By Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss

In this week’s parsha, we observe one of the most complex individuals in the entire Chumash: Lot, the brother of Sarah, son of Charan, and nephew of Avraham. According to the Sefer HaYashar, Lot lived one hundred and forty-two years and during his lifetime, he made some obviously wrong decisions.

Leaving the righteous Avraham and choosing to live in the wicked surroundings of S’dom was the most noticeable. Rashi further incriminates him by saying that when he departed from Avraham, he exclaimed, “Ee afshi lo b’Avram v’lo b’Eilokav – I don’t want Avraham nor his G-d.” When he explains that the Shechina started to talk to Avraham once again when Lot left, Rashi calls Lot a rasha, a wicked person, and says that as long as Lot was with Avraham, he blocked the Shechina from coming to Avraham.

Fascinatingly, in both the ArtScroll Mikra’os Gedolos and ArtScroll Stone Chumash, there is a bracketed comment in Rashi that says, “This is what Hashem meant when he said, ‘Lech Lecha – Go yourself,’ ” implying you, Avraham, yourself, but not with Lot.

However, if you look in any of the older copies of Mikra’os Gedolos on your shelves, that bracketed comment is absent. Instead, there is a comment that earlier, when it says, “Vayeira alov Avraham – That G-d appeared to Avraham,” at that point Lot was a worthy person.

When initially Avraham set out on the mission of ‘Lech Lecha’ and the Torah says, “Va’yeilech ito Lot – And he took Lot with him,” the Zohar asks, “Why did he take Lot?” The Zohar then answers that, “B’gin d’ztafa b’ruach haKodesh she’asid l’meipak minei Dovid – Because he saw with Divine inspiration that Dovid would descend [from Lot’s daughter].” (This also explains why Avraham went with Eliezer on a suicide mission against four mighty kings and two million soldiers to rescue Lot.)

There is another reason why Avraham might have taken Lot under his wings. Lot was orphaned from his father Haran because of Avraham. When Avraham successfully came out of Nimrod’s furnace of fire, Nimrod turned to Haran and asked, “What about you?” Seeing that Avraham emerged intact, Haran went inside. But, since his heart was not pure like Avraham’s, he wasn’t saved.

In yet another version of the story, Nimrod argued that Avraham was saved in the merit of his father Terach, who was a great champion of idolatry. Some onlookers said if that were the case, they wanted to see whether it would also help Haran. However, since Avraham hadn’t been saved because of Terach’s merit, Haran was burnt to a crisp. Either way, Avraham felt responsible for Lot and took him under his wings. Subsequently, I found that this is the reason the Chizkuni gives for why Avraham took Lot with him.

It also explains an enigmatic pneumonic at the end of Parshas Noach. There it says, as it always does at the end of the parsha, the tally of pesukim of noach which is 153. It gives us a pneumonic of this number, “Avi Yiskah Lot – The father of Yiskah, Lot.” Now, that’s not true. The father of Yiskah was Haran. Perhaps it means that Lot was taken by Avraham because of the father of Yiskah, who was Haran.

My readers might wonder: If Rashi says that Lot was a rasha who didn’t want to have anything to do with Hashem, why do I refer to him as complex? Well, let’s look at his behavior in this week’s parsha. He lived in a city that banned charity and hospitality under the threat of execution. Lot’s own daughter, because she took care of a poor person, was cruelly executed by being smeared with honey and hung in a swarm of bees until stung to death. Yet, when the angels came to Lot’s house, not only did he invite them in, when they demurred it says, “Va’yiftzar bam me’od – He pressed them greatly,” until they accepted.

When they told him about their mission to destroy S’dom and its three million inhabitants, Rashi tells us that he argued on their behalf the entire night. When the mob came and demanded the angels, Lot courageously went out to face them knowing full well that it would be curtains to millions of people if the mob attacked the angels. He even offered his own daughters (perhaps, with their consent), to save the five cities. Ultimately, Lot would succeed in saving the entire city of Tzoar, as Rashsi tells us, “Kol ha’ir atzil big’lalech – I [Hashem] will also save the whole city because of you.” This was something that Avraham’s tefillos could not accomplish. The Gemara in Berachos tells us that when you see the pillar of salt that Lot’s wife was turned into, you make two brachos, “Baruch Dayan haEmes – Blessed is the true Judge,” and “Boruch zocheir haTzadikim – Blessed are those who remember the Righteous.” The blessing of Dayan Emes is said because of the execution of the wife of Lot while the blessing of the remembering of the righteous simply refers to Hashem Who remembers Avraham and saved Lot because of him. We can add that He remembered Dovid, the righteous person who would descend from Lot. And perhaps, we could add that He remembered Lot and his righteous activities.

His hospitality, his attempts to save millions of people, his successful rescue of the city of Tzoar and even, as Rashi points out, when Avraham said about Sarah, “Achosi he – She is my sister,” Lot was quiet and didn’t tell the truth, even though if Avraham had been executed, Lot was the heir apparent. Only Hashem, Who is the True Judge, will ultimately decide Lot’s eternal fate. But let’s remember, it’s a good rule in life to train ourselves to look at people favorably, as it says, “B’tzedek mishpot amisecha – In righteousness you should judge your friend.” And we are rewarded, “Kol hadon es chavero l’kaf zchus, donin oso l’kaf zchus – Whoever judges his friends favorably, Hashem judges him favorably.” In this merit may Hashem bless us with long life, good health, and everything wonderful.