Abraham and Sarah are faced with a famine shortly after moving to the Land of Canaan. Ramban claims that Abraham commits two unintentional sins at this time.
Abraham decides they should seek refuge in Egypt. These verses describe the steps Abraham told Sarah to follow so that they would be safe in Egypt.
10. And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was severe in the land.
11. And it came to pass, when he came near to enter to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that you are a pretty woman to look upon;
12. Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see you, that they shall say, This is his wife; and they will kill me, but you they will keep alive.
13. Say, I beg you, that you are my sister; that it may be well with me for your sake; and my soul shall live because of you.
Before they reach the border crossing into Egypt, the Torah records the conversation between Abraham and Sarah:
Genesis 12:11 … Behold now, I know that you are a pretty woman to look upon …
When is “Now”?
Rashi, based on a midrash, writes that Abraham and Sarah acted toward each other with extra modesty. Until this time Abraham had not noticed Sarah’s beauty.
Rashi interprets the word “now” to mean at this time, but not before.
Ramban disagrees with Rashi’s interpretation.
Ramban agrees that the midrash, based on a received tradition, is praising the modest behavior of Abraham and Sarah.
However, he writes, the midrash is not meant to explain Genesis 12:11. Rather, the compilers of the midrash chose to use this verse as a springboard to praise their modesty.
Ramban explains that the word “now” has two meanings. It can mean something new that is happening at this time. That is how Rashi interprets it.
The word “now” can also mean something that has existed in the past and continues to exist in the present.
Ramban understands Abraham to be saying, “I have known in the past until this time that you are a pretty woman.”
He quotes several verses that illustrate this use of the word “now.” One of the clearest is when Lot says:
8. Behold now, I have two daughters …
Lot is talking about two daughters that were born years earlier.
Brother and Sister
According to Rashi, before this event, Abraham had not asked Sarah to act like his sister.
Ramban suggests a couple of ideas that could support Rashi, but rejects them.
He then writes that, in fact, Abraham and Sarah acted as brother and sister during all of their travels. This is supported by what Abraham said to Abimelech:
13. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, This is your kindness which you shall show to me; at every place where we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
Even though this was their agreement, the Torah only mentions it the few times when it becomes important in the narrative. In this case, as they were preparing to enter Egypt, Abraham reminds Sarah of how they must act in the presence of the Egyptians.
Abraham’s Two Sins
Ramban writes that Abraham committed sins when he went to Egypt.
Because this is such a startling claim, I’m going to quote it in full. (I’ve taken the liberty of breaking it into two paragraphs for ease of reading and understanding.)
Ramban writes (translation by Rabbi Dr. Charles B. Chavel):
“Know that Abraham our father unintentionally committed a great sin by bringing his righteous wife to a stumbling-block of sin on account of his fear for his life. He should have trusted that God would save him and his wife and all his belongings for God surely has the power to help and to save.
“His leaving the Land, concerning which he had been commanded from the beginning, on account of the famine, was also a sin he committed, for in famine God would redeem him from death. It was because of this deed that the exile in the land of Egypt at the hand of Pharaoh was decreed for his children. In the place of justice, there is wickedness and sin.”
I have some questions about Ramban’s statement.
Question #1: Why Do It Again?
I saw this question attributed to Ran (Rabbi Nissim of Gerona, Spain 1290 – 1376).
Ramban states that “because of this deed that the exile in the land of Egypt” was decreed. Abraham was told about this exile during the event known as Covenant Between the Parts (Genesis 15:13).
If so, then why did Abraham later tell Abimelech that Sarah was his sister (Genesis 20:2)?
Ran also points out that Isaac did the same thing under similar circumstances (Genesis 26:6).
It seems either this is not a significant sin or that Abraham, even despite the decree, did not realize it was a sin.
Question #2: Others Lied to Protect Themselves
Can a person tell a lie to save their life? From several narratives in the Bible, the answer is clearly yes.
For example, consider when Samuel went to anoint David as king.
1. And the Lord said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go, I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have provided Me a king among his sons.
2. And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hears it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with you, and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.
God does not rebuke Samuel for expressing concern. In fact, God instructs Samuel what lie to tell and how to make it seem convincing.
Another example is when David fled from Saul and came to the city of Nob (1 Samuel 21:2-7). David told the High Priest Ahimelech that Saul had sent him on an undercover mission.
David used this story to convince the High Priest to give him food that only priests are permitted to eat.
The Baal HaTurim (Rabbi Jacob ben Asher, 1280 – 1340) in his commentary on Genesis 12:10 defends Abraham’s action. When Abraham claimed that Sarah was his sister he was doing his part to save them from Pharaoh. This is meritorious because it is better to act rather than rely on God’s miraculous intervention.
Question #3: Abraham’s 10 Trials
According to Jewish tradition, God tested Abraham and he passed all of the tests.
3. With ten trials Abraham our father, peace be on him, was tested and he withstood all of them …
The Mishna doesn’t offer a list of the 10 trials. Different commentaries on the Mishna suggest lists of the trials. See, for example, Bartenura, Rambam, Rabbeinu Yonah, Yachin by Rabbi Yisrael Lipschiptz, and Vilna Gaon.
Their lists differ, but all include the famine (Genesis 12:10) and Sarah being taken by Pharaoh (Genesis 12:15) as two of the ten trials.
Why is Ramban seemingly ignoring this traditional teaching about Abraham? Let’s face it, if Ramban thinks Abraham committed these two sins, then how can he claim Abraham passed all 10 tests?
According to the commentary Ramban HaMevoar, in fact Ramban agrees that the famine was one of the 10 trials.
He explains that Abraham’s trial was being subjected to the discomforts of the famine. Abraham passed this test because he did not complain to God nor did he accuse of God failing to fulfill His blessings and promises.
Exile to Egypt
One of Ramban’s claims is that part of the decree at this time was exile to Egypt.
Gemara Nedarim 32a offers several suggestions for why God chose to exile Abraham’s offspring to Egypt. However, none of those suggestions mention Abraham choosing to go to Egypt during a famine.
One possible explanation is that the Gemara is dealing with the decree of exile but not the place of exile. As God said to Abraham:
13. And He said to Abram, Know for a certainty that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them …
God tells Abraham that there will be an exile, but the place of exile is not specified.
According to Ramban, the events here in Genesis 12 caused the land of exile to be Egypt.
Further Reading
Here is a full summary of Parshat Lech Lecha.
I’ve also written about Abraham’s 10th trial.
“It is better to act than rather to rely on Gd’s miraculous intervention.”
Always! Also enjoyed your 2012 article on Abraham’s 10th trial.
Thank you, Pam. I’m glad you also read the article about the 10th trial. I like Rabbeinu Yonah’s approach a lot.