In Parshas Lech Licha we begin to journey with the first of our Avos and Imahos.  When Avraham is seventy-five years old, Hashem appears to him and commands him to leave his land, his birth place, and his father’s home and journey to the land of Canaan (Bereishis 12:1).  Heeding the call of G-d, Avraham takes his nephew Lot, his wife Sarah, and all their possessions, and they journey to the land of Canaan (12:1-5).  (Please note that Avraham is called Avram until Bereishis 17:5, in the final perek of this week’s parsha, but for clarity, we will call him Avraham.  And the same for Sarah [who was renamed from Sarai to Sarah in 17:15]).  

Upon arriving in Canaan, there is a famine in the land, so Avraham, Sarah and Lot journey south, to Egypt, in search of food and provisions, where Avraham says “she is my sister,” and Sarah is taken to the palace of Pharaoh, due to her great beauty.  The Egyptians shower Avraham with great wealth, but then Hashem afflicts the house of Pharaoh with great plagues, because of the taking of Sarah.  When Pharaoh discovers Sarah is Avraham’s wife, he returns her to Avraham and commands Avraham and his entourage to leave his land (12:10-20).

Upon ascending from Egypt back to Canaan, both Avraham and Lot are very wealthy with goods such as sheep and cattle, silver and gold (13:2, 5).  The land cannot contain both men and their servants and possessions, and the shepherds of Avraham and the shepherds of Lot quarrel amongst themselves.

Immediately, the Torah tells us Avraham’s reaction to the quarreling shepherds: וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֶל-לוֹט, אַל-נָא תְהִי מְרִיבָה בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ, וּבֵין רֹעַי, וּבֵין רֹעֶיךָ כִּי-אֲנָשִׁים אַחִים, אֲנָחְנוּ - and Avram said to Lot: let there not be a quarrel between me and between you, and between my shepherds and between your shepherds, for we are brothers; הֲלֹא כָל-הָאָרֶץ לְפָנֶיךָ, הִפָּרֶד נָא מֵעָלָי אִם-הַשְּׂמֹאל וְאֵימִנָה, וְאִם-הַיָּמִין וְאַשְׂמְאִילָה, behold, the entire land is before you, separate yourself from me, if you go left, I will go right, and if you go right, I will go left (13:8-9).

The machlokes, quarrel and strife, is not even between Avraham and his nephew, Lot.  It is between the shepherds of Avraham and the shepherds of Lot!  And yet, even this, for a person of Avraham’s kindness, integrity, warmth and love for others, is unacceptable.  And so, he proposes to his nephew that they part ways in friendship, to prevent any further contention between their shepherds.

Rabbi Shimon Finkelman writes, “An argument erupted between the shepherds of Avraham and the shepherds of Lot. Lot’s shepherds allowed their animals to graze on private property without the permission of the owners.  They offered an excuse for why they thought it was allowed.  Avraham’s shepherds maintained, correctly, that using property without permission is robbery (see Rashi to 13:7).  

“Avraham did not want to live near Lot because of the chillul Hashem (desecration of G-d’s Name, keviyachol) that Lot’s shepherds were creating.  He also wanted to put an end to the ‘war of words’ between their shepherds.

“Lot was Avraham’s orphaned nephew whom Avraham took with him wherever he traveled.  Lot became wealthy only because of his association with Avraham.  Avraham had every right to tell Lot, ‘Leave this area and don’t ever come back here.  You are ruining my good name, and I no longer want to have anything to do with you.’  

“But Avraham did not do that.  Instead, he told Lot, ‘Choose the place where you wish to make a home for yourself.  I will separate from you, but don’t worry.  If you ever need my help, I will be ready in an instant to offer a helping hand.’  Avraham kept his word when, later in the parashah (see Ch.14), Lot was captured in a war.  Avraham armed his students, and together they pursued Lot’s captors and rescued Lot.

“Avraham told Lot, ‘Let there be no quarreling between me and you.’  Avraham understood that machlokes is terribly destructive and he did everything in his power to maintain shalom” (The Parashah and the Power of Speech, p.47-48).

These words seem so obvious and true to all, and yet, with their profound simplicity, they obligate us to live by their truth.

It is far easier to write, read and hear about shalom, than to put these ideals into practice in life.  Due to various unfortunate or challenging situations, we may find ourselves poised on the precipice of machlokes.  When faced with a choice between becoming embroiled in strife, or choosing the path of shalom, one must flee from machlokes as one flees from fire, and choose peace, for this is the path of life. 

It may often require us to delve deeply into ourselves and harness the middos of vatranus (giving in), anivus (humility), ahavah (love), and kindness.  But it is the path of shalom that will lead to geula (redemption).  Rav Aharon Leib Shteinmen zt’l used to say: “נער הייתי וגם זקנתי ולא ראיתי מוותר מפסיד, I have been a young man, and I have aged, and I have never yet seen someone who gives in to another, lose out as a result.”

The great mashpia in Eretz Yisrael, Reb Meilich Biederman, asks: “What is more dangerous - an 18-wheeler barreling down the highway, or machlokes?” His answer is powerful and profound.  “Machlokes (is more dangerous), because a truck has brakes.”

Let us emulate G-d, Whose Name is Shalom (Shabbos 10b), and ensure that we walk in the path of Avraham Avinu.  Let us each say, one Jew to another: “Let there not be quarrel between me and between you, for we are brothers.”  

בברכת בשורות טובות ושבת שלום