ultimately reinterpreted as evidence of God’s favor.

For the author of this midrash, then, Avimelech’s willingness to seek an oath from Avraham may reflect more than a recognition of his success. It may also signal a broader reassessment of Avraham’s standing and an acknowledgment of the divine presence in his life.

One cannot help but marvel that the sages did not shy away from confronting the humanity of the tradition’s heroic founders. These were people who struggled with complicated lives and difficult choices as they sought to live in God’s presence. Acknowledging their struggles does not diminish their stature. Rather, it makes them more approachable and, perhaps, more compelling as religious paradigms for flesh-and-blood human beings like ourselves.