Possibly one of the most well-known Medrashim on the Torah is the story of when Avraham was cast into a fiery furnace and miraculously emerged without injury.
Let’s take a closer look at this amazing incident. As an aside, the Torah does not openly tell us this story, it only alludes to it and leaves it to our oral tradition, the Medrash, to fill us in.
Avraham was born to Terach and his mother Amasloyi. On the day that Avraham was born, the astrologers of the wicked King Nimrod saw a star shoot across the sky, absorbing four stars, one in each direction. They explained to Nimrod that this meant that Terach would have a son who will be the progenitor of a nation that will inherit this world and the World to Come. “We suggest that you give Terach a handsome amount of money for his son, and then we will kill him.”
When Terach was approached, he told them that he had a child and the child died. Terach took his infant son Avraham and hid him in a cave until he was three years old. When Avraham emerged from the cave, he asked himself, “Who created all of this?” He began praying to the sun. When the sun set, and the moon emerged he prayed to the moon. The next day when the sun appeared again, Avraham realized that there was a power above them all. He went over to his father and asked him, “Who created everything?” His father answered, “My god.” “Can you show it to me?” Terach immediately took out his idol and showed it to Avraham.
Avraham went to his mother and asked her to prepare a meal so that he could offer it to the god. He presented the meal before the idol and nothing happened. He thought that perhaps the food wasn’t good enough so he asked his mother to prepare even better food. When nothing moved or happened this time, Avraham prophesied the verse in Psalms, “They have a mouth, but do not speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear.” Avraham then smashed all the idols except for the largest. He then placed a hammer in the hand of the largest idol. When his father saw this, he asked Avraham why he destroyed the idols. Avraham answered, “I didn’t destroy them; the biggest idol got angry at the others and demolished them.” “Are you crazy?” shouted his father, “How is that possible? These idols cannot move.” Avraham tried to reason with his father. “Listen to what you are saying. These pieces of wood have no power. Why do you insist on serving them and believing that they created the world?”
Terach became upset and brought Avraham to King Nimrod. Nimrod claimed that he was god and created the world. Avraham countered, “I noticed that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. If you reverse its pattern, I’ll bow to you. If not, the power that lifted my hand to destroy the idols, will power my hands to kill you.” Nimrod asked his advisers what should be done to Avraham. They answered, “This is what we warned you previously, that a child will be born to Terach, who will inherit this world and the World to Come.”
Nimrod decreed that every person bring as much wood as possible to a place called Or Casdim and a huge bonfire was erected. The heat was so intense that it consumed anyone who came near. Avraham had to be catapulted into the fire.
Because Avraham was totally devoted to Hashem, He had mercy on him, and miraculously, the ropes that he had been tied with burned away while Avraham emerged complete and unharmed from the furnace.
As a result of this miracle many people rejected their idols and false gods and came to the realization of an Omnipotent G-d. Avraham’s total devotion and steadfast belief in G-d, earned him the unique status of becoming the forefather of the Jewish people.
In our Parsha, Hashem guarantees Avraham that his reward will be great.
At this point Avraham was childless and he asked Hashem what purpose of the reward is if I have no one to inherit it.
Hashem then told Avraham that he will have a child. This was perplexing to Avraham since he and Sarah were physically unable to conceive.
During this prophetic vision, Hashem elevated Avraham out of the earthly spheres into the heaven and showed him that the Mazal attached to his current name Avram and the name of his wife Sarai, cannot produce children. However, Hashem will give them new names, Avraham and Sarah and they will have a child, Yitzchok! Furthermore, He told him that neither you nor your descendants will function under the normative patterns of nature.
Rabbi Hershel Schechter explains that since the creation of Avraham’s progeny was not bound by the Mazal – the natural order of the physical world – rather, Yitzchok was born through an outer worldly realm, this same miraculous function will apply for all future descendants of our forefather Avraham.
G-d told Avraham in this vision, “to look up and count the stars, if you can count them.” He then said, “so will your descendants be.” The Netziv explains, G-d was telling him that it is not a vast number of Jews that will descend from you. Rather, from the rather small number of descendants in comparison to the nations of the world, they will produce bright and great spiritual illumination upon the world, and they will provide and conceive unparalleled contributions to society.
We continue to witness this 3800 years later!
