Chamishi - Bereishis/Genesis - Parshas Lech Lecha 14:21-15:6

The king of Sedom says to Avram: "Give me the souls, and the possessions you can take for yourself." In other words, the king of Sedom is asking Avram to return the people who were taken captive—"give me the bodies, the people from the captivity, they are mine, since you saved them, return them to me." But as for the fortune, the wealth, the king tells Avram, "you can keep it for yourself." The king is essentially saying: give me back the people, but you can keep all the material goods that were recovered in the war.

Rashi explains the phrase "Tein li hanefesh"—"give me the souls"—to mean: give me the bodies, the people, from my captives whom you saved. Return to me the people themselves, and you can keep the possessions. The king of Sedom is only asking for the people, not the property.

Avram responds to the king of Sedom: "Harimosi yodi el Hashem, Kel Elyon, Konei Shomayim Va'aretz"—"I have raised my hand to Hashem, the God above, the One who acquires the heavens and the earth." This is the language of an oath. Avram is saying, "I have sworn to Hashem, the God above, the Creator of heaven and earth." He is making it clear that he has taken an oath not to take anything from the spoils for himself. This is a strong declaration that his wealth and success will not come from the king of Sedom, but only from Hashem.

Rashi explains the phrase "Harimosi yodi"—"I have raised my hand"—as an expression of taking an oath. "I raise my hand to the God above" means "I swear to Hashem, the God above." Rashi brings other examples: in Bereishis 22:16, "Bi nishbati"—"I swear by Myself"—and in Bereishis 23:13, "Nosati kesef hasadeh kach mimeni"—"I am giving you the money for the field; take it from me." In all these cases, the past tense is used with a present meaning: "I raise," "I swear," "I give." Here, too, Avram is saying he has sworn not to take anything from the spoils.

Avram continues: "Im michut ve'ad sroch na'al v'im ekach mikol asher lach"—"If [I take] from a thread to a shoelace, or if I take anything that is yours…" Avram is saying that he will not take even the smallest thing—not even a thread or a shoelace—from the spoils. He wants to make it absolutely clear that he will not benefit in any way from the king of Sedom, so that the king cannot later claim, "I made Avram rich."

Rashi explains the phrase "im michut ve'ad sroch na'al"—"from a thread to a shoelace"—to mean: I will hold back for myself nothing from the spoil, from what I captured. Avram is emphasizing that he will not keep even the smallest item for himself from the spoils of war.

Avram adds: "V'im ekach mikol asher lach"—"And if I take anything that is yours…"—meaning, even if you offer to give me payment from your treasure, from your hidden places, I will not take it. Avram is refusing any form of compensation or reward from the king of Sedom, making it clear that he does not want to owe his wealth or success to anyone but Hashem.

Avram says: "V'lo tomar ani he'esharti es Avram"—"And you should not say, 'I made Avram rich.'" The reason is that Hashem has already promised Avram that He will make him wealthy, as it says earlier in Bereishis 12:2, "Va'avarechecha"—"And I will bless you." Avram does not want anyone to be able to claim that his wealth came from a human source; it is only from Hashem's blessing.

Except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre—they should take their share. This means that Avram is saying: I will not take anything from the spoils for myself, except for what the young men who were with me have already eaten, and the portion that belongs to the people who accompanied me in the battle—Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre. They should take their share of the spoils, but I myself will not take anything for myself.

Rashi explains: "HaNe'arim"—these are my servants who went with me. And also, "Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre"—even though my servants entered the war, as it says earlier (verse 15), "he and his servants, and he struck them," and Aner and his friends sat by the vessels to guard them—even so, they take their share. From here, King David learned, as it says in Shmuel I 30:24, "As the portion of the one who goes down to battle, so is the portion of the one who stays by the vessels; together they shall share." And therefore it says (ibid. verse 25), "And it was from that day and onward, and he made it a statute and a law." It does not say "and further," because the law was already established in the days of Avraham.

