Ch. 12, v. 2: "Ve'h'yei brochoh" And you will be the source of blessing Rashi explains that Hashem placed the power of blessing into Avrohom's hand. The M.R. says that when Avrohom attempted to sacrifice his son Yitzchok he had the status of a Kohein Godol. Where do we find that he was given this position?
Ch. 14, v. 14: "Shmonoh ossor ushlosh mei'os" Three-hundred and eighteen Rashi (gemara N'dorim 32a) says that this refers to Eliezer, Avrohom's slave, whose name has the numerical value of 318. This is a most difficult explanation of our verse, as the verse expresses itself in the plural form, "chanichOV, y'lidEI." This is especially puzzling in understanding Rashi, who has set out to explain the Torah in a straightforward "pshuto shel mikra" manner (Breishis 3:8).
Ch. 15, v. 5: "Usfore hakochovim ko yi'h'yeh za'recho" And count the stars so will be your descendants In what aspect are Avrohom's descendants compared to the stars?
Ch. 15, v. 8: "Ba'meh eida ki iroshenoh" With what will I know that I will inherit it Rashi offers two interpretations, either that Avrohom asked for a clear indication that this would be so, or that he simply asked for which merit he would inherit the land. The gemara N'dorim 32a says that Avrohom was punished for asking "ba'meh eida." According to the second explanation of Rashi why was he punished?
Ch. 15, v. 15: "Tiko'veir b'seivoh tovoh" You will be buried in a good old age Rashi (gemara B.B. 16b) says that included in this blessing is that Avrohom would not suffer the pain of seeing his grandson Eisov turn to a bad path. This is why Avrohom died five years earlier than he would have otherwise died. On the day of Avrohom's demise Eisov overtly turned away from Torah values. Why was it necessary to orchestrate an early death for Avrohom? Why didn't Hashem control Eisov for five more years and allow Avrohom to live out his full life?
Important Numbers
