R. Eleazar was once going to see his father-in-law, accompanied by R. Abba. He said: ‘Let us discourse on the Torah as we go.’ R. Eleazar then took as his text the verse: “Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister” (Gen. 12, 13). ‘This’, he said, ‘is very strange. Can we believe that a God-fearing man like Abram should speak thus to his wife in order that he might be well treated? The truth is, however, that Abram relied on the merit of his wife, and not on his own merit, to procure for him the money of the heathen, for a man obtains money through the merit of his wife, as it is written: “House and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord” (Prov. 19, 14).
Further, he saw an angel going before her, who said to him: “Fear not, Abram, God sent me to procure for her the money of the heathen and to protect her from all harm”. Hence Abram did not fear for his wife but for himself, since he saw the angel with her but not with himself.
Therefore he said to her: “Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister, that he (the angel) may do good to me in this world, and that my soul may live in the next world for thy sake, if thou departest not from the right way, for otherwise death awaits me in this world.”
R. Abba discoursed on the verse: “As in the day of thy coming forth from the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvellous things” (Mic. 7, 15). He said: ‘God will one day bring deliverance to his sons as in the days when He sent to deliver Israel and inflicted plagues on Egypt for their sake. What is the difference between this deliverance and that of Egypt? The deliverance in Egypt was from one king and one country: here it will be from all the kings of the earth.
Then God will be glorified in all the world, and all shall know His dominion, as it is written: “The Lord shall be king over the whole earth” (Zech. 14, 9). And they shall bring Israel as an offering to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, “And they shall bring all your brethren”, etc. (Isa. 66, 20). Then the patriarchs shall rejoice to see the deliverance of their sons, and so it is written: “As in the days of thy going forth from Egypt I shall show him wonders.”
רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הֲוָה אָזִיל לְמֵחֱמֵי לַאֲבוֹי (ס"א לחמוי) וַהֲוָה עִמֵּיהּ רִבִּי אַבָּא. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא נֵימָא מִלִּין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וְנֵזִיל. פָּתַח רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְאָמַר, (בראשית י״ב:י״ג) אִמְרִי נָא אֲחוֹתִי אָתְּ, הַאי קְרָא קַשְׁיָא. וְכִי אַבְרָהָם דְּאִיהוּ דָּחִיל חַטָּאָה, רְחִימוּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הֲוָה אָמַר הָכִי עַל אִתְּתֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּיוֹטְבִין לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא אַבְרָהָם, אַף עַל גַּב דְּהֲוָה דָּחִיל חַטָּאָה, לָא סָמִיךְ עַל זְכוּתָא דִּילֵיהּ, וְלָא בָּעָא מִן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאַפָּקָא זְכוּתֵיהּ, אֶלָּא עַל זְכוּתָא דְּאִתְּתֵיהּ, דְּיִרְוַוח בְּגִינָהּ מָמוֹנָא דִּשְׁאָר עַמִּין, דְּהָא מָמוֹנָא בְּאִתְּתֵיהּ זָכֵי לֵיהּ בַּר נָשׁ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (משלי י״ט:י״ד) בַּיִת וָהוֹן נַחֲלַת אָבוֹת וּמֵיְיָ' אִשָּׁה מַשְׂכָּלֶת. מַאן דְּזָכֵי בְּאִשָּׁה מַשְׂכָּלֶת, זוֹכֶה בְּכֹלָּא. וּכְתִיב, (משלי ל״א:י״א) בָּטַח בָּהּ לֵב בַּעְלָהּ וְשָׁלָל לֹא יֶחְסָר.
R. Eleazar was once going to see his father-in-law, accompanied by R. Abba. He said: ‘Let us discourse on the Torah as we go.’ R. Eleazar then took as his text the verse: “Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister” (Gen. 12, 13). ‘This’, he said, ‘is very strange. Can we believe that a God-fearing man like Abram should speak thus to his wife in order that he might be well treated? The truth is, however, that Abram relied on the merit of his wife, and not on his own merit, to procure for him the money of the heathen, for a man obtains money through the merit of his wife, as it is written: “House and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord” (Prov. 19, 14).
וְאַבְרָהָם הֲוָה אָזִיל בְּגִינָהּ, לְמֵיכַל שְׁלָלָא מִשְּׁאַר עַמִּין, וְסָמִיךְ עַל זְכוּתָא דִּילָהּ, דְּלָא יֵכְלוּן לְאַעְנְשָׁא לֵיהּ, וּלְחַיְיכָא בָּהּ. וּבְגִּינֵי כַּךְ לָא יָהִיב מִדִי לְמֵימַר אֲחוֹתִי הִיא. וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא דְּחָמָא חַד מַלְאָכָא אָזִיל קַמָהּ, וְאָמַר לֵיהּ לְאַבְרָהָם, לָא תִּדְּחַל מִנָּהּ, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא שָׁדַר לִי, לְאַפָּקָא לֵהּ מָמוֹנָא דִּשְׁאַר עַמִּין, וּלְנַטְרָא לָהּ מִכֹּלָּא. וּכְדֵין לָא דָּחִיל אַבְרָהָם מְאִתְּתֵיהּ, אֶלָּא מִנֵיהּ, דְּלָא חָמָא עִמֵּיהּ מַלְאָכָא, אֶלָּא עִמָּהּ. אָמַר הָא הִיא מִתְנַטְרָא, וַאֲנָא לָא נְטִירְנָא. וּבְגִּינֵי כַּךְ אָמַר, אִמְרִי נָא אֲחוֹתִי אַתְּ וְגוֹ'.
