ANCIENT BATTLES, NEW WARS

A major event in the life of our father Avraham was the war of the four kings and the five kings. In the Torah, this episode occupies an entire chapter (Bereishit 14) of twenty-four verses. When one reads this section, one can hear subtle echoes of other events in the life of Avraham’s descendants. The Midrash (Tanchuma, Lech Lecha #9) famously states, “The Holy One, blessed is He, gave a sign/indication to Avraham, that whatever happened to him, would happen to his children…Avraham was beset by four kings, so too, in the future, kings will come upon the people of Israel.” Although the Midrash does not specify which kings it is referring to, in other sources (see, for example, Midrash Rabbah, Bereishit 42:4), the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome are identified. In fact, that ancient war in the south-east of Canaan foreshadows much of the current situation in Israel and the Middle East. Let’s briefly review the background to the war and Avraham’s involvement.

The Torah relates that four powerful kings from the north east, namely Amrafel, king of Shinar (identified by the Midrash as Nimrod of Babylon); Arioch, king of Elasar; Kedorlaomer, king of Elam; and Tidal, king of Goyim subdued the south-eastern region of the Land of Canaan, the area around the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. For twelve years, the kings of the five cities in the region – Sodom, Amorah, Adma, Tzevoyim and Tzoar – displayed fealty to the four foreign kings. But then in the thirteenth year, they decided they had had enough of foreign rule and they rebelled. Their rebellion which lasted two years was a disaster. The four kings swept in and, in the fourteenth year, conquered everyone in their path, including other tribes such as the Refaim in Ashterot Karnayim and the Emorites in Ein Gedi. The decisive battle between the four kings and the five kings took place in a flat area, suitable for battle, known as Emek HaSidim, the Valley of Fields.  This area would later be flooded by the waters of the Dead Sea. The kings of Sodom and Amorah fled and took refuge in clay pits in the area, while the other refugees fled to the highlands. The four kings entered the cities of Sodom and Amorah and looted the property there. They also took captives, one of which was Lot, Avraham’s nephew, who had moved there after a disagreement with his uncle.

It is at this point that Avraham becomes involved in a war that has nothing to do with him. An unnamed refugee from the battle (identified by the Midrash, Tanchuma Chukat #25 and Bereishit Rabbah 42:8 as Og, the future king of Bashan) came to Avraham in the plains of Mamre the Emorite, an ally of Avraham, and told him about Lot’s capture. Avraham immediately leapt into action. He took 318 men from his household and pursued the kings a great distance, until north of Damascus. He waged a victorious battle against them at night and he was able to rescue Lot, other captives, and a good deal of looted property. When he returned to the south of Israel, he was hailed as a hero by the king of Sodom and by Malkitzedek, king of Shalem, who greeted him with bread and wine. Avraham refused to take any form of tribute from the local chiefs other than the costs his men and his allies had incurred.

This whole episode resonates for me in light of the recent Gaza war. The events also take place in the south of Canaan (Israel). The major antagonists are kingdoms from the northeast of the region, of which two are Shinar (Babylon, modern-day Iraq) and Elam (later Persia). In the recent Gaza war, the major sponsor of the terrorists groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis was Iran, formerly known as Persia. The four kings sweep into the region, creating chaos in their wake, killing indiscriminately and taking hostages, not unlike Hamas on the 7^th October. The survivors of the battle had to abandon their homes and live elsewhere, not unlike the citizens of the Gaza envelope and the northern part of Israel who had to relocate for the duration of the war. But hope was not lost. Avraham, with no thought about his own safety, set out to rescue Lot. His mission seemed hopeless. He had less than four hundred men. What chance did he have against four kings who had subdued the region for twelve years? And yet he gave chase. He would not abandon his nephew to a cruel fate. I am reminded of the brave soldiers of the IDF, many of whom ran to the south before they even received call-up instructions.. They fought bravely against thousands of terrorists and they were able to repel Hamas and prevent them from entering the centre of Israel.

In the case of Avraham, his victory was miraculous. He suffered no casualties among his soldiers and he rescued all the hostages, including Lot, very quickly. Alas, this has not been the case in the recent war. Many soldiers have been killed and maimed. Many hostages were tortured and killed in Gaza. Thank God, all of the remaining living hostages were returned on Hoshana Rabba but there are still bodies in Gaza that need to be returned for burial. Moreover, in the case of Avraham, the war was over and the kings were dead. But in the modern-day Middle East, Hamas is still very much alive, if somewhat weakened. The threat remains and the world sides with the aggressor. In this way, we are no different to our father Avraham. The words of the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 42) ring true. The Sages debate why Avraham is referred to as Avram HaIvri, “Abraham the Hebrew.” Rabbi Yehudah taught “the entire world was on one side (ever) and he was on the other.” Avraham was a complete iconoclast whose ideas clashed with all of the commonly-held perceptions of his day. This remains true in the modern era. Israel is isolated. It has few allies. The world sides with her enemies. Zionism is labelled a racist, colonialist movement while Hamas and their ilk are styled as freedom-fighters.

We must always recall that “what happened to our ancestors, will happen to their children.” The price of taking a moral stand is heavy but it is a price worth paying. If Avraham had not taken a stand against the idolatrous culture of his time, Judaism would never have come into being and the world would be a lot poorer than it is. And just as Avraham risked everything to save his nephew (who was estranged), so too the people of Israel will not abandon their brethren. There may be a ceasefire in place, but until every hostage is laid to rest in their homeland, the war is not over and we can have no rest.

Lee, Chani Merryl & Naomi join me in wishing you Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Liebenberg.

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