וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ וַיֹּאמַר בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְק-ל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ… אִם מִחוּט וְעַד שְׂרוֹךְ נַעַל וְאִם אֶקַּח מִכׇּל אֲשֶׁר לָךְ וְלֹא תֹאמַר אֲנִי הֶעֱשַׁרְתִּי אֶת אַבְרָם.
He blessed him, and he said, “Blessed be Avraham (Abraham) to Kel Elyon (God), creator of heaven and earth… Not from a thread to a shoelace, I will not take from anything that is yours, lest you say, ‘I have made Avraham rich.’
Bereishit 14: 23
The Victorious War
In Parshat Lech Lecha, there was a war that took place between four kings and another five kings, including the king of Sedom. The four kings won, and took some captives, including Avraham’s nephew Lot from Sedom. Avraham wanted to rescue him, so he joined the battle, and won the war. As an offering of thanks, the king of Sedom wanted to bestow gifts onto Avraham, but Avraham did not accept a single gift.
Hashem was pleased with Avraham’s refusal to take reward, and gave Avraham’s nation – the Jewish nation – two mitzvot of eternal reward for those who keep them.
- Tzitit
- Tefillin
Later on in history Avraham got offered presents from King Pharaoh and he accepted the gifts. Why from King Pharaoh did Avraham accept the gifts if previously he did not accept the gifts from the king of Sedom?
The answer lies in this subtle difference. With the king of Sedom, a war was fought with effort and physical strength. With the gifts from king Pharaoh, Avraham did not extend effort.
Because Hashem Wills
A person spends his life trying to accomplish. He invests and gets involved, and the more he gets involved in his work, the more he thinks it’s his own efforts that brings him success. And then God is all but forgotten.
So how do we make sure to attribute our successes to Hashem (God) if nowadays there are no open miracles, and it’s hard to see that everything comes from Him? That’s our mission here. Although we don’t know the reasons why things happen, it’s our job to realize that Hashem is involved in our lives. We must realize that anything that happens is because He commanded.
Avraham wholeheartedly knew that he won the war because God willed and not because of his own physical strength. When he refused the gifts from the king of Sedom, Avraham was making a statement: the king of Sedom should not think that Avraham won the war because of his strength.
Eternal Gifts
But why do we get specifically these two mitzvot as a reward?
- Tzitit is made of techeilet (blue material) which resembles the color of the sky, which turns our awereness to the Throne of Glory (Hashem).
- Tefillin because it contains the chapters of Shema – commanding us to serve Hashem.
Both are constant reminders that He is in control.
A person achieves and succeeds in life if God wants him to. By himself, no man can accomplish anything.
Though we don’t have open miracles, we must seek out the miracles that are hidden. Hashem is there ALWAYS and He is the only Power and Force.
It’s our mission to find Him, see Him, and use the strengths He gave us to serve Him.
Written by RL Breski; based on the teachings of Rabbi Tzahn
