Genesis Rabbah 38:13
Collaboration
“Terach lived seventy years,
and he begat Abram…”
(Genesis 11:26)
Rabbi Chiya grandson of Rav Adda of Jaffa related: Terach, Abraham’s father, was a maker of idols. One day Terach had to leave his idol shop, putting Abraham in charge. A man entered seeking to purchase an idol. Abraham asked him, “How old are you?” The man replied, “I am sixty years old.” “Woe to him,” said Abraham, “who at the age of sixty chooses to worship a god that my father made just yesterday!” The would-be customer retreated in shame.
On another occasion a woman came carrying a dish of fine flour which she left as an offering to the idols. Abraham grabbed a club and shattered all the idols but one. He then left the club in the hand of the idol that remained. It was the biggest one.
When Terach returned, he asked his son, “Who did this to them?” Abraham replied: “We cannot lie to you. A woman brought some fine flour to be offered before them. And so when I offered it, one of them said, ‘Let me eat of it first!’ and the other said, ‘No, I shall eat of it first!’ Then the biggest idol in the shop took a club and shattered the others.” “Don’t try to fool me,” said his father, “you know full well that they have no understanding!” To that statement Abraham responded, “Let your ears hear what your mouth declares!”
The aggadah continues, based upon the genealogy from Noah:
“When Noah was 500 years old,
he begat Shem, Ham and Japheth.”
(Genesis 5:32)
“Ham had four sons: of these his son Cush had five sons…
and Cush begat in addition Nimrod,
who became known as a mighty hunter before the Eternal.
The primary lands of his kingdom were Babel, Erech and Accad,
all in the land of Shinar,
and from that land came Assyria.
Nineveh was among the cities he built…”
(Genesis 10:6-11)
“Haran, Abraham’s brother, died
during the lifetime of [al-p‘ney] Terach his father
in the land of his birth, in Ur Kasdim.”
(Genesis 11:28)
As Abraham openly opposed his father’s pretension and livelihood, Terach handed him over to King Nimrod. Nimrod said to Abraham, “Let us worship fire!” Abraham replied, “Let us rather worship water, which extinguishes fire.” “Very well,” said Nimrod, “then let us worship water!” “Even better,” said Abraham, “let us worship the cloud, which is laden with water.” “Then,” said Nimrod, “let us worship the cloud!” “But then,” said Abraham, “let us worship the wind, which blows away the cloud.” “Very well,” said Nimrod, “let us worship the wind!” “But then,” proposed Abraham, “should we not worship the man, who carries the wind in his intestines?” “Scoffer!” shouted Nimrod, “you scorn me with nonsense: I worship only fire, and I will cast you into it, and let the God whom you worship come and rescue you from it!”
Now, during this exchange between Abraham and Nimrod, Abraham’s brother Haran was standing nearby, unsure of what to do or say. Unsure, as he was calculating: If Abraham prevails, then I should say, “I am with Abraham!” but if Nimrod prevails, then I should say, “I am with Nimrod!” When Abraham was, in fact, thrown into the fire and then survived to emerge unhurt, Haran was asked, “Whose side are you on, Abraham’s or Nimrod’s?” Haran answered, “I am on the side of Abraham!” Thereupon Haran, too, was thrown into the fire. But, unlike his brother, he was mortally burned and survived only long enough to be brought before [al-p‘ney] his father. Thus is written: “Haran died in the presence of [al-p‘ney] Terach his father in…Ur of the Chaldeans [Kasdim]” (Genesis 11:28), which may be understood, “Haran died on account of [al-p‘ney] Terach his father in the fire [ur] of the Chaldeans (perhaps identified with Babel or otherwise one of the idolatrous peoples he ruled) . That is to say, because their father was a maker of idols, they both were thrown into Nimrod’s idolatrous fire, from which one of them was saved and by which one of them perished!
Sedra Summary 