Torah · ParashaAbraham’s War with the 4 KingsRabbi Uri Nahum · October 20, 2026 · Lech-Lecha · Weekly Divrei Torah-15Play+30Position0:00—Save⌄ShareParashat Lech LechaTranscript0:00Hi everyone, and welcome to our weekly Divrei Torah here from Midrash Ohel Moed. This week's parashah is Parashat0:06Lech Lecha. This is when we start talking about0:09the foundation of our0:12ancestry. This is Abraham Avinu. This is when—this is it. This is the parashah.0:18I think it was a stipel that says that when he gets to the end of Noach, when the Torah already says the name of Abraham,0:23he feels a tremendous light. The first two0:27parashiot feel a little bit dark.0:29In fact, the sources to that, Chazal tell us that until Abraham Avinu came, the world was0:35dark, was tohu vavohu until Abraham came and lit the world. I want to talk about0:39one part of the parashah, the first0:43recorded world war in the Torah. The Torah tells us that there was0:49Sedom, Amorah,0:53Admah, Tzeboim, basically the five cities of Sedom, five boroughs of Sedom, whatever you want to call that.0:58But what seems to be, there were four kingdoms in Sedom. We just call it Sedom, but it's really five different kingdoms over there.1:07And what happened is they were paying taxes to somebody called Kedorlaomer, who really was Nimrod.1:15And Nimrod came with another four kings and decided to wage war against the five kings. Why?1:21Because they stopped paying taxes.1:24So there was a war, and the four kings were able to overcome and take over1:29the kingdom of Sedom. Again, like we said, the five kings. This is the famous war of the four kings versus the five kings.1:36Now, pasuk tells us that news1:39reached Abraham Avinu. You see, clearly from the pasuk that Abraham Avinu did not watch the internet for news, because it says,1:47Vayavo ha-palit... el Avram ha-Ivri. Clearly he didn't watch the news, right? In any case, so he came to Abraham, and he tells him, Look.1:54You know, this is the story of the war. This is what happened.1:58Abraham gets up and decides to go and fight against them.2:02It says,2:08Vayarik et chanichav yelidei beito, shemona asar u'shlosh me'ot, vayirdof ad Dan. He took with him 318 soldiers, which Chazal tell us is actually2:13Eliezer. He only went with Eliezer. Eliezer is the gematria of 318. So Abraham goes with Eliezer,2:20fighting2:21the four kings who just defeated five kings.2:26Right, okay.2:27Now, according to the drash of Chazal, there's a lot of questions to ask over here. It's two versus an entire,2:35not just kingdom, an entire army made up of four kingdoms.2:40Okay, what happens? What does he go with? Chazal tell us, how did he fight them?2:44He took dirt, and with the dirt that he threw at them, they turned into spears and arrows, and that's how he was able to defeat them.2:53That's the story, with a little bit from Midrashei Chazal. And there's2:57so many questions that we could ask.2:59Chazal tell us a rule, and the rule is,3:03Ein somchin al ha-nes. You can't do things expecting a miracle.3:08How could Abraham Avinu go to battle against3:12four kingdoms, four armies, trained soldiers,3:16with just—just what do you expect? Are you a trained soldier? Are you a warrior?3:22Now, even if you want to go with the simple meaning of the pasuk, that he took 318 soldiers, what chance do you stand?3:28And according to Chazal, that he only went with Eliezer,3:32two people versus an entire army? Yeah, I know we learned the story as a kid, but really, how does that make sense?3:37How does it fit with the rules,3:40Ein somchin al ha-nes? And wait,3:42what weapons did you take? You didn't take a nuclear bomb. You didn't take some machine guns or arrows3:49or even a shachata. You didn't take anything with you. What did you take with you? Just dirt?3:57And some chim al hanes. This is, wow,3:58what's going on over here? How is Abraham Avinu allowed to do this?4:01One more question before we get to the answer.4:06The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot says that Abraham Avinu was tested ten tests.4:11A lot of the Rishonim, Rabbeinu Yonah, the Rambam,4:15I think the Bartenura as well, also bring4:17from the list of the Rishonim, from all those Rishonim that we did,4:22we said that they bring the list of the ten tests, that this going to war over here