D'var Torah: Unleash

Parashat Lech Lecha

In Parashat Lech Lecha, we see a side of Abram that does not come through in any other story. Avram's nephew, Lot, has settled in the plains near Sodom (Breshit 13.5-13). Chapter 14 opens with a history of the politics of the region – it might help to get out a Humash at this point because it gets a bit confusing! For twelve years, the five kings of Sodom and its sister cities have served four kings of stronger nations. The five kings now rebel, but are ultimately defeated (Breshit 14.1-9). The four kings then loot Sodom and Amorah and take Lot hostage. A refugee escapes and comes to tell Avram of Lot's fate (Breshit 14.10-13).

At this point, Avram wastes no time: "When Avram heard of the capture of his brother, he unleashed his students, born in his household, eighteen and three hundred, and pursued until Dan" (Breshit 14.14). The traditional commentators analyze the action in a few key places. Rashi looks at the word vayyarek (I have translated it as "unleashed") and compares it to other contexts in which it appears:

"I will unsheath (va-harikoti) the sword against you" (Vayikra 26.33)

"I will bare (arik) my sword" (Shemot 15.9)

"Ready (ve-harek) the spear and javelin" (Tehillim 35.3)

From this comparison, Rashi determines that the sense of the word is "to prepare a weapon for battle" and thus Avram prepared his students for combat. But who are these students? Radak explains that Avram taught these students the true way to worship Hashem, and Hezkuni adds that they are freshly trained in the arts of war.

It is worth noting, however, the speed with which Avram leaps to action. Scarcely has he heard the news before he has gathered his troops and headed off in pursuit. At this point in the narrative, Avram is between 75 and 85 years old (see Breshit 12.4, 16.3), which is hardly the age one associates with military adventurism. What was driving Avram react so urgently?

Avram's motivation was pidyon shvuiim, the redemption of captives. Throughout the ages, Jewish communities have set aside all other concerns when Jews are held captive. This remains a top priority even in our own time, resulting in the many complex and expensive operations to rescue Jews from Yemen, Ethiopia, Iraq and other places, as well as the massive student movement in the 1970s and 1980s to liberate Russian Jews. Our obligation to redeem captives is so significant that even money or materials collected to build a synagogue which cannot be sold or used for any other purpose, even another mitzvah, may be sold to ransom a captive (Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh Deah 252.1).

One who ignores the plight of captives, we learn, transgresses upwards of eight mitzvot, among them "Do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy brother; rather, you must open your hand to him" (Devarim 15.7-8), "Do not stand on the blood of your fellow" (Vayikra 19.16), and "Love your fellow as yourself" (Vayikra 19.18; Yoreh Deah 252.2). Furthermore, "Every minute that one delays to redeem the captives when it is possible to move forward, it is as if one spilled blood" (Yoreh Deah 252.3).

All of this connects significantly and sadly to the situation in Israel today. This past June 11th marks the twentieth anniversary of the battle of Sultan Yakub, in which Israeli soldiers Yehuda Katz, Tzvi Feldman, and Zachary Baumel (an American citizen) were taken hostage by Hezbollah. Two other soldiers, Ron Arad and Guy Hever, were abducted in 1986 and 1997. Just two years ago, on October 15th, 2000, Hezbollah kidnaped Israeli citizen Elchanan Tannenbaum while he was on a business trip in Belgium. None of the men have been visited by the International Red Cross, and there is no information about their location or condition, or even if they are still alive. In 1987, Ron Arad''s family was given a photograph and some letters; the other families have never heard from the hostages.

In a time when our thoughts and prayers are focused on our brothers and sisters in Israel and we often ask ourselves the question, "What can I do?" we should remember that Yehuda, Tzvi, Zachary, Ron, Guy and Elchanan remain isolated in captivity. Just as a grassroots student movement translated the mitzvah of pidyon shvuiim into action, and ultimately won out over the Soviet Union, we also have a chance to raise awareness about these abducted soldiers and to demand their immediate release.

(Editor's note: Abe Friedman, the author of this D'var Torah, has suggested that we learn more at The International Coalition for Missing Israeli Soldiers at www.mia.org.il.)

[Posted 10/8/02]