Devar/5768/Vayera
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עברית
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And Abraham drew near, and said: 'Wilt Thou indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (Gen 18:23)
Abraham's greatness did not only lie in his recognition of his Creator even though he lived among the mistaken. Greater than that is his willingness to enter into "negotiations" with that very Creator in order to save others from death, even though he did not know whether his words would cause the sacrifice of his own life.
His initiative demonstrates the trait of mercy which is a fundamental part of the Jewish makeup. So too, his behavior towards guests. As the Rambam wrote: Cruelty and arrogance is only found among the uncircumcised Gentiles. But the offspring of our forefather Abraham, who are the Jews whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the boon of the Torah and commanded them with righteous laws and judgments -- they are merciful to all. And so too amongst the traits of the Holy One blessed be He, Who commanded us to be like Him, it says, and His tender mercies are over all His works (Psalms 155:9). Whoever is merciful, others are merciful to him, as it states, and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee (Deut 13:18) (Laws of Slaves 9:13).
Also, Whoever is merciful, others are merciful to him, as it states, and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee (Deut 13:18). And anyone who is cruel and isn't merciful, should be concerned about his lineage -- because cruelty is only found among the Gentiles, as it states, they are cruel, and have no compassion (Jer 50:42) (Laws of Gifts to the Poor 10:3)
Along with his mercy, he knew when and how to wage war on his enemies, as we saw last week when Lot was taken prisoner, and Abraham didn't hesitate but ran after the enemy in order to free his nephew. We too, need to aspire to such a balance (and particularly those in the government who, to our sadness, succeed neither in fighting our enemies nor in being merciful to our people).
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