...Rashi cites a midrash to explain the meaning of Yaakov’s “settling.”
רש"י,בראשיתלז:ב
וַיֵּשֶׁב:בִּקֵּשׁ יַעֲקֹב לֵישֵׁב בְּשַׁלְוָה, קָפַץ עָלָיו רָגְזוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף – צַדִּיקִים מְבַקְּשִׁים לֵישֵׁב בְּשַׁלְוָה, אָמַר הַקָּבָּ"ה לֹא דַיָּן לַצַּדִּיקִים מַה שֶּׁמְּתֻקָּן לָהֶם לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, אֶלָּא שֶׁמְּבַקְּשִׁים לֵישֵׁב בְּשַׁלְוָה בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה:
Settled: Yaakov wished to settle in tranquility, but the episode of [literally, the anger of] Yosef confronted him. The righteous wish to live in tranquility; God says, “Is it not sufficient for the righteous what is awaiting them in the next world that they [also] wish to live in tranquility in this world!?”(Rashi, Bereishit 37:2, based on Bereishit Rabbah 84:3)
This concept is quite puzzling. What does it mean that Yaakov wished to live in tranquility? Did Yaakov wish to “retire” from active patriarchal service and enjoy his “golden years”? Certainly, Yaakov’s life was difficult, but was this a reason to abandon his mission for the sake of “the good life”? There must be a deeper meaning to the “tranquility” Yaakov was seeking. Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, zt”l, suggested that what Yaakov was seeking was spiritual tranquility. When he returned to the Land of Israel, after overcoming the challenges presented by Lavan and Esav, Yaakov anticipated nothing less than the onset of Messianic Age. This would explain the midrashic reference to the World to Come: Yaakov sought spiritual utopia here on earth. This is reflected in God’s comment: Tzaddikim strive for spiritual perfection. They are not satisfied with what God has waiting for them in the World to Come; they desire perfection here and now as well.[1]
But how could Yaakov possibly think that a state of perfection or tranquility could be attained at that juncture in history? Had God not promised Avraham that his descendants would be enslaved for four hundred years?
בראשית פרק טו, יג-טז
(יג) וַיֹּא֣מֶר לְאַבְרָ֗ם יָדֹ֨עַ תֵּדַ֜ע כִּי־גֵ֣ר׀ יִהְיֶ֣ה זַרְעֲךָ֗ בְּאֶ֙רֶץ֙ לֹ֣א לָהֶ֔ם וַעֲבָד֖וּם וְעִנּ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָֽה: (יד) וְגַ֧ם אֶת־הַגּ֛וֹי אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲבֹ֖דוּ דָּ֣ן אָנֹ֑כִי וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵ֥ן יֵצְא֖וּ בִּרְכֻ֥שׁ גָּדֽוֹל: (טו) וְאַתָּ֛ה תָּב֥וֹא אֶל־אֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ בְּשָׁל֑וֹם תִּקָּבֵ֖ר בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָֽה: (טז) וְד֥וֹר רְבִיעִ֖י יָשׁ֣וּבוּ הֵ֑נָּה כִּ֧י לֹא־שָׁלֵ֛ם עֲוֹ֥ן הָאֱמֹרִ֖י עַד־הֵֽנָּה:
[God] said to Avraham, “Know that your descendants will be strangers in a land which is not theirs. They will be slaves and abused for four hundred years. The nation which enslaves them will be judged by Me. They will subsequently leave with great fortune. The fourth generation will return here, for the sin of the Emori will not be complete until then.”(Bereishit 15:13–16)
How could Yaakov ignore the four hundred years of slavery stipulated in the Divine decree?
In fact, there are conflicting sources regarding the period of the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt: From the text of the Haggadah (which, in turn, is taken from earlier rabbinic sources), we learn that God was lenient in the calculation, and after a mere 210 years the Israelites were liberated.[2]And yet, the Torah explicitly states that the Jews left Egypt “at the end of four hundred and thirty years.”[3]The contradiction among the sources was quite apparent to our sages, and they addressed this question in the midrash: Which was it - four hundred years, four hundred and thirty years, four generations? The answer provided by the Midrash reconciles the apparent contradiction by pointing out that God’s revelation to Avraham, in which both four hundred years and four generations were mentioned, took place thirty years prior to the birth of Yitzchak. God stipulated that Avraham’s descendants would be enslaved by a foreign power for four hundred years, and the clock was set in motion the moment Avraham’s son was born; the calculation of the four hundred years of oppression begins with Yitzchak’s birth. Thus, the Exodus came “at the end of four hundred and thirty years” – from the moment God made this covenant with Avraham, which was four hundred years from the moment Yitchak was born.[4]Yitzchak and Yaakov, as well as the 12 sons of Yaakov, were subject to foreign rule for one hundred and ninety years, followed by the period of actual slavery in Egypt which was 210 years in duration.
