בראשית, פרק י״ג, פסוק א׳

The journey out of Egypt marks the end of a brief exile and the safe return of Abram and his family to the land of Canaan. This departure serves as a direct contrast to the beginning of their story; rather than descending into Egypt, they are now ascending [קאסוטו]. As they left, Abram and his household remained entirely intact, lacking nothing [רד״ק]. In fact, their departure highlights a great miracle. Despite the vast wealth and numerous gifts Abram had received from Pharaoh, the Egyptians did not attempt to steal the property back, nor did they claim the gifts were given by mistake [רמב״ן]. Traveling the roads with such immense riches during a time of famine was highly dangerous. To ensure their safety, God sent an angel to guard Abram from robbers along the way [מלבי״ם]. This departure from Egypt with great wealth and a large group of people serves as an early foreshadowing of the future Exodus of the Israelites [שפתי כהן].

The specific timing of their return prompts different explanations. Some suggest that the famine in Canaan had finally passed [קאסוטו]. Others propose that the severe troubles the family endured in Egypt simply made them forget about the famine, which was actually still ravaging Canaan [קונטרס חיבה יתירה]. As they traveled, Lot's presence is specifically noted to clarify that he had indeed gone down to Egypt with Abram in the first place [רלב״ג], and to prepare the reader for the story of their eventual separation [קאסוטו]. By this point, Lot's personal status had completely changed. He was no longer a mere dependent attached to Abram, but rather a wealthy and independent man in his own right [מלבי״ם]. Nevertheless, despite any underlying difficulties, Lot willingly chose to remain with Abram at this stage [רד״ק].

Their destination was the southern region of the Land of Israel [שד״ל]. This presents a geographical puzzle, as Egypt is located south of Canaan, meaning Abram was technically traveling north. The primary approach among commentators is that the description focuses on the final destination—the south of Israel—rather than the direction of travel [רש״י, ביאור יש״ר, שפתי חכמים, שטיינזלץ, משכיל לדוד]. Abram deliberately chose to return to the exact area where he had previously stayed, near Mount Moriah. This choice was driven by a deep yearning to return to the place where God had first revealed Himself to him, allowing Abram to reconnect with his ultimate spiritual destiny [רש״י, רש ר הירש, העמק דבר].