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Why does the Torah (תורה)'s narrative in Lech Lecha contradict chronological order—and why is the critical story of Ur Kasdim omitted entirely? The parsha's arrangement follows not Avrohom's personal biography but the precise pattern of Klal Yisrael's future history. Each episode—leaving Charan, descending to Egypt, splitting from Lot, conquering kings, receiving the Bris Bein HaBesarim—mirrors a future stage in the development of the nation, from Arami Oved Avi to Yemos HaMashiach.
The shiur begins by demonstrating a profound chronological problem in Parshas Lech Lecha. According to the Rishonim, the Torah (תורה)'s narrative order contradicts the actual sequence of events. The Bris Bein HaBesarim occurred when Avrohom was seventy, the war of the four kings when he was seventy-three, yet the Torah presents leaving Charan at seventy-five first, followed by the Egyptian descent, the separation from Lot, and only then the war and the Bris. This raises the fundamental question: why does the Torah deliberately rearrange historical chronology? The Ramban (רמב"ן) asks a second critical question: what is the significance of all these seemingly minor details about Avrohom's travels and encampments? He answers with the principle of ma'aseh avos siman labanim—the deeds of the fathers are a sign for the children. Yet this principle itself requires explanation, particularly regarding which episodes are selected for inclusion and which are omitted.
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