After these things, the word of Hashem came to Avram in a vision, saying: Do not fear, Avram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great. This verse comes after the story of Avram's battle and the freeing of Lot. The Torah says that after these events, Hashem appeared to Avram and told him not to be afraid. Even though Hashem had already appeared to Avram before, here it is specifically after these events. The connection is that after a significant event, like the war and Avram's actions, Hashem comes to reassure him. The word "Achar" (after) always means something close in time, while "Acharei" means something more distant. Here, "Achar HaDevarim HaEileh" means right after the miracle that Avram had, where he killed the kings, he was worried and said, 'Maybe I have already received my reward for all my righteousness.' Therefore, Hashem told him, 'Do not fear, Avram, I am your shield,' meaning, I will protect you from punishment for all those souls you killed. And as for your concern about your reward, 'your reward will be very great.' Hashem is telling Avram not to worry about having lost his reward or being punished for what he did in the war—he will be protected and his reward will be great.

Rashi explains: "Achar HaDevarim HaEileh"—every place where it says "Achar," it means something close in time; "Acharei" means something more distant. After this miracle happened to Avram, that he killed the kings, he was worried and said, 'Maybe I have already received my reward for all my righteousness.' Therefore, Hashem said to him, 'Do not fear, Avram, I am your shield,' meaning, I will protect you from punishment for all those souls you killed. And as for your concern about your reward, 'your reward will be very great.' So Hashem is addressing both of Avram's concerns: fear of punishment for killing, and fear that he has already received his reward.

And Avram said: 'My Master, Hashem, what will You give me, since I go childless, and the steward of my house is Damesek Eliezer?' Avram is asking Hashem: What can You give me, since I am going without children? The one who is in charge of my house is Damesek Eliezer. The word 'Damasek' is explained elsewhere as meaning either that Eliezer was from Damascus, or that he would draw and give over (doleh umashkeh) Avram's teachings to others. Here, Avram is expressing his pain that he has no children, and that his servant Eliezer is the one running his household.

Rashi explains: "Holeich Ariri"—Menachem ben Saruk explains that this means 'without an heir,' and he connects it to the verse in Malachi 2:12, 'Er ve'oneh' (the awake and the answering). 'Ariri' means without an heir, as it says in Iyov 31:12, 'Uvechol tevu'ati tashresh,' meaning to uproot its roots. So too, 'ariri' means lacking children. In Old French, 'desenfanti'—lacking children. Rashi then offers another explanation: 'Er ve'oneh' comes from the root as in Shir HaShirim 5:2, 'Velibi er'—my heart is awake. And 'ariri' is a language of destruction, as in Tehillim 137:7, 'Aru aru' (raze it, raze it), and Chavakuk 3:13, 'Aros yesod' (laying bare the foundation), and Yirmiyahu 51:58, 'Ar'er tis'ar'ar' (shall be utterly razed), and Tzefania 2:14, 'Ki arzah eirah' (for its cedarwork is laid bare). In Rashi's own view, 'ariri' means desolation; he disagrees with Menachem's explanation.

"Uven Meshek Beisi"—as the Targum translates: all my household is sustained by him. Like it says in Bereishis 41:40, 'Al picha yishak' (by your word all my people shall be provided for), meaning, he is my steward. If I had a son, my son would be appointed over my possessions. But since I do not, Eliezer is the one in charge of my house and sustains everyone.

The word Damesek is explained in three ways. According to the Targum, it means that Eliezer was from Damesek, that is, from Damascus. According to the Midrash Aggadah, it means that Avram pursued the kings all the way to Damesek. And in the Talmud, they interpret Damesek as an acronym: Doleh uMashkeh miToras Rabbo l'Acherim — he draws and gives to drink from his teacher's Torah to others. In other words, Eliezer would learn Torah from Avram and then teach it to others.

Avram said, "Behold, to me You have not given offspring, and behold, the one who is in charge of my household will inherit me." Avram is expressing his pain to Hashem, saying, "You have not given me children, so what is the point of all the blessings and promises if I have no one to inherit me? The one who is in charge of my house, my servant, will be my heir." The phrase ben beisi refers to the one who manages his household, who oversees all his affairs, and in this case, it is Eliezer of Damascus. The word ariri means childless, as explained by Menachem ben Saruk and others, and the context here is that Avram is lamenting that he has no children to inherit him, only his servant.

