וַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח אֶת-אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ, וְאֶת-לוֹט בֶּן-הָרָן בֶּן-בְּנוֹ, וְאֵת שָׂרַי כַּלָּתוֹ, אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ; וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים, לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן, וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד-חָרָן, וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם. וַיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי-תֶרַח, חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה; וַיָּמָת תֶּרַח, בְּחָרָן (סוף פרשת נח)
וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם, כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו ה’, וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ, לוֹט; וְאַבְרָם, בֶּן-חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה, בְּצֵאתוֹ, מֵחָרָן (בראשית יב/ד)
It is written in last week’s parsha, Parshas Noach, that Terach begot Avraham at the age of 70 and it is written in the last pasuk of last week’s parsha that Terach died when he was 205 years old.
The Medrash comments that four pesukim later, in our parsha, Parshas Lech Lecha, it is written that Avraham left Charan to come to Eretz Yisroel when he was 75 years old. Making a simple calculation, it comes out that at that time Terach was one 145 years old (Terach begot Avraham when he was 70, plus the 75 years of Avraham, equals 145), and therefore he still had 60 years to live after Avraham came to Eretz Yisroel! Why then is it written in last week’s parsha that he died?
The Medrash explains firstly that wicked people are called dead even when they are still living. In addition to this, the Medrash explains that Avraham was hesitant to leave his father and go to Eretz Yisroel because by doing so he will cause Hashem’s name to be disgraced. People will mock Hashem for commanding Avraham to leave his elderly father. Hashem therefore calmed Avraham and told him, “I will exempt you from honoring your father and mother. However, I will not exempt others from honoring their parents and furthermore, I will write that Terach died before it is written that you left your house and him.”
Zera Shimshon asks what did Hashem gain by writing Terach’s passing away before it is written that Avraham left him, when everyone who lived there at that time saw that Avraham left his elderly father?
He answers that in truth, Avraham’s leaving his father would not have disgraced Hashem’s name. People would understand that since Avraham chose a different lifestyle than his father—in that Avraham lived according to Hashem’s commandments while his father at that time still worshipped avodah zara, idol worship—they could not live together. The reason that Avraham was concerned, though, was because perhaps people would criticize him and Hashem for leaving at the time Terach had begun the teshuva (repentance) process. They would say that since Avraham felt that everyone should follow Hashem’s mitzvos and his father had begun to go down that path, it would be proper for Avraham to stay back and help his father to continue on the path that Avraham followed.
Hashem replied to Avraham that his concern is valid for other people but not for him. Other people in Avraham’s situation should stay with their parents to assist them with the teshuva process. However, Avraham’s situation was different because at the Bris Bein HaBesarim (Covenant of Parts), it is written, “v’atah tahvo el avosechah b’shalom, you will come to your ancestors in peace” meaning that Hashem promised Avram that his father would do teshuva and after Avram passes away he will be together with him. Therefore even if Avram would leave his father behind, his father would become a baal teshuva (one who returns to God) and go in Avraham’s way so there is no reason to stay back with him.
The question remains though: The Bris Bein Habesarim, is written at the end of the parsha after Avram left his father. How then will people justify Avraham’s leaving with the fact that the event didn’t yet happen?
The answer is that that according to Tosafos (Berachos 7b) even though the incident of Bris Bein Habesarim was written after Avram came to Eretz Yisroel, it really happened five years earlier before Avram came to Eretz Yisroel. The Bris Bein Habesarim was written afterwards because of the principle of “ein mukdam u’me’uchar b’Torah, the Torah is not always written in chronological order.”
Zera Shimshon concludes that according to this we can now understand why Hashem wrote that Terach passed away before Avram came to Eretz Yisroel even though he actually passed away 60 years later.
People at that time knew of the promise to Avram that his father will eventually do teshuva even without Avraham’s help. However, people later on who learn Chumash will wonder how it could be that Hashem told Avram to leave him just when he had begun to repent for all his misdeeds and had started the teshuva process. Hashem therefore recorded Terach’s passing away out of order so that people would realize that the Torah is not always written in the correct chronological order. They will therefore understand that the Bris Bein Habesarim was also written out of order and the promise that Terach will do teshuva happened before Avram left him. Therefore they will not question how Hashem told Avram to leave his father who had begun the teshuva process.
Zera Shimshon gives another explanation why Terach’s passing away is written before Avram came to Eretz Yisroel even though he died 60 years later.
Rashi writes in the name of the Medrash that the place Ur Kasdim has that name because Nimrod threw Avram into a burning furnace after he broke the idols of his father. (Ur means fire).
Another fact: It is written in the Zohar Hakodesh that falling from one’s status is considered to be a type of death.
Before Avram broke Terach’s idols, Terach made a good living by selling his idols. His financial success gave him prestige in his society. However, after the breaking of the idols, people lost trust in Terach’s idols and he fell both financially and socially. To allude to this fall of Terach’s, right after the Torah mentions that Avram, Terach, Lot and Sarah left Ur Kasdim the Torah writes that he died even though in actuality he had died much later!
