Parashas Lech Lecha 5773

 “And Lot went with him” (B’raishis 12:4). Obviously, then, Lot accompanied Avra[ha]m on his journey to the Land of Canaan. In case this point wasn’t made clearly enough, the Torah reiterates it in the very next verse, telling us that “Avram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot and all of the belongings they had acquired and the souls they had made in Charan, and they left to go to the Land of Canaan.” Why does the Torah mention twice, in back-to-back verses, that Lot went with him?

 Ibn Ezra and Radak are among the commentators who say that G-d told Avra[ha]m to “go to the land that I will show you” (12:1) while Avra[ha]m was still in Ur Kasdim, and that this was the reason Terach (Avra[ha]m’s father) left Lower Mesopotamia to go to the Land of Canaan (11:31). Although a straightforward reading of the text seems to indicate that this communication occurred after Avra[ha]m and Terach (et al) had already settled in Charan (11:31), which is how Rashi and Ramban understand the verses, a closer look at the context and flow seems to indicate that the narrative at the beginning of Parashas Lech L’cha didn’t take place after the narrative at the end of Parashas Noach was over, but was concurrent with it, overlapping and describing some of the same occurrences.

 Parashas Noach consists of the flood narrative, the aftermath of the flood, the Tower of Bavel narrative, and a listing of the ten generations from Noach till Avra[ha]m. For each of these generations, the only information provided is the name of the father, the name of the son, how old the father was when the son was born, and how long the father lived after the son was born. For Terach, however, we are given a bit more information, including the names of his three sons (not just Avra[ha]m), and some family history (the death of one of his sons, which left his grandson–Lot–an orphan, the marriage of his other two sons, Sarai’s inability to have children, and his leaving Ur Kasdim and settling in Charan). So much so, that Terach has the “honor” of being one of the few biblical characters whose legacy is introduced by the expression “these are the ‘toldos’ of” (11:27). Since this narrative is about Terach, it is told from a perspective that has him at its center. It doesn’t really matter (as far as Terach’s life is concerned) why he left Ur Kasdim–whether it was because his son was being persecuted for his monotheistic beliefs, because (after his son Haran’s untimely death) he felt it wasn’t healthy for his family to stay there, or because Avra[ha]m had decided to leave (in order to follow G-d’s instructions) and Terach decided to go with his son. From Terach’s perspective, the point is that he moved his family from Ur Kasdim to Charan, and that’s what is highlighted. Nevertheless, there are given strong indications that Terach didn’t decide to leave on his own, but because Avra[ha]m had decided to leave. For one thing, since Terach never made it to Canaan, there would seem to be little reason to tell us that he originally intended to go there; what’s relevant is that he moved to Charan. By telling us that his original plan was to move to Canaan, the very place that Avra[ha]m is commanded to go to (even if the final destination wasn’t stated explicitly), the Torah indicates that it was really Terach who followed Avra[ha]m, not the other way around. Secondly, when they left (11:31), we are told that “they left with them.” If everyone was going because Terach had decided to move his family, it should have been “and they left with him,” as it was Terach who was calling the shots and everyone else went along with him. By telling us that “they” (i.e. Sarai and Lot) “went with them” (i.e. Terach and Avra[ha]m), the Torah is clearly indicating that Avra[ha]m was at least as much the one who decided to leave as Terach was. And since this is Terach’s narrative, it is likely that it was really Avra[ha]m who started the process, with Terach’s decision to follow his son being presented as his decision (“and Terach took”) because (a) Terach didn’t have to follow his son, and (b) it is Terach’s life that is the focus here.

 Terach’s narrative ends with his death (11:32), at which point the Torah switches perspectives, making Avra[ha]m the focus. Since the reason Avra[ha]m decided to leave Ur Kasdim is primary to his narrative, the Torah recounts the same trip that was described at the end of Parashas Noach a second time, starting with the communication from G-d to Avra[ha]m that he should “leave his land, his birthplace and his father’s house” (i.e. he should go whether or not his family decides to go too). Avra[ha]m’s “going, as G-d had commanded him” (12:4) therefore refers to his trip from Ur Kasdim to Charan. Although the ultimate goal was to move to Canaan, the family settled in Charan (11:31), where Avra[ha]m developed a religious following (see Rashi on 12:5). He subsequently traveled to Canaan (see http://www.aishdas.org/ta/5768/noach.pdf and http://www.aishdas.org/ta/5768/lechLecha.pdf, pgs 7-8), but didn’t move there permanently until he was 75 years old (12:4), perhaps because that’s when he realized his father wasn’t going to leave Charan, or perhaps because of another communication from G-d. From this perspective, this verse (12:4) is not focusing on Avra[ha]m’s move from Charan to Canaan, but on his trip from Ur Kasdim to Charan, with the point of the second half of the verse being that he stayed in Charan until he was 75 years old, not that he left Charan to go to Canaan when he was 75. The move from Charan to Canaan is described in the next verse (12:5), followed by his experiences in Canaan.

Since there were two stages to Avra[ha]m’s move from Ur Kasdim to Canaan, first from Ur Kasdim to Charan and then from Charan to Canaan, and Lot accompanied Avra[ha]m for both legs of the journey, the Torah first tells us that “Lot went with him” (12:4) from Ur Kasdim to Charan, making it clear that he was following his uncle Avra[ha]m and not his grandfather Terach (and would have left Ur Kasdim even if Terach had stayed), and then tells us (12:5) that Lot went with Avra[ha]m again when he moved to Canaan.