Spiritual and Ethical Issues in the Historical Books of Tanach; SPIRITUAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN THE BEREISHIT STORIES
by Dr. Meir Tamari

These four books ostensibly are merely the history of Israel from the entry into the Promised Land until the destruction of the Temple and the temporary loss of independent statehood. In fact they are actually, in a specifically Jewish sense, the most deeply religious and spiritual books of the Bible. One does not have to be specifically Jewish to see or feel the religion and spirituality in the revelations of the prophetic writings or in the words of the Tehillim. They speak to all people, as evidenced by the fact that the Bible is still the world's bestseller and there are millions of non-Jews who regularly recite the Psalms. However, it is specifically and intrinsically Jewish to understand that G-d is revealed in the prosaic material, in the political, social and military events in the lives of ordinary men and women, kings and leaders that are described in the Nevim Rishonim. Here are described the ideology and religious thoughts in Judaism, while in Chronicles we have the purely historical.

Lot Rejects the Abrahamic Way [3]
There cannot be Divine Revelation in the presence of evil or impurity, so it was only when Lot had separated from him that G-d revealed Himself to Avraham. "How can this be, since we know that Hashem had revealed Himself previously twice even though Lot was still with Avraham? However, then Lot was still kasher, but the wealth he got in Egypt caused him to change; not everyone is able to withstand the challenge of wealth" (Ktav Sofer). In this third revelation, Hashem said, "Lift up now your eyes and look, for the whole Land that you see to you and your seed do I give it". What a contrast to Lot who lifted up his eyes and saw evil Sodom and chose to settle there.

Now, for the first time in Mankind's history, war erupts, and this only a short time after the dispersion of the builders of the Tower of Babel. The brotherly love and unity that had characterized that generation was insufficient to restrain and counterbalance the immoral and corrupt effects of the political organization and social structure that Mankind developed. Nimrod had begun to rule over men and establish an empire based in Babylon. "His system was to misuse the joint potential of the nation for his own needs at the cost of the happiness and welfare of the individuals. In contrast the Torah introduced safeguards in order that "the king's heart not be raised above his fellows" (D'varim 17:20). Nimrod's philosophy spread rapidly so we see already a history not of People but of Kings. At the time of Yehoshua, there were 31 kings, notwithstanding the size of Eretz Yisrael, and our text shows that in the Plain of the Jordan there were five kings, one for each city. The super-abundance and luxury of these five was responsible for this. The more comfortable, the more sensuous, the more luxury, the less people have to worry about the conditions of things in general, the readier they are to sacrifice their rights" (Rabbi S. R. Hirsch, Bereishit 14:1).

Nimrod, in alliance with other kings of the lands between the Tigris and the Euphrates, had expanded their empires until they made the countries that lay to the West, vassal states. So the kings of Sodom and the four neighboring cities, the sons of Ham, agreed to be subservient to them, the sons of Shem, and pay them tribute; as Noah had said, "And Ham shall be a servant to his brethren" (B'reishit 9:25). "Then in their evil, these five reneged on their treaty and revolted. Hashem Who is Truth and Justice punished them for breaking their word and promise, just as we read in Amos that He punished Edom for their crimes against Moav" (Abarbanel). Although, the empire of Nimrod or as the text refers to him here, Amrafel, had declined and leadership was taken by Chedorlaomer of Eilam [Assyria] that lay to the North, yet Nimrod's hatred of the Abrahamic way led him to unite the others in retaliation and revenge, and to attack Sodom and Lot, and thus Avraham. "They, in addition to despoiling Sodom, took Lot, the brother of Avraham and went their way" (B'reishit 14:12).

"One escaped from the battle and told Avraham that his nephew had been captured. That was Og king of the Bashan. Later, Moshe feared that this mercy that he had done for Avraham would make him invincible" (B'reishit Rabba).

Despite Lot's desertion of the Abrahamic way of life, Avraham nevertheless set about to free his nephew and his wealth. He armed his disciples and pursued the superior forces of the attackers until the outskirts of Damascus. There, at midnight he battled and defeated them even as Hashem later passed over Egypt and at midnight smote the first-born to redeem Avraham's descendants (Sh'mot 12: 29).

We should not imagine that it was only kinship that prompted Avraham's reaction to the captivity of his nephew. Admirable as it was, this would merely have been the reaction of any descent human being. Rather it was an intrinsic part of the Abrahamic way; something that he bequeathed to all the later generations of Israel just as he taught us chesed and also through the lesson of the Akeida, the willingness for Kiddush Hashem. Like them, this act has been codified as binding in our sources; Hilkhot Pidyon Sh'vuyim, the redemption of captives.

"There is no mitzva greater than that of Pidyon Sh'vuyim, so that the charitable officers can divert any monies that they have for this purpose, even those collected for the building of a Beit Knesset; if the site and raw materials have been bought, if necessary then they must be sold for this purpose. Whoever, evades this mitzva transgresses "You shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your needy brother" (D'varim 15:7), and "you shall not stand idly over the blood of your neighbor" (Vayikra 19:16), and "you shall not rule over him with rigor". Furthermore, such a person also annuls the positive mitzva of "You shall love your neighbor" (Vayikra 19:18), and the mitzva of "your brother shall live with you" (25:36), and the mitzva of "you shall surely open your hand for him" (D'varim 16:8), and many others.

We may not pay excessive ransoms because of Tikun Olam, as then the enemies will make a constant policy of capturing Jews and holding them to increased ransoms. [This halakha was the basis for Israel's policy of not surrendering to the demands of highjackers].

One who sold himself to gentiles or borrowed from them and was then captured by them for repayment, it is a mitzva to redeem him once and even twice [even though he is to blame for his predicament. This is the basis for halakhot obliging assistance to needy people even when they caused their own poverty]. The third time we are not obligated; yet if there is danger to their lives, then even after many times" (Rambam Matnot Aniyim 8; Shulkhan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 252).

In this spirit Avraham went to redeem Lot and refused any part of the rescued wealth of Sodom even though they were his spoils of war and even though Lot returned to live in Sodom. Because Lot's descendants, Ammon and Moav proved themselves unable to reciprocate Avraham's chesed on Israel's way to Eretz Yisrael, their male descendants were forever forbidden in marriage (D'varim 23:4).

This is the 101st installment in Dr. Tamari’s series on “Tanach and its messages for our times”

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