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Giving In
Avram singlehandedly defeated four kings in battle – four powerful kings, who had previously conquered five others, plus Lot, Avram’s nephew. When Lot was captured, a refugee ran to Avram for help. People knew Avram’s prowess…
There was vast difference between Avram and Lot in size and power. Avram was a great chieftain, who maintained a huge camp of 318 warriors, while Lot was a pipsqueak who even combined with five kings couldn’t match Avram.
An argument arose between their shepherds. Avram, the superpower, turned to little Lot and offered first choice; ‘You pick your place and I’ll move to the right or left. You’r choice, and I’ll move’.
Keep humble, always keep humble! – Ralbag
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Circumcision
Avraham circumcised as a sign of his pact with Hashem.
We find circumcision elsewhere in the Torah too; In the episode with Dina the brothers suggested that all Sh’chem circumcise. Did they intend to convert? No. So why circumcise? Was it merely a ploy to weaken them?
When there was no food in Egypt, the people came to Pharoh, who directed them to do as Yosef said. What was that? Rashi says that he asked them to circumcise. Again, there was no Jewish intent, so why circumcise?
The Ibn Ezra points out that only man has a foreskin – no animal does. This supports the thought that circumcision removes an extra part. Although born with it, its like the placenta and umbilical cord that also come with birth yet needs to be cut away.
At any rate it seems that there is value in of itself in circumcision. Hashem chose a meaningful act as the sign between us. It had always been meaningful, but it was not required. He required it for Jews.
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When To Fight
The tale of the feud between Avraham’s and Lot’s shepherds is prefaced: ‘Lot too, going with Avram, had many cattle, sheep and tents, and the land was too small for them both’.
Why is this necessary or relevant? The argument had parted them. Why talk of Lot’s sheep?
Perhaps the background for the quarrel was that they were uncomfortable. Since the shepherds were short of space, the fight ensued. Perhaps since there wasn’t enough space, Lot’s people stole grazing grounds from others. Avraham’s shepherds disapproved, and they feuded.
There is a lesson here: A fight does not justify breaking up a friendship. There must be a basic problem in staying together to justify a breakup.
Sometimes two people have a fine relationship. (Partnership, marriage, friendship, – whatever) They have The Big Fight, and never speak to each other again. This is plain wrong.
A disagreement, fight or argument is NOT valid grounds for breaking up. The appropriate thing for a feud is to make up, and make right – not break up. Only when the relationship is inappropriate in the first place ought a feud be a way of getting out.
The Torah prefaced that there was simply no room for both Avram and Lot in the same land. That’s why Avram suggested splitting up. Otherwise he never would have.
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To Take Or Not To Take, That Is The Question
Avraham was willing enough to take presents from Paroh, king of Egypt. He told Sarah to claim to be his brother, and Paroh will reward him with gifts. Yet when the king of S’dom offered him the spoils Avraham had rightfully won, he refused: ‘I raise my hand to Hashem that I shall not take even a shoelace; never claim to have made Avraham rich!”
Can we reconcile these very conflicting attitudes??
Perhaps Avraham needed bare necessities from Paroh. He could not do without them, despite Paroh being able to claim enriching Avraham. However at S’dom he was wealthy and powerful. Taking gifts then would be wrong.
Or that in the first instance, Avraham was in debt. His obligation to his creditors obliged him to accept gifts and repay his debts. Later on, debt-free, he turned gifts away. (- Sifsei Chachamim) In fact, Sefer Chasidim teaches that a man in debt must accept gifts to pay them off.
The mishna at the end of Peah praises a man who does not accept tzedakka, calling this true trust in Hashem. The Ra”sh notes that the Yerushalmi states that a person who does not accept tzeddah is a murderer, who even murders himself. Is there an argument about taking tzeddakah?
The Rash suggests that if one can, he should do without tzeddakah. But someone who survives on tzeddakka but his pride blocks him from taking, depriving himself of sustenance, is a murderer. Sometimes a person ought to accept tzeddah, at other times he is encouraged not to, and by still others is actually forbidden to.
Or: Hashem had promised Eretz Yisroel to Avraham. Avraham said ‘Why take it from the king of S’dom, Hashem will give me it anyhow’. But Avraham would accept presents from Paroh, for they were never promised him.
