This week’s parshah tells the story of Avram going to war to rescue his nephew, Lot. Archaeology and history, along with the teachings of Chazal, can give more insight into the story.
Rashi says that the four kings were more powerful than the five they defeated. The four kings from the north represented powerful kingdoms in what today are Iraq and Iran. Shinar is Bavel. Amrafel, its king, is identified by Chazal as Nimrod, who was described earlier in the Torah as the ruler of a large kingdom. Secular authorities identify him with Hammurabi, the great Babylonian king best known for one of the oldest written codes of law. Elasar is identified with Larsa, an important city in southern Bavel. Eilam was an important empire, which would later be incorporated into the Persian Empire. Thus, the four kings were allies and rulers over significant kingdoms.
By contrast, S’dom, Amorah, Admah, Tzevoyim, and Tzoar were small city-states in the region of the Valley of Siddim, which would eventually become the Yam HaMelach. Why would an alliance of city-states take on some of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient world?
I have previously written that Eretz Yisrael was seen as the center of the world, not just spiritually but strategically. Eretz Yisrael stands at the crossroads of three continents, with Africa to the south, Europe to the west, and Asia to the east. It was also between the two major powers of the ancient world—Mesopotamia to the north and Mitzrayim to the south. The battling armies often marched through Eretz Yisrael, and epic battles took place there.
Throughout much of the Canaanite era, Mitzrayim held control over the land. The kings of the city-states were actually vassals of the Egyptian pharaohs. They often vied with each other for Pharaoh’s favor. Archaeologists have found letters in which the kings of the various city-states wrote to Pharaoh asking for help in fighting other city-states, whom they accused of being disloyal to Mitzrayim.
The Egyptians would inscribe the names of cities and kings whom they suspected would rebel against them on clay pottery or figurines, which they would smash as a curse. The name “Rushalimum” appears in some of these texts, which date back as far as the 20th century before the Common Era—before the time of Avram. They are the earliest mention of Yerushalayim.
At some point, Kedarlaomer and his allies in the north took control over large parts of the Land of Canaan. The Torah relates that for twelve years the five kings “served Kedarlaomer.” This means that the five kings were vassals subservient and paying tribute to Kedarlaomer.
“In the thirteenth year they rebelled.” What sparked the rebellion? It may well have been the heavy burden of taxes and tribute. Were they instigated by the Egyptians? Did they rebel expecting the Egyptians to enter the fray on their behalf?
The Torah describes “the entire earth” in the time of the Tower of Bavel as being “of one language and of common words.” Rav Adin Steinsaltz described the world that they sought to build as being a very dangerous one, in which a powerful group of people would impose their language, customs, and values on all of humanity.
The four kings came from the region of Bavel. Amrafel, the king of Shinar, is identified by Chazal as Nimrod, the mastermind of the Tower of Bavel. Hashem mixed up the languages and scattered people around the world. But the kings of the northern alliance may never have given up on their vision of imposing a single language and culture on the entire world. They may have taken over Canaan in pursuit of that vision. The Canaanites revolted to preserve their own language, culture, and customs.
Whatever the motives may have been, it is clear that in the fourteenth year Kedarlaomer and his allies attempted to score a decisive victory and crush the revolution. By then, the revolt had spread well beyond the city-states in the Valley of Siddim and encompassed the entire land. Kedarlaomer and his allies scored decisive victories at Eil Paran and Ein Mishpat. The kings of S’dom and Amorah hid in clay pits; much of the population fled to the mountains. The cities were left defenseless. The armies of the northern kings seized the property and food and took Lot, Avram’s nephew, as a prisoner. People captured in war in ancient times were often sold as slaves or held as hostages to ensure that there would be no further rebellions.