What, however, is the significance of the four generations mentioned in God’s covenant with Avraham?
מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל בא - מסכתא דפסחא פרשה יד
…אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אִם עוֹשִׂיןתְּשׁוּבָהאֲנִי גּוֹאֲלָםלְדוֹרוֹת וְאִם לָאו אֲנִי גּוֹאֲלָם לְשָׁנִים.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If they do teshuvah I [calculate] their redemption in generations; if not, I will [calculate] their redemption in years.” (Mechilta D’Rabbi Yishmael, Bo 14)[5]
The details of the promise to Avraham were not etched in stone; they were flexible. The central idea was that Avraham’s descendants would be enslaved and abused, and would eventually leave the place of their oppression with great wealth. Apparently, Yaakov believed that this sequence had already occurred, that all these elements of God’s promise had been fulfilled in his own life story. He must have thought that his oppression at the hands of Lavan and the years of labor which ended in his return to Israel with tremendous material wealth had fulfilled God’s words to Avraham, and redemption could now take place. His children, after all, were the fourth generation of Avraham’s family.
And then, out of the blue, Yaakov’s worldview was derailed by the saga of Yosef and his brothers. “The anger of Yosef” shattered his illusions of tranquility and fulfillment.
When the enemy was Nimrod, Yishmael, Lavan, or Esav, confrontation was understandable, inevitable — even anticipated. But an internal struggle such as this did not seem to be part of the Divine Plan. Yaakov was certain that all the adversaries had been neutralized, and that the era of spiritual tranquility was dawning. With his sons at his side, Yaakov was confident that the Messianic Age had arrived. Thisew struggle was unanticipated, but the Messianic Age could not begin (nor can Sefer Bereishit come to an end) before this final intrigue within the family of Israel was played out. Thus, toward the end of the book of Bereishitwhen Yaakov meets up with Pharaoh, in his succinct retrospective of his life, he tells the Egyptian monarch that he had, in fact “dwelled,” but had not succeed in “settling.” He never achieved this sought-after tranquility.
The narratives that comprise the bulk of SeferBereishit are more than stories; the vicissitudes of the lives of our forefathers are far more than ancient tales. They are spiritual realities pregnant with meaning, which shape the contours of Jewish history. If we are to understand the significance of the teachings in Bereishit in general, and this parashah in particular, we must read them through the prism of “ma’aseh avot siman labanim:[6]“The actions of the forefathers serve as a portent for their descendants.” Put another way, ‘History repeats itself,’ or, in theological terms, ‘Jewish history is Jewish destiny.’
When Yosef and his brothers clash, the spiritual power for future internal disputes is unleashed. It is no accident that the festival of Chanukah, which, at its core, marks the end of a tragic period of fratricidal conflict, is celebrated each year during the weeks when the Torah portions regarding Yosef and his brothers are read. The destruction of the Second Temple is attributed to sinat chinam, unwarranted hatred between brothers – the very same hatred that underlies the plot of these Torah portions. The civil war fought by the Maccabees against the Hellenized Jews is seen as a repercussion — in the most literal sense of re-percussion, the repeated beating of the same drum — of the conflict in Parashat Vayeishev. The midrash that describes the deaths of the Ten Martyrs in the days of the Tannaim, a central part of the liturgy of Yom Kippur, is another far-reaching echo of Yosef’s story.
[1]I heard this idea in a lecture I had attended in 1983. Also, see Chumash Mesoras Harav Bereishispage 273, which cites a lecture delivered in Boston in 1974.
The same idea can be found in the writings of Rav Pinchas Horowitz, Panim Yafot Bereishit 37:1.
