A Most Noble Imperative

Avram had split from his nephew, Lot, after disputes between their two camps. Still, upon hearing that his nephew had been taken hostage, their disagreements faded into the background, and Avram felt compelled to gather his forces together in order to save his nephew from captivity:

And they (the four kings) took Lot, Avram’s nephew, and all his substance, and went off, for he was then living in S’dom. And a fugitive came and told Avram the Hebrew, for he was them camped at the terebinth of Mamre… And Avram heard that his kinsman was taken captive and he marshalled his retainers, natives of his house… and gave chase… And he brought back all of the substance, and Lot his kinsman… and the women and the other people as well. (Genesis 14:12-16)

As understood by the following midrash, Avram’s behavior was not a given. As with all “geopolitical” decisions, all sorts of other factors had the potential to subvert this rescue mission:

“Avram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive” – this is what is written [regarding this verse]: “He seals his ears from hearing of bloodshed” (Isaiah 33:15). (This verse is understood to infer that the righteous find the prospect of bloodshed unacceptable requiring active intervention to prevent it.) (Bereishit Rabbah 53:2, Theodore-Albeck ed. pp. 415-16)

The midrash continues, offering some of the obstacles Avram might have confronted:

“He marshaled [vayarek] his retainers” (Genesis14:14) – Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Neḥemiah. Rabbi Yehudah says: Their faces showed anger [horiku – literally, became greenish yellow] towards Abraham. They said: ‘Five kings could not overcome them, and [you think] we will be able to overcome them?’ Rabbi Neḥemiah said: Abraham became angry [horik – literally, became greenish yellow] towards them. He said: ‘Shall I go and fall [in battle] in sanctification of the name of the Holy One Blessed be He?’ (Ibid.)

This midrash envisions a conflict between Avram and his retainers over the imperative to save those captured by the enemy. Rabbi Yehudah argues that there were those who said the danger was too acute while Rabbi Nehemiah asserts that Avram was embittered that his troops were willing to let Avram face the enemy alone. Obviously, these are not the only arguments that could be raised for failing to save the captives, but the midrash sees in Avram an exemplar for not abandoning his nephew.

And that seems to be the bottom-line. As Y. Muffs suggests, this image is reflected in the very storyline of Avram’s doing battle and his rescue of Lot: [Avram is] “not merely… a hero of faith but… a man of heroic deeds and king-like nobility.” (Love and Joy, p. 68) It is clear that Avram’s nobility is framed by his forthright rescue of Lot – the fact that he would not “stand idly by”. For him, it was an imperative. It should the same for us and our leaders as well.