The War of the Kings dominates a significant portion of Parshas Lech Lecha. We are told all of the details of this episode: the names of the nine kings and their kingdoms, what precipitated the battle and how the warfare was conducted, the method by which victory was achieved, and the negotiations regarding the disposition of the captives and booty. After reading the entire narrative, we are left to ask why it really needed to be told in such detail; would it not have been far simpler for the Torah to merely state that Lot was captured during a war and that Avrohom fought heroically for Lot's safety and release? Why did the Torah have to give us the kings' names and kingdoms, the specifics of the battle, and so forth? This information is interesting, but it seems irrelevant to the point being taught.

We read repeatedly of Avrohom Avinu's various (and successful) efforts to bring people close to God. These activities were commenced by Avrohom and Sarah well before they arrived in Canaan, and Avrohom and Sarah continued to engage in Kiruv for years thereafter. For Avrohom and Sarah, bringing people near to Hashem was not a mere project or hobby; it was their raison d'etre.

Surely, Avrohom and Sarah would have jumped at the opportunity to bring the entire Land of Canaan under the Kanfei Ha-Shechinah (the Wings of the Divine Presence). Such an attainment would have been the accomplishment of a lifetime for Avrohom and Sarah.

That is where the War of the Kings comes into play, with all of its details. It is not for naught that the Torah tells us the identities of the kings and their kingdoms: the four kings who triumphed over the five kings were not from Canaan; rather, they were foreign, invading forces. On the other hand, the five weaker kings were indigenous monarchs who ruled over the Dead Sea region (S'dom, Amorah, Admah, Tz'voyim and Tzo'ar); these kings were local royalty. As we read the parshah, we can appreciate quite graphically how the four invading kings, representative of great and powerful kingdoms, move southwestward toward Canaan, smiting and eliminating populaces along the way, as these kings push toward the Jordan and Dead Sea district, and how the kings of the cities of S'dom and Amorah, which were fertile, lush and rich kingdoms, are compelled to flee, and how they tread through mud and are overtaken, captured and humiliated.

We further read how suddenly, out of the blue, Avrohom Avinu and his small crew come to the rescue, chasing out the marauding invaders and restoring the local Canaanite people and property. The Torah narrates that Avrohom and his crew expel the foreign kings and their forces and push them all to way to Chovah, to the far north near Damascus. Avrohom is then given a hero's reception at Emek Shaveh, which Rashi explains (Bereshis 14:17, from Medrash Rabbah) was so called because the locals crowned Avrohom at that site as a "prince of God and chieftain".

Clearly, Avrohom had not merely rescued his nephew Lot; Avrohom had unwittingly yet captivatingly and most impressively saved the Canaanite kings and their kingdoms and was instantly propelled to a position of unimaginable might and prestige. Avrohom had literally overnight become the main power player, savior, superstar and strongest force in Canaan, as his military might was displayed and extended from the south to the extreme north.

After such an achievement, Avrohom and Sarah would surely be in a position of influence of which they had never before dreamed, and their newly-acquired clout and command of everyone's respect and awe clearly positioned them to lead the entire country toward God's service.

How did Avrohom respond to his overnight success and stardom, which gave into his hands the apparent ability to accomplish his spiritual mission in a most massive way?

"And it was immediately thereafter (the war) that God said to Avram in a vision, 'Do not fear, Avram, for I will protect you; your reward is very great.' And Avram said, 'O Lord God, what will you grant me, for I am childless and have only Eliezer my servant and no descendants? You have not given me children, and my servant will thus bear my inheritance.'" (Bereshis 15:1-3) Rather than be happy with his newfound position of ultimate influence and clout and perhaps seek to expand upon and actualize it, why did Avrohom suddenly change the direction of the discussion and seek a child? Was Avrohom not content with his achievement and unprecedented opportunity to lead Canaan (and perhaps other countries as well) toward the ways of Hashem?

The truth is that by asking Hashem for a child and basically sidelining his success with the war, Avrohom was overcoming a monumental challenge and was passing one of the tests with which he was confronted. It appeared that Avrohom and Sarah "had it made", to use contemporary jargon. They were instantly propelled to royalty and dominion, and they could use their new positions to lead the masses close to God. However, Avrohom knew that this was not his true destiny, as the Canaanite nations were spiritually base and corrupt, such that devoting his life to the development and true flourishing of their religious sensitivities was not a possibility. Avrohom was faced with the choice of retaining a position of utmost power and clout, which would not have really yielded the optimal goals of his Divine charge, or passing up this position in pursuit of an elusive dream of passing on his legacy of God's service to worthy progeny, which would imbibe Avrohom's message and build it into a genuine spiritual force of devotion to Hashem and His mandate. Avrohom made the extremely tough choice to forfeit his new position and pursue the latter, seemingly risky option.

Perhaps this is why, immediately after Hashem pledges to provide Avrohom with offspring once Avrohom makes the request, the Torah states, "And he (Avrohom) believed in Hashem, and He (Hashem) considered it a reflection of Avrohom's righteousness." (ibid. 15:6) What this actually means is that Avrohom Avinu's passing up the opportunity to be the chief leader of all Canaan and his prayer for offspring to legitimately carry out his Divine legacy constituted an act of perfect emunah (faith), passing God's test with flying colors.

The conversation between Hashem and Avrohom leads directly into the Bris Bein Ha-Besarim (Covenant Between the Parts), wherein Avrohom is promised that the nations of the world which reject Hashem will be vanquished, while Avrohom's seed will endure and ultimately rule the Holy Land. The Bris Bein Ha-Besarim was a validation of Avrohom's decision to renounce his opportunity to be the chieftain of Canaan and instead to request his own progeny to fulfill and continue his mission; it was proclaimed that the nations of the world which were incapable of genuine commitment to Hashem would not attain lasting prominence, and only Avrohom's seed which would show fidelity to his mandate were destined to succeed therein.

Although our parshah contains innumerable lessons, one lesson which needs focus is that of forfeiting seemingly attractive opportunities which ultimately will stunt our ability to serve Hashem and accomplish His mission in our lives. As difficult as it may be when one is confronted with such choices, forfeiting these types of opportunities is itself the greatest form of grasping hold of the real and enduring opportunities in our lives and the fulfillment of our Godly mission.