Happy With Your Lot – Lech Lecha
וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו ה' וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ לוֹט (בראשית יב, ד).
One of the most enigmatic characters in the Torah is Lot. The Torah mentions Lot's name 26 times (the word לוֹט on its own, without any other letters, like, וְלוֹט, בְּלוֹט, etc.). 26 is also the gematria of י-ה-ו-ה, hinting to something extremely spiritually elevated. In addition, the gematria of לוֹט is גְּאוּלָּה. On the other hand, many of Lot's actions cannot possibly be construed as "spiritually elevated", like choosing to move to Sdom, for example.
Let us delve into the complex character that was Lot and try to decipher why the Torah devotes so much attention to him.
Lot is first mentioned in the Torah as being the son of Haran (brother of Avraham), וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת תֶּרַח תֶּרַח הוֹלִיד אֶת אַבְרָם אֶת נָחוֹר וְאֶת הָרָן וְהָרָן הוֹלִיד אֶת לוֹט (בראשית יא, כז). The next time Lot is mentioned is when Terach leaves Ur Casdim and with him, he takes Avraham his son and Lot his grandson וַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח אֶת אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ וְאֶת לוֹט בֶּן הָרָן בֶּן בְּנוֹ וְאֵת שָׂרַי כַּלָּתוֹ אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד חָרָן וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם (שם, לא).
We all know the famous Midrash (בראשית רבה לח, יג) that tells us what happened to Haran, Lot's father. Nimrod was waging a "religious" battle with Avraham. Haran could not decide which side to support. Haran said to himself, "Let's see what happens to Avraham after Nimrod throws him into the furnace. If Avraham dies, I will support Nimrod, if Avraham lives, I will support Avraham".
After Avraham emerged unscathed from the ordeal, Nimrod offered Haran the same choice as he had offered Avraham – renounce HKB"H or be thrown into the furnace. Haran saw that Avraham his brother survived, so he said "I am with Avraham". Nimrod threw Haran into the fire and he died. The reason Avraham was saved is because he put his trust in HKB"H, Haran did not.
Lot is now an orphan. His grandfather Terach takes him along to Charan and he later accompanies his uncle Avraham following HKB"H's command - Lech Lecha.
The million-dollar-question is "Why did Lot tag along with Avraham?"
Here we find a very similar phenomenon to what we find in last week's parsha with Noach, as Rashi says there יֵשׁ מֵרַבּוֹתֵינוּ דּוֹרְשִׁים אוֹתוֹ לְשֶׁבַח, וְיֵשׁ שֶׁדּוֹרְשִׁים אוֹתוֹ לִגְנַאי.
The Ramban is on the "pro-Lot" team. The Ramban (בראשית יט, כט) says that Lot did a huge chessed by "throwing his lot" in with Avraham and following him around in all kinds of dangerous situations. In other words, according to the shita of the Ramban, Lot saw Avraham as a kind of a father figure, after his own father Haran perished, and followed him out of respect.
The Or HaChaim (and also the Malbim) (בראשית יב, ד) say that Lot followed Avraham out of devotion to him, but not because he believed in the Divine mission that HKB"H had sent Avraham on. The Or HaChayim and the Malbim seem to infer that Lot inherited his father Haran's "genes" - following someone based on circumstantial evidence, rather than out of belief in, or love for, HKB"H.
Later, when Lot's shepherds have a dispute with Avraham's shepherds (בראשית יג, ז), Rashi brings a Midrash (בראשית רבה מא, ה) that Lot's shepherds were saying "Avraham is old and has no heir – Lot is his heir". Therefore, they took the liberty of grazing their flocks on pasture that did not belong to them. Where would Lot's shepherds get such a notion? Rashi seems to imply that perhaps they were echoing a sentiment that Lot himself voiced (?). If so, perhaps Lot's following Avraham from the beginning was motivated by inheritance and not altruism? Avraham was 75 (and childless) when Lot followed him from Charan.
It is all very well that Lot wants to join Avraham, but why did Avraham agree to take him along? HKB"H did not tell him to. The Chizkuni (בראשית יב, ד) says that Avraham felt an obligation to Lot, perhaps out of guilt (?) that Haran had followed his lead and also jumped into the fire.
