How did Avraham discover that God exists? Was because of logic or tradition since Adam? If was by logic, why do we call him Ivri (from Ever, his grandfather). Please bring sources.
Answer
There is a midrash in Bereshit Rabbah 39 where Avraham deduces the existence of God who created the world, and only then did God call out to Avraham lech l'cha. A summary of the midrash from my notes after a class:
Mashal: One day a man was traveling and he saw a tower (birah) "on fire" (doleket). He said, this tower has no owner? A man peeked out and said "I am the owner". Nimshal: The traveler is Avraham Avinu, who said: this world has no owner? And Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu peeked out at him, saying: I am the ruler of this world.
(My notes from the class:) According to this midrash, God didn't reveal himself to Avraham until Avraham reasoned that the world must have a creator/ruler and went looking. Avraham was a seeker; God didn't just speak to him out of the blue and say "lech l'cha".
So according to this midrash, Avraham was inquisitive enough to deduce the existence of, and then seek out, the Master of the Universe.
Another midrash (B'reishit Rabbah 42) offers a few different explanations for the name Ivri (h/t Menachem). One of these, attributed to R. Nechemiah, is that it comes from Eber, from whom Avraham learned the monotheistic tradition (passed down from Shem). That interpretation contradicts the midrash above. The other two explanations there are not related to this. R. Yehudah says that it is because Avraham worshiped one God unlike those around him, and others understand it geographically, because Avraham "crossed over" and wasn't a native.
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