Beliefnet Discussions - Beliefnet.com

The ne'er-do-well nephew

This forum has moved!
Same people, same great conversations, new location.
Please join us in the new Beliefnet Community.

<Prev | Next> First Page | Last Page

This is a read-only area.

Messages: 1 - 4 (13 total)

	stillsmallvoice 10/24/2004 9:00 AM	1 out of 13
	Hi all! This past Saturday and this coming Saturday, we will read Genesis 12:1-17:27 and 18:1-22:24, respectively. The "ne'er-do-well nephew" is, of course, Lot. People who see the Bible as an adult version of a first grade reader, i.e. with everything very simply/simplistically laid out & spelled out, no depth, no use of simile, metaphor & allegory, no layers of meaning, and with shallow, uncomplex, made-out-of-cardboard characters who never have mixed motives, will break their teeth on Lot. Lot fascinates me precisely because he is complex, tragic and because he can teach us a great deal, even though he was a fairly minor supporting player. We met first meet Lot towards the end of Genesis 11 where he is depicted as having been taken along by his grandfather Terah, on the latter's journey from Ur to Canaan. He next appears in Genesis 12. Terah has died & Lot's Uncle Abram is now looking out for him: "So Abram went, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him; and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son..." Lot dutifully trudges along with his uncle. There is yet no hint of the trouble that is to come. When do we get that first hint that something is going awry, that a minor fissure, which will soon become a chasm, has appeared? Lot next appears in Genesis 13:1 "And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold..." Ah, here it is, that first sign that Lot is veering off the path. Previously, in Genesis 12:4, the Hebrew word translated as "with" (as in "Lot went with him") is "et". But here, in 13:1, the Hebrew word translated as "with" (as in "and Lot with him") is "im". Pharoah had made Abram rich (actually, Abram was rich to begin with, Pharoah just made him even more rich). Our Sages teach that Lot looked at Abram's wealth and thought, "All of this wealth, it will all be mine one day. Abram & Sarai are old and childless. I'm their nephew and, as such, their heir. All Uncle Abram's wealth will one day be mine." The conflict that would soon break out into the open (between Lot's shepherds & Abram's shepherds) first manifested itself in Lot's heart, whetted as it was by greed, as they returned from Egypt. Regarding the clash between the shepherds, our Sages say that Lot's herdsmen were encroaching on the grazing areas that Abram's herdsmen were using, and that Lot's people said: "Your master [i.e. Abram] is an old mule (mules, of course, are sterile). All that belongs to him will one day belong to our master, so we'll just help ourselves now since it's going to be ours anyway." Abram sees this conflict and bids that he & his nephew separate. Our Sages notice that after God spoke to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3, He didn't speak to him again until after he and Lot had parted ways (in Genesis 13:14, "And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him: 'Lift up now thine eyes..."). One of my rabbis writes: "One commentary says that although Avra[h]am knew that his spirituality was compromised by Lot's presence, he nonetheless did not chase Lot away until he had no choice. Avra[h]am felt a moral obligation to take care of Lot (including saving him after they parted) even though he knew that G-d was "keeping His distance" with Lot around. There are some interesting ramifications for us, of this behavior of Avra[h]am's. How to we view time spend doing chessed [acts of kindness]; and kiruv [drawing non-religious Jews towards our faith], at the expense of personal growth. Think about it." (cont.)

	stillsmallvoice 10/24/2004 9:07 AM	2 out of 13
	(cont.) Abram bids Lot to choose where he will go. Lot sees the wealth of Sodom and its environs and moves to Sodom. Lot wanders, first with grandfather Terah from Ur to Haran, then with Uncle Avram from Haran to Canaan to Egypt & back to Canaan gain. Then he goes off to Sodom. Then he is taken captive and rescued by Uncle Abram. Then he goes back to Sodom. Then he is forced to leave Sodom. His physical wandering is matched by his spiritual wandering. Lot's not at home with godly Uncle Abram because there's too much of ungodly Sodom in him. But neither is Lot really at home in ungodly Sodom there's too of godly Uncle Abram in him. Lot is torn & is at home nowhere. Rabbi Ari Kahn writes: _____ Lot, the nephew of Avraham, is a strange and tragic figure. His uncle was the greatest man of the age, yet Lot was unable to get along with him. We are taught that after Lot's father passed away, Avraham adopted him and took him under his tutelage. The childless Avraham must have had a special place in his heart and home for his orphaned nephew, yet Lot was unable or unwilling to work on this relationship. Even after Lot and Avraham part ways, Avraham remains concerned and leaps into action when Lot gets into trouble and is kidnapped. The most famous and tragic story of Lot is his part in the destruction of Sodom. Lot escapes, though not unscathed, as his adopted city crumbles behind him. His behavior in Sodom, and the manner in which he takes leave of the city, draw our attention; viewing this episode in its chronological context may afford us insight to its inner meaning. (...). Lot's practice would be more difficult to explain. We could say that as a follower of Avraham he simply mimicked Avraham's lofty deeds. Let us return to the text: "And there came two angels to Sodom at evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face to the ground. And he said, 'Behold now, my lords, turn in, I beseech you, to your servant's house, and remain all night, and wash your feet, and you shall rise up early, and go on your way.' And they said, 'No; we will stay in the street all night'. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in to him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and baked Matzot, and they ate." (Genesis 19:3) (...). Lot's behavior requires analysis: First of all, he sits at the gate of the city. This is reminiscent of Avraham sitting in the opening of his tent. As Avraham waits for guests to serve, so does Lot. The main difference is that Avraham lives alone while Lot lives in a most inhospitable city. A second connotation to the gate of the city is a common reference in Chumash to the gates of a city as the place of judgment, or the locale of the Judges.4 In fact, later on in the narrative Lot is attacked by his neighbors for placing himself as judge upon them. And they said again, "'This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he wants to be a judge; now will we deal worse with you than with them.'" (Genesis 19:9) (cont.)

