58. "And Abraham took Sarah his wife" (Beresheet 12:5). IN THIS VERSE, THE WORD "took" means that Abraham persuaded her to come with soft words, because a man cannot take his wife to another country without her agreement. Similarly, it is written, "Take Aaron" (Bemidbar 20:25) and "Take the Levites" (Bemidbar 3:45). This is why "And Abraham took" MEANS THAT he persuaded her with words, telling her how evil were the ways of their generation. Therefore, it is written, "And Abraham took Sarah his wife."

59. Of the verse, "And Lot his brother's son," HE ASKS, What did Abraham see that made him take Lot with him? AND HE REPLIES, He foresaw through the Holy Spirit that David shall issue from him in the future. The words, "and the souls that they had made in Charan," refer to the male and female converts whose souls they amended. Abraham converted the men, while Sarah converted the women. FOR THIS REASON, the verse is written as if they had "made" them.

60. Rabbi Aba said, If so, then there were a lot of people - REFERRING TO THE CONVERTS. HOW can we say that they all left with him? Rabbi Elazar responded, Indeed so! And because of this, all the people who went with him are called "the people of the Elohim of Abraham" (Tehilim 47:10). And he traveled through the country with no fear, as it is written, "And Abraham passed through the land."

61. Rabbi Aba said to him, If it had been written, 'and souls that they had made in Charan,' then he would have agreed THAT BECAUSE OF THEIR GREAT NUMBERS ABRAHAM HAD NO FEAR WHEN PASSING THROUGH THE LAND. But, he said, It is written, "and the (Heb. et) souls," in which the particle Et serves as an addition to the merits of those souls that went along with him. IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT ABRAHAM WAS ABLE TO PASS THROUGH THE LAND WITH NO FEAR. Because he who leads his friend to meritorious conduct benefits always from that conduct and the benefit never leaves him. How do we know this? Because it is written, "And the souls that they had made in Charan." The merit of these souls accompanied Abraham.

62. Of the words "Get you out," Rabbi Shimon asked, when the Holy One, blessed be He, first revealed himself to Abraham, why did He start with 'Get you out'"? Until that time, the Holy One, blessed be He, had not spoken with Abraham. Therefore, why did He start with "Go for yourself?" Because the Hebrew words for "Go for yourself," which are lech lecha, have a numerical value of 100. By using these words, the Holy One, blessed by He, gave Abraham a hint that he would have a son in his hundredth year.

63. But come and behold, All that the Holy One, blessed be He, performs on earth is done according to Wisdom. Because Abraham was not yet attached to the Holy One, blessed be He, properly, He said to him "Go for yourself." This is a hint for that place and position that Abraham was expected to reach and that would bring him closer to the Holy One, blessed be He. This is why it is written, "Go for yourself." And that is the first grade that Abraham was to attain in coming to the Holy One, blessed be He.

64. But Abraham could not reach that grade and hold on to it until he entered the land of Yisrael, because that is where this level is achieved. It was similar with David, about whom it is written, "David inquired of Hashem, saying, Shall I go up to any of the cities of Yehuda? And Hashem said to him, 'Go up.' And David said, Where shall I go up? And Hashem said, 'to Chevron'" (II Shmuel 2:1). Since Saul had died, and David was fit to receive the kingship, why then did he not receive the kingship over Yisrael immediately? WHY DID HE HAVE TO EXERCISE HIS RULERSHIP FOR SEVEN YEARS IN HEBRON?

65. Everything, however, occurs by the secret of Wisdom. David was not ready to receive the kingship until he had connected himself to the Patriarchs buried in Hebron, through whom he was to receive the kingship. Therefore, he remained IN HEBRON for seven years, until he was fit to receive the kingship properly. Thus, everything occurred by the secret of Wisdom so that his kingship would be properly established! The same applies to Abraham; he did not achieve complete fulfillment with the Holy One, blessed be He, until he entered the land of Yisrael.

66. See, it is written, "And Abraham passed through the land." HE ASKS, WHY DOES THE VERSE READ "passed through (Heb. vaya'avor)" instead of went!' This is an allusion to the Holy Name - by which the world is sealed - that contains 72 engraved letters, all of which are within that name. VAYA'AVOR (VAV-YUD-AYIN-BET-RESH) CONSISTS OF TWO PARTS -RESH-YUD-VAV (NUMERICALLY=216) AND AYIN-BET (=72) - THAT REFER TO THE 216 LETTERS AND 72 NAMES. Thus, it is written in one place, "And...passed through," while it is written in another, "And Hashem passed by (Heb. vaya'avor) before him and proclaimed..." (Shemot 34:6) - JUST AS THERE IT IS SPEAKING OF THE HOLY NAME OF AYIN-BET (72), SO TOO VAYA'AVOR HERE IS A REFERENCE TO THE HOLY NAME OF AYIN-BET (72).