The Saga of Terach, Haran and Nahor (Avram Smashes His Father’s Zombie Amulets)

Gen. 11:27-32

27 Now these are the chronicles of Terach: Terach begot Avram, Nahor and Haran. Haran begot Lot. 28 Haran died in front of his father, in his native land, in Ur Kasdim. 29 And Avram and Nahor took themselves wives; the name of Avram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. 30 And Sarai was barren, she had no child. 31 Terach took his son Avram, and Lot, his grandson, the son of Haran, and his daughter in law Sarai, the wife of Avram his son, and they departed with them from Ur Kasdim to go to the land of Canaan; they arrived in Haran and they settled there. 32 The days of Terach were two hundred and five years, and Terach died in Haran.

Rashi

Gen. 11:28 died in front of his father- this means that he predeceased his father. Although midrashically, it refers to an incident where he dies in his father’s sight. (See Ed. Note)

Gen. 11:29- And Avram and Nahor took themselves wives- No mention of Haran’s wife is made, but she should be thought of as important as the mother of Milcah and Iscah, that is Sarah. Iscah- from the root “sachah“- to gaze. She had the ability to gaze at the skin of those whose ancestors had been infected by the zombies, seeing their gray muscle tone. Sarai could then sense who were susceptible to the reckless behavior which would often lead to encouters with the zombies and their being fully infected.

Gen. 11:30- She had no child- the double mention of her childlessness is meant to imply that even if she were not barren, she would not have chosen to bring a child into the world so full of zombies.

Gen. 11:31- Canaan- Where they had heard that the zombies were less ferocious.  They arrived in Haran- In Terach’s mind, far enough away from what had happened before.

Ramban-

Gen. 11:31 They arrived in Haran- One cannot ignore the fact that the name of the town in which Terach settled was the same as the name of his deceased son. The reason that he stayed here was not because it reminded him of the grief that he never expressed and paralyzed him as some have suggested. Rather, it was because he was a deeply superstitious man and when they arrived in Haran, in addition to the practice of not moving from the same name twice, the astrological signs in the sky told him that he should be like a bull who sleeps.

Mizrachi- Gen. 11:29- RECKLESS BEHAVIOR- those whose ancestors had passed to them zombie spirits would often be seen walking in the night time and mumbling at the sky.

Ed. note: Gen. 11:28- died in front of his father- According to legend, Terach was an manufacturer of amulets meant to keep away the zombies who lived in the caves around Ur Kasdim. Avram, Terach’s son , believed that these trinkets were insignificant, likely to do more harm than good– delaying flight or the taking up of a proper weapon.

One day, in a fit of rage for his father’s complicity in the deaths of some townspeople who had relied on the amulets to assist them, Avram smashed all of his fathers amulets with an axe to showing, he believed, which was superior.

Not knowing what to do with his rebellious son, Terach complained to Nimrod, the local ruler, who had Avram tied to a stake at the outskirts of the city nearest the caves. He set oil-lamps around the stake so that people would be able to see Avram’s fate. Nimrod used the fear people had of the zombies to get them to pledge fealty to him, who could protect them. If the people understood the greater efficacy of axes over amulets, the value of his services would be diminished.

Despite Terach’s pleading, Nimrod left Avram bound outside without amulets. When he begged Nimrod to let him assist his son, Nimrod bound him to a stone outside of the house- an arrows distance from Avram. Haran, Avram’s brother, could not decide whether to support his brother Avram or to side with Nimrod. He believed that Nimrod would advance at the last second to save his brother, but he also believed that Avram had to learn his lesson– destroying the family property and that which secured for them a livelihood. He decided to join whomever triumphed and his gathered this would be Nimrod and his army.

As night fell the towspeople watched from their houses as the zombies advanced on Avram. As they got closer, a miracle occured and Avram was able to push the stake out from the ground, undo his hands, and use the enormous stake as a weapon against the zombies. He also managed to knock over the oil lamps causing fire to spread around the village, setting some of the palm frond roofs ablaze, including the roof on the house from which Nimrod and Haran watched Avram.

Nimrod and his accompanying soliders fled. Haran caught fire and stumbled out near Avram, who was still fighting off the zombies with his stake. Avram unable to see that it was his brother who was on fire knocked him with the stake and he stumbled into the horde and was bitten.

In the chaos that followed, Avram’s servants- before held aside by the legions of Nimrod– took up weapons against the zombies. From a distance, Terach could see his son Haran begin to seize up and become a zombie, but before his transformation was complete he fell to the ground and died from his burns- tumbling just in front of his father, dying in front of him.

Avram rushed to Terach and untied him. Avram managed to get his father to safety. The midrash mentions nothing about the whereabouts of Nahor. One version of the midrash suggests that Lot was held back by his father from helping his uncle, Avram. Another version relates that Lot had tried against his father’s wishes to help, but was held back by Nimrod’s soldiers until they fled. Then he took up arms with Avram’s servants. Those surprised by Avram’s warrior ways, need only look to Gen. 14 for confirmation that he was a man of strength as well as a man of faith and reason.

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