Torah Classes

This chapter deals with the "Akeidah" the binding of yitzhok, and ends with the birth of rivkah.

Lot gets drunk and is seduced by his two daughters. Avraham travels to gerar where the king abducts sawra. Hashem appears to the king in a dream and tells him that he is going to die for taking sawra. Avrahem prays for the king and his household. Avimelech then invites him to reside in his country and showers him with gifts. Sawra gives birth to yitzhok. Avraham is tested by Hashem by driving hagar and yishmael from his house. Angel appear to hagar. The king visits avraham and makes a treaty with him.

Avraham continues his passionate plea for the people of sodom. The angels come to sodom and lot invites them to come to his house and offers them food and lodging. The people of sodom surround the house and demand that lot give them his guests. Angels tell lot of their mission to destoy the city and tell him to take his family and possessions and they will escort him out of the city before they destoy it. They are told not to look back at the destruction but lot's wife does and is turned into a pillar of salt. We begin the story of lot and his two daughters.

continues with avraham's hospitality for his three guests. They bless him that sawra should bear a son in one years time, she laughs. Two of the angels go on to sodom to destroy it and to save lot. Hashem informs Avraham of His plans to destroy sodom and avraham begins his plea to save the cities.

Hashem appears to avraham on the 3rd day after his circumcision. During the visit three men/angels appear and Avraham shows them great hospitality.

Hagar concieves but difficulties arise between her and sawri. Hagar runs away and she meets an angel who ask her why she has left. he tells her to return and promises her that her son will be a great nation. the birth of yishmael. Hashem tells avram to circumcise himself. Hashem changes his name to avraham and his wifes name to sawra and promises him a son from sawra. he then circumcises yishmael and all the male members of his household.

Avram meets with malchizedek king of salem(shem). He returns all the captives to the king of sodom, but refuses to take any of the booty. Hashem then promises to protect avram and to give him many descendants. hashem then makes a covenant with him and tells him that his children will be enslaved and also redeemed. Sawra then gives her maidservant hagar to avram to bear him a child.

sawra is abducted and taken to the harem of pharoh. Hashem punishes pharoh and he releases her and gives abram many gifts and escorts them out of egypt.Lot and abram part ways, lot goes to sodom. then Hashem appears to abram and promises him the land and children. the war between the 4 kings and the 5 kings. lot is taken captive abram goes to war against the 4 kings to save lot and he is victorious

Abram at the age of 75 leaves haran with his wife and his nephew to the place that Hashem would show him.He stops in the land of cannaan and Hashem appears to him and he builds an alter to thank Hashem. There is a famine in the land and so he goes to egypt. He tells his wife to say that she is his sister to protect his life.

Chp. 9 verse 23 - Chp. 11 verse 32: Shem and Japheth cover their father's nakedness. When he wakes and realizes what his youngest son had done he curses his grandson Canaan. He then blesses Shem and Japheth. Chp. 10, the Torah traces the genealogy of Japheth, Ham, and then Shem. Chp. 11, the Torah continues with the story of the tower of Babel. This would lead to the dispersion of mankind upon the face of the whole earth and creation of different nations and languages. There were ten generations from Noach till Avrom. He lived in Uhr Kasdim and it was there that he realized the oneness of Hashem. In Kasdim, Nimrod threw him into the fiery furnace because of his refusal to serve idols, and his decision to serve the only true G-d.