The crucial turning point in the relationship between Lot and Avraham takes place when Avraham goes down to Egypt. We read in the parsha how, as soon as Avraham arrives at Canaan from Charan, a famine occurs. Never before did a famine afflict humanity - the first famine in history is when Avraham arrives in Canaan. You can just imagine the local residents saying "Just look what happens – as soon as the Jews arrive, trouble begins!"
Avraham descends to Egypt in search of food. We read the whole story of how he told Sarah to say she was his sister instead of his wife. How Pharaoh's soldiers kidnap her and take her to Pharaoh. HKB"H afflicts Pharaoh, who then releases Sarah and sends Avraham on his way laden with riches.
During Avraham's "Egypt episode" the Torah doesn't mention Lot at all (although Lot accompanied Avraham to Egypt), it is seemingly all about Avraham pretending Sarah is his sister and Pharaoh. The question is what was Lot doing this whole time? Lot could easily have gone to Pharaoh and said "If you give me a huge reward, I have a secret to tell you!" But no, Lot plays along, he does not "blab", he does not betray Avraham.
Part of his reward for not betraying Avraham was that Lot also left Egypt laden with "riches" וְגַם לְלוֹט הַהֹלֵךְ אֶת אַבְרָם הָיָה צֹאן וּבָקָר וְאֹהָלִים (בראשית יג, ה). When it describes the "riches" Pharaoh gave Avraham it says וְאַבְרָם כָּבֵד מְאֹד בַּמִּקְנֶה בַּכֶּסֶף וּבַזָּהָב (שם, ב). Avraham got livestock, silver and gold. Lot got livestock and "tents". What is so special about tents?
The Midrash (ילקוט שמעוני, פרשת לך לך, רמז סו) says "וְאֹהָלִים": שְׁנֵי אֹהָלִים, רוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה וְנַעֲמָה הָעַמּוֹנִית. It is not talking about tents, in the "camping" sense, but rather something much deeper – two "descendants", Rut the Moabite from whom David HaMelech is descended and Naama the Amonite, Shlomo HaMelech's wife.
For simply not "ratting" on Avraham to Pharaoh, HKB"H rewarded Lot that Mashiach ben David would be descended from him! If for such a seemingly trivial act, that we may even take for granted as common derech eretz, HKB"H rewards a person to such an enormous degree, can we imagine what rewards HKB"H gives a person who does something monumental?
The rest of the story of Lot is just the aftermath of this critical turning point. Once Lot was chosen by HKB"H to bear the lineage of Mashiach, then this had to be ensured. This is why Avraham went out to battle with the four kings to rescue Lot (incidentally, the reason Amrafel/Nimrod kidnapped Lot in the first place was to try extinguish the lineage of Mashiach). This is why HKB"H saved Lot from Sdom. The whole episode was to allow it to reach the point where Moav and Amon were born (from Lot and his daughters, through an incestuous relationship). Once Moav and Amon were born, Lot ceased to be relevant and the Torah never mentions him again.
Regarding the question why the lineage of Mashiach has to follow such a convoluted and non-conventional path is discussed in the shiur on Vayeitzei 2020.
Besides being a historical turning point of enormous magnitude for Am Yisrael, the Egypt episode was also a personality turning point for Lot. Once Lot had acquired wealth of his own, his relationship with Avraham speedily deteriorated. וְלֹא נָשָׂא אֹתָם הָאָרֶץ לָשֶׁבֶת יַחְדָּו כִּי הָיָה רְכוּשָׁם רָב וְלֹא יָכְלוּ לָשֶׁבֶת יַחְדָּו (בראשית יג, ו).
The Malbim (ibid.) says it was not that Eretz Canaan could not provide sufficient grazing land for their combined livestock, it was a different reason altogether. לוֹט הִתְחִיל לְהִתְפָּרֵד מִדֵּעוֹת אַבְרָהָם וּמִמִּנְהָגָיו, וְזֶה עוֹרֵר שִׂנְאָה בֵּינֵיהֶם בַּלֵּב, וכמ"ש שִׂנְאָה תְּעוֹרֵר מְדָנִים, כִּי הָאַחִים וְהַקְּרוֹבִים יִמְחֲלוּ זל"ז עַל נִזְקֵי שְׁכֵנִים וְלֹא יֵרַע בְּעֵינֵיהֶם זב"ז, רַק אִם יֵשׁ שִׂנְאָה בֵּינֵיהֶם תַּצְמִיחַ רִיב וּמָדוֹן, וְכֵן הָיָה פֹּה שע"י שֶׁנַּעֲשֶׂה קְצָת שִׂנְאָה בֵּינֵיהֶם צַר לָהֶם הַמָּקוֹם וְהִקְפִּידוּ זע"ז.