was one of the tests of Abraham4:31Avinu. Time out. What exactly was the test over here?4:34Let's say Abraham did not go to war.4:37He failed the test?4:38He was expected to commit suicide?4:41I understand when Nimrod told him, either you bow down to the fire, I'm going to throw you into the fire.4:45Look, you got to give up your life for Hashem4:48and not worship avodah zarah. But over here, there's no avodah zarah over here,4:53and you're telling me what, to save4:57Lot? To save somebody else's life at the expense of your life is not only5:02not5:03obligated, but it's not allowed.5:06So why did Abraham Avinu go to battle? How was this exactly a test on Abraham5:12Avinu? So to answer all these questions,5:15I want to read to you what it says in the pasuk after Abraham heard the news.5:20It says,5:22Vayavo ha-palit, and he told Abraham what happened.5:25This is5:27all Chazal tell us. And then the next pasuk says,5:29Vayishma Avram ki nishba achiv, and Abraham heard that his brother was taken into captivity. Who's his brother? It's actually his nephew. Who's his nephew?5:37Lot. Lot was taken into captivity. So why does the pasuk refer to Lot as his brother? And what does Torah tell us?5:44That this is what Abraham heard.5:47And the answer is5:50that5:51the rumors were going around that really Abraham was taken into captivity.5:56We know that Lot moved to Sedom, and he lived in Sedom. Another thing that we know is that Lot and Abraham actually looked very identical,6:03very identical.6:05Not only, you know, like how brothers look identical; that's how they looked identical.6:09And Chazal tell us that, in fact, Kedorlaomer, which is Nimrod, the reason why he chose to battle against6:15Sedom, because he heard news that Abraham was living there,6:19and he wanted to get his revenge, and he wanted to come back6:22and capture them and to take Abraham to kill him to show that really his god can't save him.6:28When Abraham heard—who is Abraham Avinu—who heard, he heard what? That it was6:34this is6:35why Nimrod went to war.6:37Ki nishba achiv, he went to capture the person that he thought it was me.6:42So now there's going to be a6:43tremendous chilul Hashem.6:45People are going to say, Oh my gosh,6:47look, Nimrod actually caught Abraham Avinu. He was able to capture him, and where's God of Abraham? He didn't save him.6:55Now is the test for Abraham. Are you going to do something when there's a chilul Hashem?6:59Are you going to stand up and are you going to fight the world for chilul Hashem, or are you not?7:03Abraham says, Of course I am,7:05and I'm going7:06not for the purpose of winning necessarily.7:09I'm going even for a be'ez suicide mission. Let everybody see7:12that I'm going to battle. I was not captured. Captured people can't fight. Captured people are in jail.7:18I'm going to fight against this army to show the world that no, he was not able to take me. And not only that,7:25I'm not going to go with an army. If I go with an army,7:28and if I go with a nuclear bomb, it's going to be a fair fight,7:31then people will say, Ah, look, his God couldn't save him.7:34But if I go like a crazy man with just one assistant, with dirt instead of weapons, people will say, Oh, of course.7:42How do you expect God to save him?7:44Ein somchin al ha-nes. You can't just do crazy things and expect God to save you.7:48And therefore, Abraham Avinu passed the test with flying colors.7:51His purpose, his goal of going to battle was not to necessarily win. It doesn't say that he went to save Lot necessarily.7:58He went to prove to the world that Nimrod did not capture me.8:03And if he is going to get me now, it's because I am playing against the rules. I'm doing something totally outrageous.8:13But that was Abraham Avinu. So there was a chilul Hashem, and when there's a chilul Hashem,8:18I cannot be quiet. I have to stand up and make a protest, and to make a stand, to stand on the support of HaKadosh Baruch Hu.8:26That is8:27what happened in this8:29story,8:30to learn that lesson,8:32that we should never allow chilul Hashem to go unanswered.8:36Has v'shalom, somebody does something that could bring a little bit of disrespect8:41to Hashem, or to the Torah, to the honor of Hashem, or to the honor of Torah,8:44we have to stand up. We can't sit down quietly. Shabbat shalom.