The Targum translates ‘I raise my hand to Hashem’ as ‘I raise my hand in prayer to Hashem’ (i.e. not in a vow). ‘I pray to Hashem’?? Is that a response to MalkiTzedek’s offer?
Yes. Avraham was saying ‘I rely on Hashem for my needs. I don’t need presents. If I lack something, I pray Him for it!’
This statement reflects incredible faith. Only when Avraham single-handedly fought and defeated the world’s superpowers could he say with perfect faith; ‘I need no-one. I will not even take the spoils due me. Hashem takes care of me’.
This too explains why he refused gifts now although he accepted from Pharoh.
This is our roadmap: we want to achieve the level of clarity that we feel a need for no one: Hashem is my Salvation, I trust and feel no fear.
Another reason Avraham accepted gifts from Pharoh was because refusing gifts from Pharoh would indicate that he thought that Pharoh was guilty of adultery with another man’s wife. Bnei Noach were careful about this.
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Challenging Hashem
Sarah laughed at hearing she would have a child; it was so utterly impossible!
We suggested: Perhaps this laughter represented a challenge to Hashem. He said ‘She doubts My ability!?’ So Hashem showed Sarah that He could give her a child.
(Does Hashem care for our challenges? We find challenges to Hashem in the Torah. One example is when Channah davened for a child. She threatened to force His Hand by secluding herself with a strange man and having her husband administer the Sotah drink which brings children if the suspected woman is pure. She was convinced this challenge to Hashem would work. And it did!
Another source is the Gemarah in Sanhedrin that a sure way of failing ones goals is to plan them out completely. This represents a control challenge to Hashem. Hashem says ‘Oh, its all worked out, eh? Let’s see if it will happen!’)
So in effect Sarah’s laughter generated Yitzchak. His name is Yitzchak – laughter – for her laughter made him be!
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Do We Need Eretz Yisroel, Or Does Eretz Yisroel Need Us?
Hashem introduced Himself to Avraham ‘I’m Hashem who saved you from Ur Kasdim to give you this land as an inheritance’ Why this introduction?
Hashem promised us Eretz Yisroel as a homeland. So that we should have a place to call our own? No. Here is why:
Logic states that Hashem could not have saved Avraham from Ur Kasdim in order that he take Eretz Yisroel: for had he died he wouldn’t need a homeland! If Hashem saved him, it was only because he had a destiny to fulfill, a destiny in Eretz Yisroel. Hashem said to Avraham: I saved you from Ur Kasdim because we need you in Eretz Yisroel. You have a job to do there.
Eretz Yisrael is not just a place to be which can be exchanged for another; it is our very destiny. It is our workshop, the only place that needs us to work it.
This makes Hashem’s promise that we get this Land extra strong; we had to get Eretz Yisrael because things could not work out otherwise. Even for the Land!
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The Outsider
The Torah calls Avraham ‘the Ivri’. This means: 1. he lived on the other side of the Tigris, 2. he believed in the teachings of Ever, who taught about Hashem, and 3. he was the opposition – i.e. he opposed the entire world in his religion.
The meforshim explain that these three are closely related: Avraham learned the true faith from Ever and fought the entire world to preserve it, even moving to the other side of the river in order to keep his intellectual independence.
This marks the Jew. We fight for independent thought, and we think for ourselves. This marked Avraham, and needs to be our hallmark as well. We guard against being swept with the current, against cultural mores and fashion. We are prepared to stand against the world – both the secular, and, I’m afraid to say, the frum one as well. We think things out for ourselves, rather than follow the herd.
We inherit Avraham, after all…
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Did It Say ‘Now’??
Hashem commands 75 year old Avraham to leave his homeland, promising him fame, money, power and family. In fact, his name will be synonymous with Success.
Nothing of the sort happens – at least not for many years. Instead, he leaves his country and has his wife kidnapped. He moves from place to place – evidently failing in each to set himself up. He falls out with his nephew Lot.
At the end of the parshah, at age 99, (25 years later) we finally find him about to have a child from Sarah, victorious over the four kings, wealthy and well known. Decades later.
The lesson? Success comes, but it may not be fast nor pleasant and easy… Avraham’s test was not to lose heart nor lose faith. Never throw in the towel!