	stillsmallvoice 10/24/2004 9:09 AM	3 out of 13
	(cont.) Here we have the first clue to the tragedy of Lot. Rather than be second to Avraham, Lot strikes out on his own. He craves "top billing" as a leader in Sodom, and not just leader but judge. While it is true that to be a judge is an honorable position, judge of Sodom does seem to be an unfortunate career choice, at best. It must not have been easy to be constantly and totally over-shadowed by his illustrious uncle; Lot decided to make it on his own, and while he tries to be like his uncle, he always seems to fall short. With guests entering his (empty?) courtroom, Lot has an opportunity to be like Avraham. Here is a chance to extend hospitality and kindness. There is only one problem: the people of Sodom will not tolerate this type of behavior, and Lot knows it. Time is of the essence. We hear it in his words; he welcomes his guests, and he discusses their departure before they even agree to stay. "And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I beseech you, to your servant's house, and remain all night, and wash your feet, and you shall rise up early, and go on your way." Lot wants to do the right thing; he wishes to perform chesed. The text indicates that these visitors were angelic. He knows what he has to do, but he sounds scared. He wants them to leave before they step in the door. This is why he makes them Matzah [i.e. unleavened bread, of the kind we eat on Passover] - it is the fastest type of bread! Unleavened bread - doesn't even have time to rise. Based on the narrative, that would seem to be the sad reason that Lot gives his guests Matzah: Not because he is celebrating the Seder, but because he is scared and he wants them out as quickly as possible. On the other hand, Lot did rise to the occasion. He convinced them to stay; he made a feast. Soon enough, there was knocking on the door. "But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both old and young, all the people from every quarter. And they called to Lot, and said to him, 'Where are the men who came in to you this night? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.'" (Genesis 19:4,5) Maybe taking them home was not the best idea; not in Sodom, not even for the judge. Make no mistake: the mob outside was not the 'chesed committee' welcoming guests. This was a group of Sodomites, looking for a "good time". They wanted to get to "know" them better (keep in mind that this is the Bible, making it superfluous to say that they wanted to know them in the Biblical sense). Lot was now in trouble. His celestial guests were about to be abused in his front yard. He probably wondered what Avraham would do in a situation like this. Lot acts heroically yet tragically; he offers the men a better deal: (cont.)

	stillsmallvoice 10/24/2004 9:10 AM	4 out of 13
	(cont.) "And Lot went out the door to them, and closed the door after him, and said, I beg you, my brothers, do not do so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters who have not known man; let me, I beg you, bring them out to you, and do to them as is good in your eyes; only to these men do nothing; seeing that they have come under the shadow of my roof.'" (Genesis 19:6-8) Lot's interpretation of chesed took a remarkable wrong turn: Rather than endanger his guests he offers his virginal daughters to the mob. "Do what you wish" he tells them, "just don't harm my guests". Something seems terribly wrong. This is not what chesed is supposed to be about. Lot's behavior is morally outrageous. Then again, Lot was never more than a pretender to Avraham's greatness. He paled in comparison to Avraham, which is why he came to Sodom in the first place. Now, the judge of Sodom makes a most injudicious decision that sets the stage for an exodus. _____ And when they angels come to save him from the impending annhilation of Sodom, Lot lingers, such that the angels had to grab him and throw him out of the being-destroyed city (why did they do this? Because, as Gen. 19:16 tells us, God had mercy on him). Rabbi Kahn writes: _____ The aftermath of Lot's liberation is particularly sordid and tragic: "And Lot went up out of Zoar, and lived in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to live in Zoar; and he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn said to the younger, 'Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.' And they made their father drink wine that night; and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the next day, that the firstborn said to the younger, 'Behold, I lay last night with my father; let us make him drink wine this night also; and you go in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.' And they made their father drink wine that night also; and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moav; the same is the father of the Moavites to this day. And the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Benammi; the same is the father of the Ammonites to this day." The connection of this episode to the exodus from Sodom is not immediately clear. Are we being given insight into the lasting moral effects of life in a corrupt society upon the younger generation? Lot is anything but an impressive character: He drinks himself into a stupor and commits incest (though unaware, which is not a glowing testimonial, either!). Are the children solely to blame? Perhaps Lot himself was not fully aware of the repercussions his choice of neighborhood would have on his family, and eventually on the history of nations. Here, then, is a completely different type of plague of the firstborn. (...). One eventual result of this tryst is the birth of David: King David, the chosen, progenitor of the Messiah. Long before the enslavement in Egypt, God prepared the building blocks for the Messianic redemption. _____ (cont.)

<Prev | Next> First Page | Last Page

This is a read-only area.