11:28 “וימת הרן על פני תרח אביו בארץ מולדתו באור כשדים” “Haran dies in the presence of Terach his father, in his native land – in Ur Kasdim.” Avrohom was thrown into a fiery pit and miraculously emerged unscathed. While Avrohom was saved, his brother was killed by fire during this incident. The great miracle that occurred for Avrohom, and how he smashed the Avodah Zarah of his father Terach, are not stated explicitly in the Torah. Why does the Torah not state explicitly that Avrohom stood up for the sake of Hashem, and how he was miraculously saved? Why wasn’t Haran saved along with Avrohom?
“Who killed Haran?” When Avrohom was cast into Ur Kasdim, a fiery pit, Hakodosh Boruch Hu revealed Himself and saved Avrohom. When Avrohom emerged from the fire unharmed, the people thought that perhaps the reason that Avrohom was not burned was in order to save his brother, Haran, the pain of seeing Avrohom being harmed. Immediately, a fire came (not from the people, but from Above) and burned Haran in order to eradicate that thought from their minds. Others explain that the people thought that the progeny of Terach had a special power in that fire could not hurt them, being that Terach toiled in creating and serving Avodah Zara. They therefore took Haran and threw him into the fire. When they saw that the fire killed Haran, they recognized that Avrohom was saved from the fire only because of Divine intervention. The world knew on that day that it was only Hakodosh Boruch Hu Who saved Avrohom, and all realized that it was Hakodosh Boruch Hu Who runs the world, and they need not fear Nimrod nor anyone else. (זוהר הקדוש)
Avrohom was a man on a mission. He searched for the true Master of the world, and he found the Master – Hakodosh Boruch Hu. He went and destroyed the Avodah Zara of Terach, for he wanted to make a point that the Avodah Zara had no power, and were certainly not the masters of the world. By doing so, he placed his life in danger, and was cast into a fire. He was not commanded to do so by Hakodosh Boruch Hu, but did so of his own volition. This Nisoyon is not mentioned explicitly in the Torah, for while it was a indeed a great deed, Avrohom was not commanded to do so, as opposed to the other Nisyonos where there was a direct command. Although Avrohom was not commanded to risk his life, he was saved because he was in fact prepared to be Moser Nefesh for the sake of Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Haran, either burned by a fire from Shomayim, or thrown into the fire like Avrohom, was not really prepared to be Moser Nefesh. He inherently chose the Avodah Zara. However, when he saw what happened with Avrohom, he said he was on his side, for he wanted to be on the winning side. There needed to be a clear sign that Avrohom was a true Eved Hashem, and Haran was not – and therefore he was killed. Through this great miracle, Avrohom was Zoche to continue doing what he wanted to do, make Hashem’s Name great in the world and bring people close to Hashem. May we be Zoche to be a true Eved Hashem, like Avrohom Avinu.
RABBI YAKOV YOSEF SCHECHTER
