Just as Avraham disrupted his serenity and comfort for the sake of his nephew in captivity, so must we be prepared to forego on our own comforts when necessary to assist our brethren in need.
Among the incidents recorded in Parashat Lekh-Lekha is the battle waged by the four eastern powers against the five cities of the Jordan River Valley. The forces of the four kingdoms took captive the residents of Sedom, including Lot, Avraham’s nephew. The Torah tells that a refugee from the war fled to Avraham, who was living in Chevron, to inform him of what had happened to his nephew: “The refugee came and told Avram Ha-ivri, and he was residing in the plains of Mamrei the Emorite, the brother of Eshkol and the brother Aner; they were allies of Avram” (14:13).
This verse gives rise to numerous questions, many of which have been addressed by the commentators. Here we will focus on the unusual verb shokhen(“residing”) which the Torah uses in this verse in reference to Avraham’s residence in Elonei Mamrei (the plains of Mamrei, or Chevron). This verb appears very rarely, as the Torah more commonly refers to “residence” with verbs such as y.sh.v. or g.u.r. A quick survey of the Torah’s usage of sh.kh.n. reveals that it refers specifically to a peaceful, secure and serene kind of dwelling. For example, the gentile seer Bilam, who attempted to curse Benei Yisrael in the wilderness, looked out and beheld the nation “shokhen li-shvatav” – “dwelling according to its tribes” – whereupon he was endowed with the “spirit of God” (Bamidbar 24:3). Obviously, what inspired Bilam was more than just the sight of people and tents; he undoubtedly took note of the special aura of sanctity that characterized the Israelite camp, which led him to bestow a blessing, rather than a curse. (Indeed, Chazal famously interpret this verse to mean that Bilam took note of how Benei Yisrael ensured that the entrances to their homes did not face each other, thereby guaranteeing each other privacy and avoiding neighborly tensions.) A more explicit association between the verb sh.kh.n. and serenity appears in a verse in Parashat Vezot Haberakha (Devarim 33:28), in which Moshe foresees, “Va-yishkon Yisrael betach badad…el eretz dagan ve-tirosh…” – “Israeldwelled securely, alone…in a land of grain and wine…” This verse clearly seeks to describe Benei Yisrael’s secure, prosperous existence in their land, and employs the word va-yishkon in reference to this idyllic condition. Finally, and perhaps most obviously, God’s residence among Benei Yisrael is frequently described with the verbsh.k.n. (as in the word Shekhina), as God, by definition, resides, as it were, in complete security and serenity. (See also Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch’s commentary to this verse here in Parashat Lekh-Lekha.)
Why does the Torah employ the verb sh.kh.n. here in Parashat Lekh-Lekha, in reference to Avraham’s residence in Chevron?
Possibly, the Torah sought to underscore the stark contrast between the conditions of Avraham and his nephew. Whereas Lot now finds himself bound by ruthless captors, Avraham lives a life of wealth and prominence, having formed an alliance with Aner, Eshkol and Mamrei, who appear to have been among the region’s influential figures. The verb sh.kh.n. highlights the difference between Avraham’s success and Lot’s distress, a contrast which serves to introduce the next verse: “Avram heard that his brother was captured, and he mustered his men…” Avram could have easily basked in the life of safety and wealth which he had built for himself, and ignored the plight of his estranged nephew. But instead, he left the comforts of Elonei Mamrei and headed to the battlefield in order to rescue Lot. This narrative thus instructs the importance of sacrificing one’s comforts for the sake of assisting those in need, and the dangers of being cloistered within one’s “four cubits” of happiness and security while others wallow in poverty and hardship. Just as Avraham disrupted his serenity and comfort for the sake of his nephew in captivity, so must we be prepared to forego on our own comforts when necessary to assist our brethren in need.