פנים יפות בראשית פרק לז
(א) וישב יעקב וגו'. פירש"י ביקש יעקב לישב בשלוה קפץ עליו רוגזו של יוסף [ב"ר פד, א]. ...איתא במדרש [ב"ר פד, ה] מגורי אביו בגימטריא רנ"ט, מיום שאמר הקדוש ברוך הוא לאברהם ידוע תדע עד שעה שנתיישב יעקב אבינו בארץ מגורי אביו, יש לפרש מה שאמר [שם] ביקש לישב בשלוה, דהיינו שחשב שכבר נשלמו הת' שנה שנגזרה בין הבתרים,דהיינו שחשב שנותיו ושנות אביו שהוא היה כשבא אצל אביו צ"ט שנה כדאיתא בפ"ק דמגילה [יז א] ממילא היה שנות אביו קנ"ח, ולפי שלא היו השנים שווים שהרי יצחק נולד בפסח ויעקב בתשרי והוי בצירוף רנ"ט כמספר מגורי, וחשב יעקב שנות הבנים המובלעים בשנות האבות עולים ג"כ בחשבון, וחשב מאה של אברהם שהרי בברית בין הבתרים היה בן ע"ה וכשמת היה קע"ה, וחשב ג"כ שנות ראובן שהיה בן ט"ו שנה כשבא אצל אביו, שהרי בן י"ג היה במעשה שכם דמיניה ילפינן [ב"ר פ, ט] דמקרי איש לי"ג שנה, וחשב הט' שנים שהיה אצל אביו עד שהיה יוסף בן שבע עשרה שנה, ג"פ לו וליצחק ולראובן היה הכל ת' שנה, לכך ביקש לישב בשלוה כיון דלדעתו נשלם הגלות:
[2]In the words of the Haggadah, God did a “calculation.”
הגדה של פסח - נוסח ההגדה:
בָּרוּךְ שׁוֹמֵר הַבְטָחָתוֹ לְיִשְֹרָאֵל, בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חִשַּׁב אֶת הַקֵּץלַעֲשֹוֹת כְּמָה שֶׁאָמַר לְאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ בִּבְרִית בֵּין הַבְּתָרִים. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה. וְגַם אֶת הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹדוּ דָּן אָנֹכִי וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יֵצְאוּ בִּרְכוּשׁ גָּדוֹל:
Blessed is He who keeps His promise to Israel, blessed be He! For the Holy One, blessed be He, calculatedthe end [of the bondage], in order to do as He had said to our father Avraham at the "Covenant between the Portions," as it is said: "And He said to Avraham, `You shall know that your seed will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will enslave them and make them suffer, for four hundred years. But I shall also judge the nation whom they shall serve, and after that they will come out with great wealth.'"
שמות פרק יב פסוק מא
וַיְהִ֗י מִקֵּץ֙ שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה וְאַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיְהִ֗י בְּעֶ֙צֶם֙ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה יָ֥צְא֛וּ כָּל־צִבְא֥וֹת ה֖' מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
At the end of the four hundred and thirtieth year, to the very day, all the ranks of God departed from the land of Egypt.
[4]See Talmud Bavli Rosh Hashana 10b-11a.
תלמוד בבלי מסכת ראש השנה דף י עמוד ב
תַּנְיָא , רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, בְּתִשְׁרֵי נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם. בְּתִשְׁרֵי נוֹלְדוּ אָבוֹת. בְּתִשְׁרֵי מֵתוּ אָבוֹת. בְּפֶסַח נוֹלָד יִצְחָק. בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה נִפְקְדוּ שָׂרָה, וְרָחֵל, וְחַנָּה. בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יָצָא יוֹסֵף מִבֵּית הָאֲסוּרִין:
[דף יא ע"א] בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה בָּטְלָה עֲבוֹדָה מֵאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרָיִם. בְּנִיסָן נִגְאֲלוּ (יִשְׂרָאֵל), וּבְתִשְׁרֵי עֲתִידִין לִיגָאֵל. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר, בְּנִיסָן נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם. בְּנִיסָן נוֹלְדוּ אָבוֹת. בְּנִיסָן מֵתוּ אָבוֹת. בְּפֶסַח נוֹלָד יִצְחָק. בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה נִפְקְדוּ שָׂרָה, רָחֵל, וְחַנָּה. בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יָצָא יוֹסֵף מִבֵּית הָאֲסוּרִין. בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה בָטְלָה עֲבוֹדָה מֵאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְמִצְרָיִם. בְּנִיסָן נִגְאֲלוּ וּבְנִיסָן עֲתִידִין לִיגָּאֵל.
