Rewards and Promises of Children

“Sometime later” - a reminder that the episode continues.

Abram has mortality on his mind – he starts to contemplate that he has no children.

The first time Abram actually SPEAKS to God and he expresses his doubts.

(Robert Altar) - it is typical that we respond to God’s requests with doubt.

Abraham is ‘human’ he is motivated by fear.

(Eli Munk) - up till now Abraham’s life was a continuous ascent – his character is growing as he encounters adversity.

God acknowledges Abraham’s anxiety and reassures him that his “reward will be great”, meanwhile Abraham has just turned down rewards from the King.

(Samson Raphael Hirsch) Compensation can be the by-product of mitzvot but not the motivation. As it says in Pirke Avot: The good that we do should be the reward.

In other philosophies (like Buddhism) the reward is in the ‘next’ life or the afterlife. Some later Jewish sources note this idea but it is not a popular concept.

Pirke Avot: “don't be a like a servant who serves for the sake of a prize – serve for love.”

On Rewards: Intermittent reward is best as incentives for one to form good habits and lifestyle. (children for example)

Goal: A relationship with God – every mitzvah brings us closer to that.

Abraham is feeling anguish at his lack of children.
(Rashi) being childless is like having your line extinguished.
(Eli Munk) this is a cry of dispair. There is no one to continue his work. In other cultures of the time there was little importance placed on children, in the Jewish culture children were the focus.

Children is God’s way to give opportunity for improvement.

Motivation to have children: loneliness and fear of extinction.

Book: Swimming in a Sea of Death by David Rieff A memoir about Susan Sontag’s death
Poses the question of accepting our mortality.

Everyman by Philip Roth

Conquering Fear by Rabbi Harold Kushner
Focus on the attitude of the artist Marc Chagall, who just before his death at age ninety-seven completed his last painting entitled Towards Another Light

And Spinoza’s focus on life not death.






Verse 4: God promises Abraham that his heir will be from ‘his own seed’
Brings up the question of how important it is that the children must be from your own biological line.
Why is this important?
What does it mean to go outside?
(next week)