A refugee, Og, the future king of Bashan, according to Rabbi Yochanan (Nidah 61a), informed Avram that his nephew had been taken captive. He brought together his allies Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre, and an army of 318 men (only his servant Eliezer, according to Rashi) to rescue Lot. Lot was no tzadik. According to B’reishis Rabbah (41:7), Lot settled in S’dom because he wanted no part of Avram and his G-d. After the destruction of S’dom, Lot, in a drunken stupor, committed incest with his daughters. Yet Avram, the man whose entire life was devoted to doing acts of chesed and to bringing the message of the One True G-d to the entire world, did not hesitate to go to war to save his wayward kinsman.
According to some of our sages, Avram may have had an additional motive for going to war. He was a native of Ur in Mesopotamia, a product of the very society that produced the four kings of the northern alliance. It was Amrafel–Nimrod who cast him into the fiery furnace. Hashem’s intent in telling Avram to leave his homeland and his father’s house was to remove him from a culture that was anathema to Avram and his beliefs. If the four kings were trying to impose their language, culture, and customs on the people of Canaan, Avram would have seen that as a mortal threat to his mission and even his very life.
The armies of the kings were encamped near Dan, no doubt feeling secure after their decisive victories. Avram divided his forces and launched a surprise attack. The stunned armies fled in fright, and Avram pursued them to Chovah, north of Damascus. He rescued Lot and all the other captives and property.
Avram returned home to a hero’s welcome. Malkitzedek, the king of Shalem and a priest to G-d the Most High, greeted Avram with bread and wine. Tehillim 76 proclaims, “G-d has made Himself known in Yehudah; His name is great in Yisrael. Shalem became His abode; Tzion His den.” Today, the name of Tzion is associated with the mountain south of the current Old City wall, where some people believe David is buried. But in the time of David, the Fortress of Tzion was the City of David. Shalem, Yerushalayim, and Tzion are one and the same.
Malkitzedek was probably not a proper name but a title meaning “the just king,” or “the king of Shalem,” just as Pharaoh was a title for the king of Mitzrayim. Who was this mysterious king? According to B’reishis Rabbah (56:10), he was none other than Shem, the son of Noach. Another possibility is that he was originally a pagan priest. Avram’s miraculous victory and his message of one G-d inspired him to become a priest to G-d the Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.
The archaeologist Eli Shukron excavated a temple in the City of David. The temple is not open to the public, but I had the opportunity to visit it with some of my colleagues from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The most important find was a matzeivah on top of a stone held in place by rocks. It is now locked in a container for protection.
In a room to the north was a hewn square with a drainage ditch attached to it. The altar probably stood on the stone, and the ditch was for draining the blood from the sacrifices. In a room to the north is a small olive press that would have prepared oil for use in the service.
Most significantly, the entrance to the temple is on the east. In other temples in the ancient world, the entrance was on the west, and people bowed toward the rising sun in the east. They worshiped the sun as a god. In our Mishkan and later in the Beis HaMikdash, the entrance was on the east, and we bowed toward the west, with our backs to the rising sun. The sun is not a god. In this temple, from 400 years before the Mishkan and 800 years before the building of the Beis HaMikdash, the entrance was on the east and the matzeivah was in the west. This was clearly a temple to the real G-d. Eli Shukron believes it is the temple of Malkitzedek.
When David brought the Aron HaBris to Yerushalayim, it may well have been kept in a tent at this very site. When Chizkiyahu destroyed the bamot—places where sacrifices were brought outside the Beis HaMikdash in violation of Torah law—he apparently covered the site with rocks.
Malkitzedek blessed our forefather with the words, “Blessed be Avram of G-d Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be G-d Most High, Who has delivered your foes into your hand.”
Over the past two years, G-d has delivered many of our foes into our hand. Hamas has been severely weakened. Hezbollah has been decimated. The Iranian nuclear program has been set back significantly. We must thank G-d for these miracles.
But many challenges remain. Hamas remains armed and is reasserting control over much of Gaza. It is doubtful that an international force will have the will or the ability to disarm Hamas. Antisemitism is rampant and rising, especially in New York—the city with the largest Jewish population in the world—which will hold the most consequential election in its history this coming Tuesday.
May G-d Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, continue to deliver our foes into our hands and bring about our complete redemption.