November 6, 2008

There's a very strange occurrence in this week's Torah portion, לך לך, which describes the first war recorded in the Bible. While the details of each nation and its ruler and the ins and outs of the battles are themselves fascinating, the Torah clearly describes the end of the battle, pillaging of spoils, and the "departure" of the marauding, victorious army. Then, in the very next verse, it says, "and they captured Lot and his possessions - Abraham's nephew - and they left." But they had already "departed"? Why did they come back? Why weren't the victory and the spoils enough to have justified the war? What did they want with Lot?

The word for war in Hebrew is milchomah, מלחמה, which really means - to make bread. People fight for sustenance and survival. One may think it's merely physical, but underneath, the true threat is spiritual. The first recorded war focused on capturing Lot, Abraham's nephew. The Sages tell us Lot was made of the mettle of Moshiach - the redeemer: he had the essential mix of spiritual connection (through Abraham) and this-wordly prowess (as evidenced by his subsequent political positions in Sodom) - the ultimate vehicle through which this world and that world connect. He represented God's revelation of the spiritual truths of God's world - a direct affront to the pagan nations who battled for dominance. Their temporary conquest was incomplete with mere territorial victory and excess wealth. They came back for Lot. At this stage, Abraham entered the war and single-handedly turned the tide, returning Lot once again to his family.

You see, they fought a war confused as to why they were truly fighting. The wars being fought today are likewise confused. What we do see, however, is that the concept of conventional war is dead and gone. The physical manifestations of the wars being waged, namely terrorism, are deeply indicative of their spiritual qualities. In this same Torah portion, Ishmael, the patriarch and embodiment of our Arabic cousins, is named and born, in that order. A tanaic collection called Pirkei D'Rebbe Eliezar, written some 1500 years ago, describes in detail the meaning behind five people who were named by God before their birth (and then "coincidentally" given that name by the parents). Ishmael, ישמעאל, technically means, "God will hear", and is explained as follows: In the end of days, God will hear the cries of the children of Israel at the hand of the children of Ishmael. The traditional and historical approach to the battle with Ishmael is deeply spiritual at its core. They surely think so and it could only help if we ventured to see it that way as well. The wars we wage and will unfortunately continue to wage will not be merely about territory or settling old grudges, but about spiritual dominance and truth.

Wishing you all a wonderful Shabbos,
Rabbi Lynn