Abraham finally arrives in the land G-d promised him…and immediately faces famine. No rain. Dying animals. A starving community. This is G-d's idea of a blessing?

This is the world's first famine ever, and it happens precisely when Abraham reaches his destination.

Rabbi Epstein unpacks one of Abraham's most confusing tests: Should he stay in the land G-d explicitly told him to go to, or should he leave? The answer reveals a critical principle about reading G-d's instructions. Sometimes what G-d says and what G-d means require us to listen more carefully than we think.

You'll discover why Abraham chooses Egypt specifically (hint: the Nile River makes it famine-proof), and why Rashi and Nachmanides completely disagree about whether Abraham passes or fails this test. The answer hinges on whether doing the right action with the wrong attitude still counts as success.

The episode explores the deeper meaning behind Abraham asking Sarah to say she's his sister—what the Talmud reveals he actually tells her, and how this strategy both protects and endangers them. You'll learn why Abraham wants gifts from Egypt when he refuses them from everyone else, and how his experience foreshadows the entire Exodus story 395 years later.

Rabbi Epstein also addresses a remarkable tangent: the concept of "sparks of holiness" scattered throughout the world, why Jews were commanded never to return to Egypt after the Exodus, and what it means that natural events are G-d's way of speaking to us. Plus: the surprising Torah source for antisemitism and the real way to fight it.

This episode reveals that faith is about discerning G-d's will even when He's silent, and maintaining grace even when circumstances seem to contradict His promises.