“And there was a famine in the land, and Avram went to Egypt to live there, because there was a harsh famine in the land.” (B’reishit 12:10)
The beginning of the verse teaches us that there was a famine. And then the end of the verse repeats this information. Don’t we already know about the famine? Why does the verse repeat it?
The answer is that, in essence, what drew Avraham to Egypt was the very fact that they suffered from a famine.
“Not a hunger for bread and not a thirst for water, but rather to hear the words of HaShem.” (Amos 8:11)
Ever since humanity fell from the ideal reality of the Garden of Eden to the lowly status of life in this world, the unifying river that came from Eden to water the garden was separated into four main rivers (see B’reishit 2:10-12).
This symbolizes four main human civilizations – Egypt, India, Assyria, and Babylon – which were established based on their main rivers: Pishon (the Nile), Giḥon (the Ganges), Ḥiddekel (the Tigris), and P’rat (the Euphrates).
Human civilization had been shattered and fragmented into different identities, which are understood by the kabalists to hold “sparks of holiness distributed among the shells.”
Part of Israel’s national mission is to recombine all of these sparks into their original form.
“And all the families of the earth will be blessed by you.” (B’reishit 12:3)
“Blessed” – “v’nivrekhu” – also hints at the root, meaning to grow a new plant from a branch of an existing one.
Physical hunger forces Avraham to leave the land of Canaan and he is sent to Egypt in order to solve the immediate problem of the “famine.”
As Avraham approaches Egypt, however, he gives Sarah a detailed explanation of the task that awaits them.
“Behold, I know that you are a beautiful woman.” (B’reishit 12:11)
Beauty denotes an attraction. Sarah provides the vital force that characterizes the unique nation that will redeem the other nations – all of whom desire to possess her.
Thus we see two dangers expressed in B’reishit 12:12. The first is that “they will murder me,” and the second “they will keep you alive” (so that she will become dedicated to Egypt).
The solution is for Sarah to say she is Avraham’s sister (12:13).
This hints to the element of wisdom, as is written, “Say to wisdom, you are my sister” (Mishlei 7:4).
This means that Avraham and Sarah descended to Egypt in order to collect the wisdom that fell from the Garden of Eden into the Nile River, “… so that they will be good to me because of you” (B’reishit 12:13).
Rashi explains: “They will give me gifts.”
The surface level meaning of this is that Avraham would be saved because the one who seeks to marry his sister would give him gifts. In this way, he will gain some time.
But on a deeper level, Avraham will obtain the internal gifts of Egypt, so that he can raise them back up to their original holy level. “And my soul will live because of you” (B’reishit 12:13) – they will not murder me.
Avraham was primarily concerned with Sarah’s safety. The only man able to take Sarah without permission from her “brother” was Pharaoh, and Avraham did not expect that they would meet the monarch. But because the border officials and government ministers praised her beauty to Pharaoh, saying that she was worthy of belonging to a king, she was ultimately taken to him.
In the end, Sarah was saved by Divine intervention. She and Avraham returned from Egypt with a huge fortune. People, livestock, gold, and silver that carried within them the deep essence of the Egyptian culture.
This episode should be understood as laying down a future pattern for how Israel frees the Divine sparks trapped in the shells of other nations. We see this clearly in Israel’s later Exodus from Egypt. And we also see it in Israel’s modern return from home from countries throughout the world.
This process will of course lead to all of humanity ultimately mending its ways in the end of days.
