Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 20:12/אור החיים על בראשית כ׳:י״ב
אוְגַם אָמְנָה אֲחֹתִי וְגוֹ׳. כָּאן חִיֵּב אַבְרָהָם לַאֲבִימֶלֶךְ וּמִלֵּט עַצְמוֹ גַּם מֵהַתַּרְעוֹמֶת שֶׁנִּתְרַעֵם וְקָבַל עָלָיו ״מֶה עָשִׂיתָ לָּנוּ״ וְגוֹ׳, וְאָמַר וְגַם אָמְנָה אֲחֹתִי וְגוֹ׳, וְכִי אָמַרְתִּי שֶׁאֵינָהּ אִשְׁתִּי לְהִתְרַעֵם עָלַי שֶׁהִתְעֵיתִי יִרְאֵי אֱלֹהִים? אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֲחוֹתִי, וִיכוֹלָה לִהְיוֹת אֲחוֹתִי וְאִשְׁתִּי, וַעֲלֵיכֶם לִשְׁאוֹל אִם הִיא אִשְׁתִּי הֲגַם שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי אֲחוֹתִי, שֶׁיָּכוֹל אֲנִי לִקְרֹא לָהּ אֲחוֹתִי וְאֵין בָּזֶה הֶחְלֵט שֶׁאֵינָהּ אִשְׁתִּי לְמִי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה יָרֵא וְחָרֵד מֵחֲטֹא לֵאלֹהִים. וְאוּלַי לְצַד טַעֲנָה זוֹ הִרְגִּישׁ אֲבִימֶלֶךְ כִּי הָאֱמֶת עִם אַבְרָהָם וַיִּתֵּן לוֹ מַתָּנוֹת טוֹבוֹת. גַּם נִתְכַּוֵּן לְבַל יַחְשְׁדוּהוּ בְּמוֹצִיא שֶׁקֶר מִפִּיו, וְהַצַּדִּיקִים חוֹשְׁשִׁין לַכִּעוּר וְלַדּוֹמֶה לוֹ.
1 וגם אמנה אחותי היא, "Moreover, she is in fact my sister." Here Abraham accuses Avimelech by exonerating himself also from the accusation of having lied. He implied that he never said that Sarah was not his wife! He had not deliberately misled G'd-fearing people. He had said that Sarah was his sister which did not preclude her from also being his wife. It was up to the Philistines to ascertain that she was not his wife if they were really G'd-fearing people. Perhaps Avimelech gave Abraham generous gifts because he accepted Abraham's rebuke. He may have wanted to demonstrate to one and all that Abraham had not lied. Righteous people are wont to worry that one should not even think they had done something improper.