Parashat Lech Lecha

Let’s start off with some quick geographical and biographical information. Avram, a somewhat wealthy Mesopotamian living in the town of Ur (a central/major city in the kingdom of Chaldea), has no children and has a wife, Sarai. We also have some information regarding his lineage. That is the sum total of the knowledge that we have about Avram at the time of his selection. To understand his personality, dispositions, and outlook on life, we need to dig into his actions in the coming perakim (chapters) of Sefer Beresheit (Book of Genesis) or look to rabbinic discussions of his childhood.

I’d like to focus on two scenes from the Torah. Avram travels from Ur to the land of Canaan with his wife, his nephew, Lot, and their combined wealth and belongings, including an entourage of shepherds, assistants, and even an estate manager. As it turns out, Lot too had shepherds, and although the uncle-nephew team is close knit, drama arises when the shepherds of Avram and the shepherds of Lot argue about grazing land. The elder Avram certainly could have put Lot in his place, punishing the younger or deciding against his shepherds; after all, God said the land would be his, forever. Avram, however, chooses kindness. Brokering a peace, Avram says: “Let there not be disagreement between you and I, your shepherds and my shepherds, because we are brothers, people.” Arranging for an equitable division, Avram offers the following: “Look out at the entire land in front of you, and please separate from me. If you go left, I’ll go right, and if you go right, I’ll go left.” Avram, it turns out, is a peacemaker, and in a humble, gentle manner, he brokered peace. 

Shortly thereafter, in the opening verses of Chapter 14, Avram is swept up into geopolitical drama when a regional war breaks out between four different kingdoms. Avram’s nephew, Lot, is taken hostage as a slave when his area is raided by a neighboring king. Rather than resigning to desperation or negotiating with these vile kidnappers, Avram engages militarily. Beresheit Chapter 14 reads: “When Avram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he armed his 318 attendants who had been born in his household. He set out in pursuit of Lot’s captors… pursuing them through the night…” Avram, the peacemaker, acts immediately and decisively, mustering the entire might of his household, engaging in the geopolitical drama, and fighting valiantly. When the battle is done, Avram refuses any loot and instead relinquishes the property to the original owners. Avram, it turns out, is a powerful military leader who fights for what’s right.

Although we won’t ever see a picture of Avram, and we cannot interview him to understand his personality, presence, and power, we can investigate his character traits through his actions. His actions paint the picture of a person deeply involved in the world around him, willing to be flexible when possible, unwavering in his support for his extended family, and an individual with integrity. May we all learn the lessons that Avram, later Avraham, teaches in this parashah – to fight when necessary, to live the ideals we hold dear, and to do what we have to to BRING THEM HOME.