One can only imagine what it must have been like living in Avraham's household, bearing witness to a supernatural reality on a daily basis – angels visiting, a Beit HaMikdash in Sarah's tent, chessed at the ultimate level, Torah learning of the highest degree. Lot obviously soaked up all of this (we see the "ruboff" of the chessed when the angels came to rescue him from Sdom), but having wealth of his own corrupted Lot, וַיִּשְׁמַן יְשֻׁרוּן וַיִּבְעָט (דברים לב, טו).
Lot began to drift from Avraham's philosophy and customs, and this gave rise to animosity and hate between Lot and Avraham. The Malbim says that when two people act like brothers or have a close relationship, they forgive each other's shortcomings. However, if there is baseless hate between them, this gives rise to a blood feud. This is what happened between Lot and Avraham, it was not that the land could not sustain them agriculturally, it was that the land became "too small" to contain both of them in the same philosophical space, they could not tolerate the existence of the other.
Avraham was still obliged to preserve Lot until Lot bore Moav and Amon. Avraham was not interested in material things, only spiritual things, so he gave Lot a choice הֲלֹא כׇל הָאָרֶץ לְפָנֶיךָ הִפָּרֶד נָא מֵעָלָי אִם הַשְּׂמֹאל וְאֵימִנָה וְאִם הַיָּמִין וְאַשְׂמְאִילָה (בראשית יג, ט).
Lot had to make a choice. Does he want to pursue Olam Hazeh or Olam Habah? Lot chose Olam Hazeh. He pursued the physical pleasures of this world to the ultimate degree – moving to Sdom, a paradise for Olam Hazeh'nikim (at least it was before HKB"H destroyed it and laid it waste).
The rest of the story is well known.
There are a number of monumental lessons we learn from the parsha of Lot.
Firstly, that we have no clue as to שְׂכָרָן שֶׁל מִצְווֹת. We have no idea what importance and weight any mitzva has. We might think "Some mitzvot are obviously very important, like saving a person's life, like completing a learning cycle of the Shas". Other mitzvot appear to us to be trivial and less important, like mayim acharonim, like exiting the Beit Knesset facing the Aron Kodesh (מגן אברהם, אורח חיים קלב, ו). Similarly, we have no clue as to the weight of the same mitzva performed by two different people. HKB"H may regard it important for one and trivial for the other, but we don't know which.
For this reason, we must treat every mitzva as if it is the most important mitzva in the Torah and not pretend we understand HKB"H's cheshbonot. Similarly, we must never discard or ridicule a person who seems to us "insignificant in the bigger scheme of things". The lesson of Lot is that we never know which person is significant and which is not. Lot may seem to us to be a "grey" character, but it is davka from him that Mashiach is descended.
The second monumental lesson we learn is that the distance between a tzaddik and a rasha is almost invisible, a hairsbreadth. A person cannot become a tzaddik if they do not have an equal and opposite capability of becoming a rasha and vice versa. A person who does not possess the ability to become a tzaddik, can also never become a rasha. The biggest tzaddikim and the most-evil reshaim are actually much more closely related than a tzaddik and a "mediocre" person who is incapable of "movement" in either direction. A rasha has a better chance of doing teshuva that a "movement incapable" person וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּלְבָבוֹ לֵאמֹר שָׁלוֹם יִהְיֶה לִּי כִּי בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבִּי אֵלֵךְ ... לֹא יֹאבֶה ה' סְלֹחַ לוֹ (דברים כט יח-יט).
What separates someone from either extreme, is a "hairsbreadth" moment of choice. Lot had the possibility of remaining with Avraham and becoming a tzaddik like him, but his choice led him in the totally opposite direction.
This is why Lot is seemingly an enigma. On the one hand there are hints to incredible spirituality but on the other hand, Lot, in reality, fell into the abyss of evil.
It is fitting, perhaps Divinely preordained, that the parsha of Lot precedes the upcoming national elections in Israel next week, the 26th national elections since Israel became a state. On the one hand these elections have great potential for a highly elevated spiritual outcome (י-ה-ו-ה is 26), but like Lot, the upcoming elections remain somewhat of an enigma. No clear victor is apparent, based on recent polls.
