At the close of last week’s sidra, Abram was introduced to us briefly as the son of Terach, a man who has journeyed from his home in Ur to Haran. This week God commands Abram to begin a journey of his own from Mesopotamia to Canaan, where his descendants will become a nation in their own right. He embarks on this mission without hesitation, taking along his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot and other members of his household. Upon his arrival in Shechem, God promises the Land of Canaan to Abram’s progeny.

A severe famine compels Abram and Sarai to travel to Egypt, where, at Abram’s suggestion, Sarai is identified as Abram’s sister and taken into Pharaoh’s house. Pharaoh and his court are stricken by a mysterious illness, the truth about Abram and Sarai is revealed, and the couple is sent away.

Five kings of small, southern Canaanite cities revolt against the King of Elam. Abram comes to the aid of these kings because his nephew Lot has settled among them and has been taken hostage. Abram and the men of his household rout the King of Elam and his allies, earning a blessing from Melchizedek, King and Priest of Shalem (Jerusalem).

In a vision, God promises Abram an heir and foretells of the bondage in Egypt and the Exodus. Still childless, Sarai gives Abram her handmaid, Hagar, who bears him a son, Ishmael. A subsequent vision confirms that Abram and Sarai will have a child of their own, that their names will now be Abraham and Sarah, and that all males in their community must be circumcised as a token of this covenant on the eighth day of their lives. Abraham, Ishmael and all the other males of the household undergo circumcision.