THE AVOSAvraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov

AVRAHAM AVINU Where was he born? When did he live? What civilizations did he encounter? Details of his life

Ur Kasdim Haran Mitzrayim Sodom

The war between the four kings and the five The destruction of cities of Sodom Malkitzedek

Avimelech Purchase of Ma’aras Hamachpelah from Ephron

UR KASDIM כשדים אור

Map of Middle East

Avraham was born approximately 1813 or 1976 BCE

It is generally assumed to be the city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia since it is near what will be the Babylonian civilization its people are known in Hebrew as כשדים Kashdim

Ur had been one of the largest cities in the world.

It was well developed with several law codes having already been given by strong leaders

UR KASDIM כשדים אור

Ur Ruins Including Reconstructed Ziggurat

Until it was destroyed by the Elamites in about the year 2000 BCE

Somewhere between 24 and 187 years before Avraham was born

It was rebuilt but much smaller than previously

" " א ל א י בראשית נח פרשת ןEFב לוHט JאEת ו HנוJFב אLבJרKם אEת תEFרLח NFקLFח Lי ו

אLבJרKם אPשEOת HתוKF LFל כ שKQרLי JאPת ו HנוJFב בEFן הKרKןלKלEכEת NFים LFשJQד כ Fר מPאו FאNתKFם PFצJאו Lי ו HנוJFב

: FשKOם PFשJOבו Lי ו חKרKן FעLד KFבHאו Lי ו LעLן JFנ כ אLרJצKה Terach took Avram his son and

Lot the son of Haran his grandson and Sari his daughter-in-Law the wife of Avram and the left Ur Kasdim to go to the land of Canaan and the came until Haran and they settled there.

UR KASDIM כשדים אור

Mosque in Turkey Set on the Site of Avraham Avinu’s Birth

In Urfa, Southern Turkey

The Muslims have a tradition that Urfa in southern Turkey is the birth place of Avraham.

They have put a shrine on the site.

Urfa is very close to the agreed upon site of Harran.

Is that proof that Urfa is כשדים ?or not אור

People did write in cuneiform the same language as in southern Mesopotamia

חרן נהריים ארם

City of Harran

with typical beehive homes

The location of חרן is well established in southern Turkey

The larger area in which it is located is

נהריים since it is ארםlocated between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

is the name of a ארםpeople living in this area of Syria at the time.

חרן נהריים ארם

It was an important stop in the caravan routes from Mesopotamia to Anatolia and south to Israel and Egypt

EGYPT AND THE PHARAOHופרעה מצרים

The Gemorah tells us that אברהם was 75 years old when he left חרן

He almost immediately leaves Israel for Egypt

When? 1976BCE +75 =

1901BCE 1813BCE +75 = 1738

BCE

EGYPT AND PHARAOHופרעה מצרים

King Tutankhamen

His Father and Mother were siblings and he

married his half-sister

In Egypt he claims אמנו was his שרה

sister. The Royal family

practiced incest with half sisters.

Commoners did not but they did often refer to their wives as “sister.”

EGYPT AND PHARAOH Egyptian History

Early Dynastic period Dynasties 1-2 3100 BCE – 2880 BCE

Old Kingdom Dynasties 3 – 6 2686 BCE – 2134 BCE

First Intermediate Period Dynasties 7 – 10 2134 BCE- 2030 BCE

Middle Kingdom Dynasties 11- 12 2030 BCE – 1720 BCE

Second Intermediate Period Dynasties 13 – 17 1720 BCE – 1550 BCE

New Kingdom Dynasties 18- 20 1550 BCE – 1096BCE

Third Intermediate Period Dynasties 21 – 25 1096BCE – 664BCE

Who was the Pharaoh when

אבינו was אברהםthere?

What was the political situation in the country?

ACCORDING TO THE HISTORIANS

A Great sphinx thought to have been originally carved for Amenemhat II, now on display in the Louvre, Paris

Avraham was in Egypt 1901 BCE during the Reign of Pharaoh Amenemhat II

According to Wikipedia “Not much is known about his reign. He ruled Egypt for 35 years from 1929 BCE to 1895 BCE”

Or possibly during the reign of his successor Senusret II there is little relevant information about his reign either

ACCORDING TO "ל חז Avraham was in Egypt

in 1738 BCE Which was in the

Second intermediate period

According to Manetho the Hyksos invaded Egypt

The Hyksos invasion shattered the unity of the country

Smaller Egyptian provinces or Nomes fought back

ACCORDING TO "ל חז

A group of Asiatic peoples (perhaps the future Hyksos) depicted entering Egypt

c.1900 BC from the tomb of a 12th dynasty official Khnumhotep under pharaoh Senusret II at Beni Hasan

Avraham was in Egypt in 1738 BCE

Which was in the Second intermediate period

According to modern historians the Hyksos peacefully migrated into Egypt

Lack of central government allowed unchecked immigration that changed the culture of Egypt in places and gave rise to Hyksos states

THE WAR BETWEEN THE FOUR KINGS AND THE FIVE

Salt Dunes Near the Dead Sea

There is no historical evidence for the war

There is also no historical evidence for the destruction of

הככר or Sodom עריand Gomorrah

However, as we have said lack of evidence does not mean that it did not happen.

MALKITZEDEK KING OF SHALEMJERUSALEM

The tiny clay fragment – dating from the 14th century B.C.E. – found by

Hebrew University archaeologists in excavations outside Jerusalem’s Old

City walls contains the oldest written document ever found in

Jerusalem. (Photo: Sasson Tiram)

has been ירושליםcontinually occupied since 3000 BCE

It lies on the road from the Red Sea to the north

It has a permanent water supply

It has a temperate climate and is close to arable land

YITZACH AVINU

המכפלה מערתLeft over from the

Avraham slides

Lived a private The wells

mentioned in the Torah do exist at the center of ancient cities

No other evidence of his life could be expected to remain

YAAKOV AVINU

Mt. Ebal

Lived with לבן in Harran

Was a shepherd for a while

There is no evidence for Shimon and Levi’s attack on Shechem

However, Shechem was destroyed 22 times and rebuilt before 200 CE

CHRONOLOGY OF THE AVOS

Event Date according to

ל" חז

Egyptian History

Date according to historians

Egyptian History

Abraham's birth

1813 BCE

Middle Kingdom

1976 BCE Middle

Avraham going to Eretz Yisroel

1738 BCE

2nd Inter. 1901 BCE Middle

Birth of Yitzack

1713 BCE

Middle 1876 BCE Middle

Birth of Yaakov

1653 BCE

2nd Inter. 1816 BCE Middle

Birth of Yosef 1559 BCE

2nd Inter. 1722 BCE 2nd Inter.

Yosef in Egypt

1529 BCE

2nd Inter. 1692 BCE 2nd Inter.

Death of Yaakov

1512 BCE

New 1675 BCE 2nd Inter.

Death of Yosef

1459 BCE

New 1622 BCE 2nd Inter

Exodus from Egypt

1313 BCE

New Kingdom

1476 BCE New Kingdom

NEXT TIME Death of Yosef till

Leaving Egypt 146 years ל" 1459-1313חז BCEHistorians 1622-

1476 BCE Exodus from Egypt

BondageStorehousesPharaoh of the

Exodus

Conquest of YehoshuahArcheological

evidence The times of the

JudgesThe Jewish people

in the Canaanite world