By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin in Pikesville, Maryland
The word ‘ubiquitous’ suggests that something is common, widespread, and constantly encountered in daily life. For example, cell phones, air, and the internet are all ubiquitous in today’s world.
Abraham ibn Ezra, a famous medieval Jewish scholar and philosopher, had a unique take on the number three. He was one of the most distinguished Jewish biblical commentators and philosophers of the Middle Ages. He was born c.1089 in Tudela, Spain, and died c.1167 at age 78 in Calahorra, Spain.
While many cultures see three as a lucky or perfect number, Ibn Ezra taught that three is half of seven. In his biblical commentaries, he viewed seven as the ultimate symbol of completeness and perfection. Because three is approximately half of seven, he argued that it represents a turning point or a steppingstone toward ultimate completion, rather than being complete in itself.
Humans are naturally drawn to the number three. It is the smallest number of points needed to form a flat geometric shape (a triangle), creating an instant sense of balance. Because of this, it occurs everywhere.
The number three is often used in the Bible. Jewish tradition is built on three founding fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Christianity is centered on God existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. According to Christian tradition, Jesus preached for three years and rose from the dead on the third day. The Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, is divided into three parts: the Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).
The number three is found frequently in ancient cultures. Ancient Egyptians often grouped their gods into teams of three, such as Osiris, Isis, and Horus. The universe was divided among three brother gods in Greek mythology: Zeus rules the sky, Poseidon rules the sea, and Hades rules the underworld. Also, the three Fates controlled time and destiny.
In ancient China, Daoist philosophy states that “Dao produces One, One produces Two, Two produces Three, and Three produces all things.” Taoism also features the Three Pure Ones as the highest deities.
It is often in fairy tales and Folklore. Characters who meet a genie or a magical creature are almost always granted three wishes. Children’s stories often rely on the number three to build tension, as in The Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Stories use three attempts to build a pattern. A hero usually fails twice before succeeding on the third try.
Three is used in modern times. For example, Protestant clergy and public speakers frequently organize their speeches into three main points. This is because human brains find a trio of ideas satisfying to listen to and easy to remember. Also, we naturally group things into threes for impact, like “Blood, sweat, and tears,” “Red, white, and blue,” or the classic countdown, “Ready, set, go!”
In the Book of Genesis, there are three separate stories in which a patriarch moves to a foreign land due to local troubles and claims that his wife is actually his sister to protect his own life. The first is Abraham and his wife, Sarah, in Egypt. The story is told in Genesis 12:10-20.
A severe famine forces Abram (later called Abraham) and Sarai (later called Sarah) to leave Canaan and travel to Egypt to survive. Knowing Sarah is beautiful, Abraham fears the Egyptians will kill him to take her. He asks her to say she is his sister. Pharaoh’s officials notice her beauty and take her into the royal palace. God punishes Pharaoh’s house with plagues. Once Pharaoh learns the truth, he confronts Abraham for the lie and sends the couple away with many riches.
The second story is Abraham and Sarah in Gerar, told in Genesis 20:1-18. Abraham travels into the southern region of Negeb and stays in the foreign kingdom of Gerar. Abraham again introduces Sarah as his sister because he believes the locals have “no fear of God.” King Abimelech of Gerar takes Sarah into his harem but does not touch her. God warns Abimelech in a dream that he is a dead man if he touches another man’s wife. Abimelech returns Sarah, reprimands Abraham, and gives him livestock and silver as an apology.
The third tale focuses on Isaac and his wife Rebekah in Gerar. The episode is in Genesis 26:1-16. Another famine strikes, and Isaac moves his family to Gerar. Isaac fears the locals will kill him for his beautiful wife, Rebekah, so he mimics his father and claims she is his sister. This time, no one takes her. Instead, King Abimelech looks out a window and sees Isaac “fondling” Rebekah. Realizing they are married, Abimelech scolds Isaac for putting the kingdom at risk of accidentally committing adultery, then issues a royal order protecting them from harm.
Modern Bible critics examine these three similar tales through scientific and literary lenses rather than religious ones. They generally focus on two theories: Bible scholars suggest that the Book of Genesis was stitched together from several source documents written by different authors at different times. They believe these three stories are actually different versions (or doublets/triplets) of a single original folk tale. For example, the writer known as “J” (the Yahwist) likely wrote the stories in Genesis 12 and 26, while the writer known as “E” (the Elohist) wrote Genesis 20.
Literary critics take a different approach. They call this a “type-scene.“ In ancient storytelling, certain plots (such as meeting a future wife at a well or entering a foreign land with a beautiful wife) were standard templates. The authors deliberately used these recurring templates to draw parallels between the lives of Abraham and Isaac, showing that the sons’ lives mirrored their fathers’.
The ancient rabbis and sages took a totally different approach. They did not see the three tales as duplicates. They see the Torah using the ubiquitous number three to emphasize important lessons. Different sages saw different lessons in the three episodes. I will suggest three.
The first Abraham story emphasizes the lesson that Maimonides stressed. God gifted humans with intelligence. God did not intend, as Nachmanides thought, to constantly aid humans with miracles. The concept of Divine Providence does not mean that God will help people in need. It means that God’s gift of intelligence will save them, and the person who uses that intelligence more will benefit more than others.
The second Abraham episode recognizes that life is filled with difficulties. If something seems easy, it is probably wrong. Even the best plans can go awry. Humans must learn to persevere. Even if people cannot think of a better plan than the one they were using, they can modify their current plan until it works. There are numerous examples of people being persistent in the Bible.
The story of Isaac, following the technique used by his father, emphasizes that we must learn from the past. People who fail to do so will have no future. The best source from the past is the Torah.
There is one of three choices that people can make: They can accept the views of the Bible critics, or those of the Jewish sages, or ignore the entire matter, for isn’t fun more important than study and thinking?
I suggest we choose the second because the Bible has much to teach us, and it is better to seek the truth than to look for fault.
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Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin is a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps.