VOLUME 118 NUMBER 4
Cheshvan 16, 5786
November 7, 2025
Parshas Vayeira
Candlelighting Time 4:32
The story of Lot, Avrohom’s nephew is a confusing and complex narrative. He was a disciple of Avrohom and continued in his master’s path of helping others. Even in Sodom renowned for its cruelty to wayfarers, Lot still insisted that he must invite guests to his home. When the angels showed up and planned to rescue Lot and his family, he pressured them to stay with him. Certainly, this demonstrated his ongoing devotion for this mitzvah. Also, he was very careful with his master’s honor and nobility. Avrohom was concerned upon approaching Egypt that they would take Sara away and kill him. Therefore, he attempted to hide her in a container requesting that Lot not reveal where she is. And he did respect the wish of Avrohom. Two very important deeds that Lot did for Avrohom. And his conduct merited that two significance women would be his descendants, Rus, the great-grandmother of King David and Na’amah, from whom King Solomon hailed. As a sidenote, we see the incredible reward that one can receive for something that we might consider an insignificant deed such as not revealing the hiding place of Sara!
However, the story does not end here. Chasam Sofer explains that in later generations, the two nations that Rus and Na’amah conceived made fatal errors. When our nation was sojourning in the desert, the nations of Amon and Moav refused to care for us as their great-grandfather had done. Furthermore, their involvement in hiring Bilaam to curse us was another nail in their coffin. These two offenses corresponded to the act of kindness that Lot had done and their response was to ignore his outstanding conduct and ignore our needs. Additionally, Lot’s caution in restraining himself not to comment about Sara was met with an endeavored confrontation with the projected curse of Bilaam which did not occur. However, the attempt was present. Therefore, the men who had promoted these deplorable actions were forever distanced from our nation. Only the women were allowed to marry into our nation as their ancestors were of distinct nobility.
Perhaps the question is why didn’t this legacy of Lot transfer to his descendants. We know that in our nation the remarkable deeds of our Patriarchs are deep-rooted and imbedded within us. What denotes this difference? The answer requires a more profound understanding of Lot and his motivating factor. True, Lot was a faithful disciple of Avrohom. However, therein lies the issue. Although Avrohom instilled in Lot incredible belief in Hashem and a devotion to emulate the mitzvos that he saw by Avrohom, but he was simply a robotic copy of his Rebbe. He did nothing on his own volition, only imitating the great acts of Avrohom. That is wonderful to the extent that one certainly receives reward for those important actions. However, they do not define the individual, they simply profile his conduct but they do not mold and influence his mind and create an innovative outlook that truly desires to serve Hashem. Whereas our nation imbibed and intimately fashioned a people with actual commitment to serve Hashem.
A BYTE FOR SHABBOS
We mourn the loss this week of Rebbetzin Reva Wasserman a”h a true woman of valor whose entire life and essence were to treat others with deep and genuine respect. She stood side by side with her husband the Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Yitzchok Wasserman shlit”a to create a citadel of Torah which has had and will continue to have a profound influence upon the entire Denver community and beyond. Words cannot encapsulate her accomplishments and majestic achievements; however, let it be noted that the Yeshiva’s incredible success is due to her sacrifice for decades. The family will sorely miss her as well as the hundreds of people that she touched so kindly. Yehay Zichra Berucha, Amen.
GOOD SHABB0S