It is taught Rabbi Eliezer says: In Tishrei the world was created; in Tishrei the Patriarchs were born; in Tishrei the Patriarchs died; on Passover Isaac was born; on Rosh HaShana Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah were remembered on Rosh HaShana Joseph came out from prison; on Rosh HaShana our forefathers’ slavery in Egypt ceased; in Nisan they were redeemed; in Tishrei in the future they will be redeemed. Rabbi Yehoshua says: In Nisan the world was created; in Nisan the Patriarchs were born; in Nisan the Patriarchs died; on Passover Isaac was born; on Rosh HaShana Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah were remembered; on Rosh HaShanah Joseph came out from prison; on Rosh HaShanah our forefathers’ slavery in Egypt ceased; in Nisan they were redeemed; and in Nisan in the future they will be redeemed.
[5]Also see Midrash Tanchuma Bo 9:2.
מדרש תנחומא, בא ט׳:ב׳
וּמוֹשַׁב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָשְׁבוּ בְּמִצְרָיִם שְׁלֹשִים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה. וּכְתִיב: וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה (בראשית טו, יג). הֲרֵי שְׁנֵי פְּסוּקִים מַכְחִישִׁין זֶה אֶת זֶה. כֵּיצַד? עַד שֶׁלֹּא נוֹלַד יִצְחָק, נִגְזְרָה גְּזֵרָה. וּמִשֶּׁנּוֹלַד יִצְחָק, חִשֵּׁב הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ (בראשית טו, יג). וְאַבְרָהָם חִשֵּׁב מִשְּׁעַת הַגְּזֵרָה. כְּתִיב אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה. וּכְתִיב וְדוֹר רְבִיעִי יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה (בראשית טו, טז). הָא כֵּיצַד? עָשׂוּ תְּשׁוּבָה, אֶגְאָלֵם לְדוֹרוֹת. וְאִם לָאו, לְשָׁנִים. וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ שְׁלֹשִים שָׁנָה וְגוֹ'. כְּשֶׁהִגִּיעַ הַקֵּץ, לֹא עִכְּבָם כְּהֶרֶף עַיִן. בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן נִגְזְרָה גְּזֵרָה וְנִדְבַּר עִם אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ בֵּין הַבְּתָרִים. בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן בָּאוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת לְבַשְּׂרוֹ עַל יִצְחָק. בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן נוֹלַד יִצְחָק. בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן נִגְאֲלוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם. בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בְּנִיסָן עֲתִידִין לְהִגָּאֵל מִשִּׁעְבּוּד גָּלֻיּוֹת. וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה. קֵץ אֶחָד לְכֻלָּם.
Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years (Exod. 12:40). Yet it is written: 'And shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years' (Bereishit 15:13). Since these two verses are obviously contradictory, how can they be reconciled? The first decree was issued prior to the birth of Yitzchak, but after Yitzchak's birth, the Holy One, blessed be He, reconsidered the matter, as it is said: Your descendents will be strangers, and they shall afflict them four hundred years.' Avraham reflected on this subject at the time of the decree. It is written: And they shall afflict them four hundred years, but it is also written: In the fourth generation, they shall return here (Bereishit 15:16). How can these verses be reconciled? These verses suggest that, if they repent, I will redeem them after four generations, but if not, after four hundred years. 'And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years' (Shmot 12:41). At the end of that time he did not delay them as long as the blink of an eye. It was on the fifteenth day of Nisan that he issued the decree and spoke to Avraham our father, at the time of making the covenant-between-the-parts. It was on the fifteenth day of Nisan that ministering angels came to inform him about the birth of Yitzchak; it was on the fifteenth day of Nisan that Yitachak was born; it was on the fifteenth day of Nisan that they were redeemed from Egypt; and it is on the fifteenth day of Nisan that they will be redeemed from servitude to the nations. The same day was designated for all these events.' The full text of the Mechilta D’Rabbi Yishmael, Bo 14 reads:
מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל בא - מסכתא דפסחא פרשה יד
ומושב בני ישראל וגו'. כתוב אחד אומר שלשים שנה וארבע מאות שנה וכתוב אחד אומר ועבדום וענו אותם ארבע מאות שנה (בראשית טו יג) כיצד יתקיימו שני מקראות הללו שלשים שנה עד שלא נולד יצחק נגזרה גזירה בין הבתרים. רבי אומר כתוב אחד אומר ועבדום וענו אותם ארבע מאות שנה וכתוב אחד אומר ודור רביעי ישובו הנה בראשית טז) כיצד יתקיימו שני כתובין אלו אמר הקדוש ב"ה אם עושין תשובה אני גואלם לדורות ואם לאו אני גואלם לשנים.
מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת לך לך סימן ט:ג,ד
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דְּסִכְנִין, סִימָן נָתַן לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְאַבְרָהָם, שֶׁכָּל מַה שֶּׁאֵרַע לוֹ אֵרַע לְבָנָיו. כֵּיצַד? בָּחַר בְּאַבְרָהָם מִכָּל בֵּית אָבִיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אַתָּה הוּא ה' הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר בָּחַרְתָּ בְּאַבְרָם וְהוֹצֵאתוֹ מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים וְשַׂמְתָּ שְׁמוֹ אַבְרָהָם (נחמיה ט, ז). וּבָחַר בְּבָנָיו מִשִּׁבְעִים אֻמּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה לַה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ וּבְךָ בָּחַר ה' לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה מִכֹּל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה (דברים יד, ב). לְאַבְרָהָם נֶאֱמַר לֶךְ לְךָ, וּלְבָנָיו נֶאֱמַר אַעֲלֶה אֶתְכֶם מֵעֳנִי מִצְרַיִם אֶל אֶרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִי וְהַחִתִּי וְהָאֱמֹרִי וְהַפְּרִיזִּי וְהַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי אֶל אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ (שמות ג, יז). לְאַבְרָהָם נֶאֱמַר: וַאֲבָרְכֶךָ וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה וַאֲבָרְכָה מְבָרְכֶךָ. וּלְבָנָיו נֶאֱמַר: יְבָרֶכְךָ ה'. לְאַבְרָהָם נֶאֱמַר: וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל, וּלְבָנָיו נֶאֱמַר: וּמִי גּוֹי גָּדוֹל (דברים ד, ח). אַבְרָהָם כְּתִיב בּוֹ: אֶחָד הָיָה אַבְרָהָם (יחזקאל לג, כד). וְיִשְׂרָאֵל: וּמִי כְעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ' (דה״א יז, כא). לְאַבְרָהָם נֶאֱמַר: וַיְהִי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ וַיֵּרֶד אַבְרָם מִצְרַיְמָה לָגוּר שָׁם כִּי כָבֵד הָרָעָב בָּאָרֶץ. וּלְבָנָיו כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁבוּ לְמִצְרַיִם, וְהָרָעָב כָּבֵד בָּאָרֶץ (בראשית מג, א). אַבְרָהָם עַל יְדֵי הָרָעָב יָרַד לְמִצְרָיִם, וְאַף בָּנָיו עַל יְדֵי הָרָעָב יָרְדוּ לְמִצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֵּרְדוּ אֲחֵי יוֹסֵף עֲשָׂרָה לִשְׁבֹּר בָּר מִמִּצְרָיִם (בראשית מב, ג). אַבְרָהָם כְּשֶׁיָּרַד נִזְדַּוְּגוּ לוֹ הַמִּצְרִים, וַיִּרְאוּ הַמִּצְרִים אֶת הָאִשָּׁה כִּי יָפָה הִיא מְאֹד (בראשית יב, יד). אַף לְבָנָיו, הָבָה נִתְחַכְּמָה לוֹ פֶּן יִרְבֶּה וְהָיָה כִּי תִקְרֶאנָה מִלְחָמָה וְנוֹסַף גַּם הוּא עַל שׂנְאֵינוּ וְנִלְחַם בָּנוּ וְעָלָה מִן הָאָרֶץ (שמות א, י).
אַבְרָהָם נִזְדַּוְּגוּ לוֹ אַרְבָּעָה מְלָכִים, אַף לְיִשְׂראֵל עֲתִידִין כָּל הַמְּלָכִים לְהִתְרַגֵּשׁ עֲלֵיהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לָמָּה רָגְשׁוּ גוֹיִם וּלְאֻמִּים יֶהְגּוּ רִיק (תהלים ב, א). וְאוֹמֵר: יִתְיַצְּבוּ מַלְכֵי אֶרֶץ וְרוֹזְנִים נוֹסְדוּ יָחַד עַל ה' וְעַל מְשִׁיחוֹ (תהלים ב, ב). מָה אַבְרָהָם יָצָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְנִלְחַם בְּשׂוֹנְאָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: מִי הֵעִיר מִמִזְרָח צֶדֶק יִקְרָאֵהוּ לְרַגְלוֹ יִתֵּן לְפָנָיו גּוֹיִם וּמְלָכִים יַרְדְּ יִתֵּם כֶּעָפָר חַרְבּוֹ כְּקַשׁ נִדָּף קַשְׁתּוֹ (ישעיה מא, ב), אַף כָּךְ עָתִיד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַעֲשׂוֹת לְבָנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְיָצָא ה' וְנִלְחַם בַּגּוֹיִם הָהֵם כְּיוֹם הִלָּחֲמוֹ בְּיוֹם קְרָב (זכריה יד, ג).
