Parshat Lech Lecha

In Parshat Lech Lecha, we begin to follow the events of Avram’s life. One of the themes in the parsha is how Avram develops relationships. He develops his own relationship with Hashem from the very beginning where he blindly listens to Hashem and creates multiple covenants with Hashem. He develops his family relationships – with Sarai, with his nephew, Lot, with Hagar and Yishmael, and with the people of his household. And he also has interactions and relationships with the people around him.

During the course of this parsha, he flees to Egypt, where he hides the truth about Sarai being his wife from Pharaoh, and then accepts the gifts that Pharaoh showers on him to appease him. Avram fights in the war of the five kings vs. the four kings in order to save his nephew, along with the rest of Sedom. After that war, he refuses to accept the gifts of the King of Sedom, saying that he won’t have people saying that it was through the kindness of Sedom that Avram got rich. Avram is told that at some future time, his children will be servants to a foreign nation that will oppress them.

Throughout these interactions, Avram seems to have different characters. On the one hand, there is the meek servant who is scared to tell Pharaoh that Sarai is his wife, lest he take her and kill Avram. This Avram accepts all the gifts that Pharaoh gives him. Then, there’s the war hero who enters a tribal war with his 318 men and saves all the people of Sedom. This Avram rejects the gifts that the King of Sedom tries to give him.

Radak points out this inconsistency in Avram’s character and says that it’s not Avram who is inconsistent; rather, its’ the circumstances which are different. When Avram was in charge – when he was the victor, he has the ability to refuse gifts of other nations. But when he is visiting the other land and he is the one creeping on tiptoes, he has to accept Pharaoh’s gifts in order to make sure that he doesn’t insult him.