On the words "Hen li lo nasata zera" — "Behold, to me You have not given offspring" — Rashi explains: what benefit is there in all that You give me, if I do not have children? Avram is saying, what is the use of all the wealth and blessings if I have no heir to inherit them?

Then the word of Hashem came to Avram, saying: "This one will not inherit you, but rather the one who will come forth from your own body, he will inherit you." Hashem is telling Avram that Eliezer will not be his heir; rather, Avram will have a child from his own flesh and blood, and that child will be his true heir. This is a direct promise from Hashem that Avram will have a biological child who will inherit him.

Hashem took Avram outside and said to him, "Please look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So will your offspring be." Hashem is telling Avram that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, beyond count. The act of taking him outside is explained further in Rashi, but the simple meaning is that Hashem brought Avram out of his tent to look at the stars and see how countless they are, to illustrate the vastness of his future descendants.

On the words "Vayotzei oso hachutza" — "He took him outside" — Rashi explains: According to the simple meaning, Hashem took Avram out of his tent to see the stars. According to the Midrash, Hashem said to him: "Go out from your astrology, from what you have seen in the stars, that you are not destined to have a son. Avram will not have a son, but Avraham will have a son. Similarly, Sarai will not give birth, but Sarah will give birth. I am giving you a new name, and your mazal (fortune) will change." Another explanation: Hashem took him out of the physical universe, raising him above the stars, and this is the meaning of the word habatah — to look down from above. In other words, Hashem lifted Avram above the natural order and showed him that he is not bound by the stars or fate.

"And he believed in Hashem, and He considered it to him as righteousness." Avram had faith in Hashem's promise that he would have children, and Hashem considered this faith as a special merit, as righteousness on Avram's part. Rashi explains that Avram did not ask for a sign or proof regarding this promise — he simply believed. This is in contrast to later, when Avram asks for a sign regarding the inheritance of the land, but here, regarding the promise of children, he believed without asking for a sign, and that is why it is considered a merit. There is also another interpretation: when Avram later asks for a sign, it is not that he doubts the promise, but he wants to know by what merit his descendants will inherit the land. Hashem answers that it will be in the merit of the sacrifices. So, the main point is that Avram's faith in Hashem's promise of children, without asking for a sign, is counted as righteousness.

Rashi explains on the words "Vehe'emin BaHashem" — "he believed in Hashem" — that Avraham did not ask Hashem for a sign regarding this promise, that he would have children. However, regarding the inheritance of the land, Avraham did ask for a sign, as it says later in the parsha: "Bameh Eida" — "How will I know?" So, for the promise of children, Avraham accepted it without asking for a sign, but for the inheritance of Eretz Yisroel, he did ask for a sign from Hashem.

Rashi explains the words "Vayachsheveha Lo Tzedakah" — "and He considered it to him as righteousness" — that Hashem considered it for Avraham as a merit and as a righteousness, specifically for the belief that Avraham had in Hashem. In other words, the fact that Avraham believed in Hashem without asking for a sign was counted as a special merit and righteousness for him. When Hashem previously told Avraham that his descendants would be like the dust of the earth, the posuk did not say "Vehe'emin BaHashem Vayachsheveha Lo Tzedakah" — it is only here, where Avraham believed without asking for a sign, that it is considered a special merit.

Another explanation on the words "Bameh Eida" — "How will I know?" — is that Avraham was not asking for a sign, but rather he was asking Hashem: "Let me know with what merit will my descendants be able to remain in the land." Hashem answered him that it would be in the merit of the korbonos — the sacrifices. This is because, as we see later, Hashem tells Avraham to take animals for the korbonos, and it is in the merit of the korbonos that the Jewish people will be able to remain in Eretz Yisroel. According to this explanation, there is no contradiction between the two verses — Avraham believed in everything, but he wanted to know what merit would allow his descendants to keep the land. Rashi brings both explanations: the first, that Avraham did not ask for a sign regarding the children but did ask for a sign regarding the land; and the second, that he was not asking for a sign at all, but rather for the merit that would allow his descendants to remain in the land, and Hashem answered him that it would be the merit of the korbonos.