R. Joshua of Sikhnin was of the opinion that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave Avraham a sign that whatever happened to him would likewise happen to his descendants. He chose Avraham from among all those in his father’s house, as it is said: 'You are the Almighty God who chose Avram, and brought him forth out of Ur Kasdim, and gave him the name of Avraham' (Nehemia 9:7). And He selected Avraham’s sons to be His chosen ones among the seventy nations, as is said: 'For you are a Holy people to the Almighty your God, and God has chosen you to be His own treasured nation out of all the peoples that are upon the face of the earth' (Devarim 14:2). He said to Avraham: 'Go, for your sake…to the land that I will show you,' and to Avraham’s sons, He said: 'I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Emorite… to a land flowing with milk and honey.' (Shmot. 3:17). He promised Avraham: 'And I will bless you, and make your name great; and you will be a blessing' (Bereishit 12:2), and He told his sons: 'God will bless you and keep you,'(Bamidbar 6:24). To Avraham He said: 'I will make you a great nation,' (Bereishit 12:2), and to his descendants, He said: 'And what greater nation is there…' (Devarim 4:8). Concerning Avraham it is written: 'Avraham was unique,' (Yehezkel 33:24), and of Israel it is said: 'And who is like our people Israel, a unique nation on the earth' (Divrei HaYamim I, 17:21). In reference to Avraham it is said: 'And the was a famine in the land' (Bereishit 12:10), and about his descendants it is said: 'When they returned to Egypt, there was already famine in the land (Bereishit 43:1). Avraham descended to Egypt because of famine, and his sons also, descended because of famine, as is said: 'And Yosef’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt (Bereishit 42:3). When Avraham descended the Egyptians approached him, 'and the Egyptians saw the woman that she was very beautiful, (Bereishit 12:14), and concerning his descendants, the Egyptians declared: 'Come, let us deal wisely with them lest they multiply, and it comes to pass that a war breaks out, they will join our enemies, and fight against us, and emigrate out of the land' (Shmot 1:10).
The four kings attacked Avraham, and in the future all the kings will war against Israel, as it is said: 'Why are the nations in an uproar, and why do the peoples mutter in vain?' (Tehilim 2:1), and it says elsewhere; 'The kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers take counsel together against God and against His anointed one (Tehilim 2:2). Just as in the case of Avraham, the Holy One, blessed be He, waged war against those who hated him, as it is said: 'Who has raised up one from the east, at whose steps victory attends? He gives nations before him, and makes him rule over kings; his sword makes them as the dust, his bow as the driven stubble (Yishayahu 41:2), so too the Holy One, blessed be He, will wage war in the future in behalf of his descendants, as is said: 'Then shall God go forth and fight against those nations, as when he fights in the day of battle (Zecharia 14:3).
רמב"ן,בראשיתיב:ו
ויעבר אברם בארץ עד מקום שכם - אומר לך כלל תבין אותו בכל הפרשיות הבאות בענין אברהם יצחק ויעקב, והוא ענין גדול, הזכירוהו רבותינו בדרך קצרה, ואמרו (תנחומא ט) כל מה שאירע לאבות סימן לבנים, ולכן יאריכו הכתובים בספור המסעות וחפירת הבארות ושאר המקרים, ויחשוב החושב בהם כאלו הם דברים מיותרים אין בהם תועלת, וכולם באים ללמד על העתיד, כי כאשר יבוא המקרה לנביא משלשת האבות יתבונן ממנו הדבר הנגזר לבא לזרעו:...
'And Avram passed through the land to the place of Shechem': I will tell you a general principle - understand it in all of the coming sections about Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov, and it is a great matter. Our rabbis mentioned it in a brief way, and said (Midrash Tanchuma 9), "Everything that occurred to our forefathers is a sign for the children." And therefore the verses will write at length in recounting the journeys and the digging of the wells and the other events. And one who thinks about them can think as if they were superfluous things with no purpose. But all of the events come to teach about the future, for when an event occurs to a prophet, [meaning] one of the three forefathers, he will contemplate from it the matter that is decreed to come to his descendants...
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