Melchizedek - in Judaism - in The Hebrew Bible, Genesis 14

In The Hebrew Bible, Genesis 14

Melchizedek is mentioned twice in the Hebrew Bible, the first in Genesis and the second in psalms. The first mentioning, as part of the larger story of which tells how Abram returns from defeating king Chedorlaomer and meets with Bera the king of Sodom, at which point:

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, "Blessed be Abram to the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth, And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand". And he gave him tithe from all. —Genesis 14:18-20

Some textual critics classify the narration as not being derived from any of the usual pentateuchal sources. It has been speculated that verses 18-20 (in which Melchizedek appears) are an informal insertion into the narration, as they interrupt the account of the meeting of Abraham with the king of Sodom.

However, Hebrew language Torah commentarians of the Rishonim era ( 11th to 15th centuries) have explained the (seemingly) abrupt intrusion of Melchizedek into the narration in various ways; Hezekiah ben Manoah (c.1250) points out that the following verses has Abram refusing any of the king of Sodom's possessions which, if not for the insertion of Melchizedek's hospitality, would prompt the query as to where Abram and his weary men got their refreshments from. The Rashbam, Shmuel ben Meir (11th C.), offers a similar explanation but varies by saying that only Abram's men partook in the booty (originally belonging to the king of Sodom) whereas the Melchizedek intrusion explains that Abram himself was sustained by Melchizedek since he refused to consume of the luxury of Sodom because his Lord was of the non-material world. Likewise, the commentary of Chaim ibn Attar (17th C) offers a three-pronged slew of reasons for the Melchizedek insertion.