Avraham's statement to Lot אִם הַשְּׂמֹאל וְאֵימִנָה וְאִם הַיָּמִין וְאַשְׂמְאִילָה could not better describe the political demographic in the country. It is not that the country seems to be "naturally" moving in whichever direction, but rather that the opposite movement is reactionary to extremism on the other side. Specifically, the increased movement right in the last few decades has caused an equal and opposite reaction in the other direction. The ikar seems to be "whatever they are doing, I will do the opposite".
Unfortunately, the reality in the country is that there are two extreme fringes who have lost the ability to communicate and have deteriorated into a reality of hate, which precludes solution to the problem, as the Malbim said, where there is hate, there is no resolution. It is at the לְהַכְעִיס stage already, for which there is no remedy.
The "enlightened" left look upon the "nationalistic" right as primitive life forms, baboons. The Charedim look upon anyone who is not a Charedi as a rasha, the lowest possible life form. The non-Charedi look upon the Charedi as a parasitic manipulator, the classic antisemitic caricature.
This is exactly what HKB"H calls an עַם קְשֵׁה עֹרֶף.
I wish I knew of a possible solution to remedy this situation, but I do not. I unfortunately believe that it is no longer humanly possible to remedy it. I truly believe that while any attempts to do so are admirable, they are futile. I truly believe that the only remedy is a Divine remedy, HKB"H's direct intervention. Perhaps this is what the pre-Geulah is, a total failure of human ability to solve the crisis on our own, requiring us to turn to HKB"H to solve the problem. The realization that it is only He who rules the universe, not us.
The gematria of לוֹט is גְּאוּלָּה.
The best we can all do right now is to go on a chessed hyperdrive, trying to emulate Avraham Avinu as much as we can and by so doing, hopefully protect the extremely fragile framework of the Geulah until it reaches an irreversible turning point, like it did with Lot and then - leave the rest up to HKB"H.
As Shlomo HaMelech so eloquently said –
לֵךְ אֱכֹל בְּשִׂמְחָה לַחְמֶךָ וּשְׁתֵה בְלֶב טוֹב יֵינֶךָ כִּי כְבָר רָצָה הָאֱ-לֹקִים אֶת מַעֲשֶׂיךָ. בְּכׇל עֵת יִהְיוּ בְגָדֶיךָ לְבָנִים וְשֶׁמֶן עַל רֹאשְׁךָ אַל יֶחְסָר. רְאֵה חַיִּים עִם אִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר אָהַבְתָּ כׇּל יְמֵי חַיֵּי הֶבְלֶךָ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לְךָ תַּחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כֹּל יְמֵי הֶבְלֶךָ כִּי הוּא חֶלְקְךָ בַּחַיִּים וּבַעֲמָלְךָ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עָמֵל תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ. כֹּל אֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא יָדְךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּכֹחֲךָ עֲשֵׂה כִּי אֵין מַעֲשֶׂה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן וְדַעַת וְחׇכְמָה בִּשְׁאוֹל אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה הֹלֵךְ שָׁמָּה. שַׁבְתִּי וְרָאֹה תַחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ כִּי לֹא לַקַּלִּים הַמֵּרוֹץ וְלֹא לַגִּבּוֹרִים הַמִּלְחָמָה וְגַם לֹא לַחֲכָמִים לֶחֶם וְגַם לֹא לַנְּבֹנִים עֹשֶׁר וְגַם לֹא לַיֹּדְעִים חֵן כִּי עֵת וָפֶגַע יִקְרֶה אֶת כֻּלָּם (קהלת ט, ז-יא).
On Tuesday go vote for who you think will best serve your aspirations, but realize that it is not always the fastest who win the race, not always the bravest warriors who win the war, not always the wisest who have money in their pocket and not always the enlightened who have a monopoly on חֵן. We all share a common destiny and we are ALL currently on HKB"H's timeline.
סוֹף דָּבָר הַכֹּל נִשְׁמָע אֶת הָאֱ-לֹקִים יְרָא וְאֶת מִצְוֺתָיו שְׁמוֹר כִּי זֶה כׇּל הָאָדָם (שם יב, יג).
With all our delusions of grandeur and power, in the end, it all boils down to simply doing HKB"H's mitzvot as best we can, without trying to "classify" them according to importance. We need to observe them all with the same fervor, because we don't know which mitzva it will be and which person it will be that is the clincher that finally brings the happy end.
Shabbat Shalom
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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