(2011/5772)

Avram was given ten tests over the course of his life. According to one opinion, his fourth test was the famine at the beginning of this week’s Parashah, his uprooting and subsequent arrival in the land of Kena’an. This test seems to be counterintuitive, since Hashem says in the very next Pasuk, “VaAvarechecha,” “and I will bless you” (BeReishit 12:2), which seems to imply that He would take care of all of Avram’s problems. This is obviously not the case, because the next Perek contains the next two tests that Hashem gave him. When Avram goes down to Mitzrayim, he tells Sarai, “Imri Na Achoti At, LeMa’an Yitav Li VaAvureich,” “Say that you are my sister, so that I will live for your sake” (12:13). What does Avram mean by this, and why doesn’t he worry for Sarai’s safety?

Several answers are given. The classic answer is that Avram knew that the Egyptians were immoral people, and he thought that they would kill him if he said he was Sarai’s wife, so they could bring her to Par’oh. However, Rashi takes a stunningly different approach. He says that when Avram says, “LeMa’an Yitav Li VaAvureich” (ibid.), he means that he is doing this so that they should give him gifts. This doesn’t seem to fit in with Avram’s character, because he is usually portrayed as a humble person. Be’er BaSadeh explains that Avram wasn’t interested in material gains. Rather, he had a prophetic vision that his descendants would also be sent down to Egypt, and wanted to set a precedent. He wanted the gifts not for himself, but so that his descendants would also receive gifts when they were expelled from Egypt.

The question of why Avram didn’t worry about Sarai’s safety is answered by the Zohar. It says that Avram turned to look at Sarai, and saw that there was an angel walking in front of her. The angel turned to him and said, “Do not fear for her.” Once Avram heard this, he was only worried about the LeMa’an Yitav Li VaAvureich aspect, because he saw that there was only an angel with Sarai, not with him. Therefore, he disregarded his fear for Sarai’s safety and instead focused solely on setting a precedent for his descendants by receiving gifts from Paroh.