Further, he saw an angel going before her, who said to him: “Fear not, Abram, God sent me to procure for her the money of the heathen and to protect her from all harm”. Hence Abram did not fear for his wife but for himself, since he saw the angel with her but not with himself.
יִיטַב לִי, יֵיטִיבוּ לִי מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, דִּכְתִּיב וְהָיָה כִּי יִרְאוּ אוֹתָךְ הַמִצְרִים וְאָמְרוּ אִשְׁתּוֹ זֹאת, וְעַל דָּא יֵיטִיבוּ לִי מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא יִיטַב לִי, דָּא דְּאָזִיל קַמָּךְ. יִיטַב לִי בְּהַאי עָלְמָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּמָמוֹנָא. וְחָיְתָה נַפְשִׁי בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא בִּגְלָלֵךְ, דְּלָא תִּסְטִי מִן אוֹרְחָא דִּקְשׁוֹט, דְּאִי אַזְכֵּי בְּגִינָךְ בְּמָמוֹנָא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְתִסְטִי אַנְתְּ בְּאוֹרְחָא, הָא מִיתָא זְמִינָא בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא, אֶלָּא תִּסְתַּמֵר, דִּתְחִי נַפְשִׁי בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא בִּגְלָלֵךְ.
Therefore he said to her: “Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister, that he (the angel) may do good to me in this world, and that my soul may live in the next world for thy sake, if thou departest not from the right way, for otherwise death awaits me in this world.”
וּבְגִין דְּהַהוּא מַלְאָכָא אָזִיל קַמָה לְנַטְרָא לָהּ, מַה כְּתִיב. וַיְנַגַּע יְיָ' אֶת פַּרְעֹה וְגוֹ', עַל דְּבַר שָׂרַי וַדַּאי, דַּהֲוַת אַמְרַת לְמַלְאָכָא מָחֵי, וְהוּא מָחֵי. וְעַל דָּא לָא דָּחִיל אַבְרָהָם מִנָּהּ כְּלוּם, דְּהָא הִיא מִתְנַטְרָא. וּמַה דְּדָחִיל, מִגַּרְמֵיהּ דָּחִיל, דְּלָא חָמָא עִמֵּיהּ נְטוּרָא הָכִי.
תָּא חֲזֵי, עֶשֶׂר זִמְנִין פְּקִידַת שָׂרָה לְמַלְאָכָא, לְמַחֲאָה לְפַרְעֹה. וּבְעֶשֶׂר מַכְתְּשִׁין אַלְקֵי. סִימָנָא עַבְדַת שָׂרָה לִבְנָהָא בַּתְרָאָה בְּמִצְרַיִם.
רִבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח, (מיכה ז׳:ט״ו) כִּימֵי צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אַרְאֶנּוּ נִפְלָאוֹת. זַמִּין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאַחֲזָאָה פּוּרְקָנָא לִבְנוֹי, כְּאִינּוּן יוֹמִין דְּשָׁלַח קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאַפָּקָא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאַחְזֵי אִינּוּן מַכְתְּשִׁין בְּמִצְרָאֵי, וְאַלְקֵי לוֹן בְּגִינֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה בֵּין פּוּרְקָנָא דָּא, לְפוּרְקָנָא דְּמִצְרַיִם. פּוּרְקָנָא דְּמִצְרַיִם הֲוָה בְּחַד מַלְכָּא, וּבְמַלְכוּ חֲדָא. הָכָא, בְּכָל מַלְכִין דְּעָלְמָא, וּכְדֵין יִתְיְיקָּר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּכָל עָלְמָא, וְיִנְדְּעוּן כֹּלָּא שׁוּלְטָנוּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְכֻלְּהוּ יִלְקוּן בְּמַכְתְּשִׁין עִלָּאִין, עַל חַד תְּרֵין, בְּגִין דְּיִסָּרְבוּן כֻּלְּהוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.
R. Abba discoursed on the verse: “As in the day of thy coming forth from the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvellous things” (Mic. 7, 15). He said: ‘God will one day bring deliverance to his sons as in the days when He sent to deliver Israel and inflicted plagues on Egypt for their sake. What is the difference between this deliverance and that of Egypt? The deliverance in Egypt was from one king and one country: here it will be from all the kings of the earth.
וּכְדֵין יִתְגְּלֵי שׁוּלְטָנֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דִּכְתִּיב, (זכריה י״ד:ט׳) וְהָיָה יְיָ' לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ. וּכְדֵין כֻּלְּהוּ יִתְנַדְּבוּן בְּהוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (ישעיהו ס״ו:כ׳) וְהֵבִיאוּ אֶת כָּל אֲחֵיכֶם וְגוֹ'. כְּדֵין קַיְימִין אֲבָהָן בְּחֶדְוָה, לְמֵחֱמֵי פּוּרְקָנָא דִּבְנַיְיהוּ כְּמִלְּקַדְּמִין. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, כִּימֵי צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אַרְאֶנּוּ נִפְלָאוֹת. אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן. בָּרוּךְ יְיָ' לְעוֹלָם אָמֵן וְאָמֵן: יִמְלוֹךְ יְיָ' אָמֵן וְאָמֵן:
Then God will be glorified in all the world, and all shall know His dominion, as it is written: “The Lord shall be king over the whole earth” (Zech. 14, 9). And they shall bring Israel as an offering to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, “And they shall bring all your brethren”, etc. (Isa. 66, 20). Then the patriarchs shall rejoice to see the deliverance of their sons, and so it is written: “As in the days of thy going forth from Egypt I shall show him wonders.”