AN UNBURDENED SOUL, A DEBT-FREE LIFE

Cheshvan 10, 5786 / October 31 – November 1, 2025

Parashat Lekh L'kha

Torah: Genesis 12:1 - 17:27

Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27 - 41:16

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Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. 

On November 3, we'll be at Ein Ya'akov Yevamot, p. 47 (BT Yevamot 63b) - 

'... אל תצר צרת מחר' - 'Do not worry about tomorrow's trouble..."'

Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at:

https://hebrewbooks.org/9630 
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria: 
https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents  

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AN UNBURDENED SOUL, A DEBT-FREE LIFE

"Then the king of Sodom said to Avram, "Give me the persons (nefesh), and take the possessions for yourself." But Avram said to the king of Sodom, "I swear to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth: I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, 'It is I who made Avram rich.'"' Genesis 14:21-3. 

Our father Avram, soon to become Avraham, demonstrates here a characteristic which we will see again in two weeks, when he negotiates the purchase of a burial plot for Sarah. He does not want to be beholden to any person. He accepts no gifts, he demands no favors, he pays retail. No human being can say to Avram/Avraham, "You owe me because of what I gave to you, because of the favors I did for you."

There seems to be a deeper meaning here. Rabbi Harold Kushner points out that the Hebrew word used for "persons" is "nefesh", which literally means "soul". Perhaps Avram was being asked by the king of Sodom to sell his soul for material riches. Compare Avram with his nephew Lot, who moved to Sodom ostensibly because it had good pasturage. Indeed, Avram's interaction with the king of Sodom comes immediately Avram rescued Lot, who had been kidnapped by Sodom's enemies.

Lot and His Family Recalled Home by Abraham (Antonio Tempesta, 1613)

On the other hand, no human being or human desire can exercise control over Avram, so he never has to compromise his principles. Avram, whom the Torah regards as a sort of king, is debt-free. He is quite different from politicians who compromise their principles (to the extent they might have them) and sell their souls to the highest bidding donors, PACs, and special interest groups. Nor does Avram ever demand blackmail or require anyone to sell their soul in exchange for their avoiding some form of punishment. The only one to whom Avram owes his allegiance is God. Avram recognizes that, whatever spiritual and material wealth he has, it has come from God, not from another human being. Would that we all could be as astute as he.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B’nai Hayim
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 87b
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