NEVER ALONE
In this week’s Parsha, Vayeira, we find our father Avraham praying to HaShem to reconsider His decision to destroy Sodom. Let us contemplate this request and discover how incredulous it was that Avraham should want Sodom to continue their existence.
The Mishna in Avos teaches us that Sodom’s State policy was “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours” The implication of this policy was that each man is on his own. Let no man turn to his neighbor for help and certainly do not offer help to your neighbor.
The Maharal teaches us that the function of the mitzvah of tzedakah and the mitzvah of lend-ing money to our brother in his time of need is to engender unity among our nation. Unity is a critical component that HaShem wants for Mankind to have, as follows.
HaShem created many elephants, many zebras and many of each species but He created only one Man. The reason for this was that Man was to represent HaShem in this world. Just as He is only the singular Being in the Universe, Man too, is to be the singular being in the material world. However, how can this be maintained once there are many people? This can only be achieved if Mankind forms a single unit. If every person is for himself and there is no inter-connection with each other then the purpose of Man is defeated. HaShem, therefore, created Man with many needs and expected every person to assist his neighbor thereby creating a large unified organism, called Mankind, in which every person is a component that supports the other. Just as the human body has many components but together they form a single unit as each part plays its unique role, so too, Mankind is meant to be a single unit in which each person plays their unique role. When Mankind operates in such unison then Man is the singu-lar being in the material world even when there are ten million people.
Avraham understood this lesson and dedicated his life to teaching it to the world by doing chessed to others. In doing so, he did much more than teach his generation the importance of chessed; he actually creat-ed this interweave between people thereby uniting them with the chessed he practiced and in turn with the chessed they practiced.
The policy of Sodom for which HaShem was judging them was in direct conflict with Avraham’s teaching. Sodom taught that nobody should help his neighbor. The downfall of Sodom on these grounds would pro-mote Avraham’s cause, or actually HaShem’s cause. The world would be a better place and a more unified place with the demise of Sodom. How is it that Avraham should come to Sodom’s defense? Did he really want Sodom to continue on their path?
Perhaps Avraham recognized the opportunity to turn the entire Sodom fiasco into the greatest demonstration of uniting the world. Sodom was on the cusp of total destruction because they denied the need for each person to support his neighbor; because they believed that every man was on his own and nobody should support the other. If as a result of his interceding with HaShem on their behalf they would be spared destruction, Sodom would be beholden to Avraham as the one who saved them from destruction. Their very existence would be evidence to their dependence on others and to the importance that no man can do it on his own.
One might argue that Sodom would not acknowledge their gratitude to Avraham. While that may be true, nevertheless, the One Who decid-ed the fate of Sodom would make it known that their judgement was reversed because of Avraham’s interceding. Even if Sodom would con-tinue in their evil ways, their very existence would be the loudest proclamation against their policy. Avraham’s message would find its great-est expression through them being spared.
As the world seems to be spinning out of control, we know nothing is out of control. We pray that the day will soon come when all of Man-kind will recognize the Controller and He will be One and we will be One.
Have a very safe and very wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind