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Avraham: The First Patriarch

Lesson 102 · אַבְרָהָם
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Genesis 12-22. Avraham leaves Ur, gets the covenant, fathers Yishmael with Hagar, then Yitzchak with Sara. The story climaxes at the Akeda, the binding of Isaac on Mount Moriah, the site of the future Temple in Jerusalem. Israelis name streets, neighborhoods, hospitals, and military operations after these characters. Words tagged [modern] are still in daily use.

Cultural note, "הִנֵּנִי" (hineni, here I am) is the moral keystone word of Jewish tradition. It's how Avraham answers God three times in the Akeda. It's also the standard formal way to volunteer for a hard task today. Yitzhak Rabin used it in his last speech: "אני, מספר רבים אבי הנני", "I, the speaker, am here."

Characters

Places

Covenant Vocabulary

Akeda Vocabulary

Lech Lecha: Genesis 12:1-3

God's first call to Avraham. The phrase "lech lecha" is famously double, "go for yourself / to yourself." Reading: every Shabbat in late October.

The Akeda: Genesis 22:1-12 (excerpt)

The binding of Isaac. Read on Rosh Hashana every year. The text is sparse and dense, every word counts. Note three times Avraham says הִנֵּנִי.