Parsha:

Lech Lecha 

Description

The enigmatic description of the meeting of kings in the aftermath of the war described in Beresheet 14 contains numerous unusual phrases. One of well-known opaque declarations is Avraham's unwillingness to take "from a string to a shoe-strap" from the king of Sodom. We examine this odd phrase, both in light of the various approaches of the Rishonim as well as Ancient Near East parallels and suggest a surprising significance to this oath and what it reflects about Avraham's stature.