Vayeira 20:7 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 20:7

The Complete Passuk

וְעַתָּ֗ה הָשֵׁ֤ב אֵֽשֶׁת־הָאִישׁ֙ כִּֽי־נָבִ֣יא ה֔וּא וְיִתְפַּלֵּ֥ל בַּֽעַדְךָ֖ וֶֽחְיֵ֑ה וְאִם־אֵֽינְךָ֣ מֵשִׁ֔יב דַּ֚ע כִּי־מ֣וֹת תָּמ֔וּת אַתָּ֖ה וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־לָֽךְ׃

And now, restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live; but if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Makkos 9b.

TT lemma: כי נביא הוא.

Sefaria — Makkos 9b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
כִּי נָבִיא הוּא. וְכִי אִי לָאו נָבִיא הוּא לָא בָּעֵי לְמִיהְדַּר? אֶלָּא הָכִי קָאָמַר לֵיהּ, הָשֵׁב אֵשֶׁת הָאִישׁ; וְדְקָאָמְרַתְּ הֲלֹא הוּא אָמַר לִי אֲחוֹתִי הִיא – נָבִיא הוּא וּמִמְּךָ לָמַד: אַכְסַנַּאי שֶׁבָּא לָעִיר, כְּלוּם שׁוֹאֲלִין אוֹתוֹ אִשְׁתְּךָ אוֹ אֲחוֹתְךָ הִיא זוֹ? מִכָּאן לְבֶן נֹחַ שֶׁנֶּהֱרָג עַל שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ לִלְמֹד וְלֹא לָמַד.

English: “For he is a prophet.” Does that mean that if he were not a prophet one need not restore her? Rather, this is what He said to him: “Restore the man’s wife.” And as for your claim “Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’?”—he is a prophet, and he learned from you: when a guest comes to a city, does one ask him “Is this your wife or your sister?” From here [we learn] that a child of Noach is liable to death for failing to learn what he ought to have learned.

On the daf / in context: The designation “prophet” explains how Avraham’s speech taught the proper etiquette of inquiry; Noachides are held responsible for knowledge they should have acquired.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The prophetic title is linked to a standard of expected learning for non-Jews.

What Is Learned

A Noachide can be held liable for failing to learn what he should have known; Avraham’s prophetic status taught Avimelech the proper way to inquire about a guest’s companion.