SAVING THE SPARK OF MOSHIACH
The way we should see every Jew - Lech Lecha
An entire chapter of this week’s Parsha is devoted to an episode known as The War of the Kings. The Torah describes how an alliance of four kings, led by Amrafel, conquered five other nations in battle, taking their residents as captives.
One of the cities conquered was Sodom, where Avraham’s nephew Lot had taken up residence on parting with uncle.
Avraham, alerted to the fact that his nephew had been captured, armed himself and set out in pursuit. Miraculously Avraham defeated the four kings, freeing his nephew and restoring him to his home.
This seemingly trivial story has a deeper dimension and can teach us a powerful lesson.
The posuk in Tehillim saysמצאתי דוד עבדי , “I found My servant Dovid”. The Midrash on this Posuk poses and answers a question; “Where did I find him (Dovid)? In Sodom”. What does it mean that Hashem found Dovid in Sodom?
The Midrash is referring to Lot. Lot would later father Moav. Rus, the great-grandmother of Dovid Hamelech was a descendant of Moav. In Lot, in Sodom, Hashem had planted the seeds of the lineage of Dovid.
Dovid is also used as a reference to Moshiach, a king who will arise from the House of Dovid. In Kabbalistic thought, the spark (nitzutz) of Moshiach rested within Lot. It was this soul that Amrafel sought to capture in battle. This is also the soul that the king of Sodom referred to when he said to Avraham תן לי הנפש, Give me the soul (written in singular form), the unique soul of Moshiach.
Rashi observes that it was Lot’s choice to live in Sodom that caused him to be captured. Lot had grown up in the tent of Avraham. Yet he chose to abandon Avraham and the way of life that he espoused. Lot chose to settle in Sodom, with full knowledge of who its inhabitants were.
Avraham puts his own life at risk to save Lot; As lowly as he may be, despite his conscious decision to veer from the path of Avraham which ultimately put him at risk, nonetheless inside of him was a spark of Moshiach that had to be saved.
We live a time where many of our fellow Jews are like Lot, finding themselves far away from the tent and way of life of Avraham Avinu, spiritually distant from their roots. They may find themselves in Sodom and may have chosen to settle there intentionally.
How do we respond?
Every Jew possess a Neshama. The essence of every Neshama is the spark of Moshiach. It may be stuck in Sodom, hidden under layers of concealment, but it remains pure and complete. Every Jew is our brother or sister and we cannot sit idly by, content with our own Torah observance while they remain in spiritual captivity.
Our forefather Avraham risked his life to save Lot. In doing so, Avraham instilled within his descendants the moral-calling, the strength and the self-sacrifice to give up of ourselves, physically and spiritually, to try to reveal that spark within others.
This is the vision of the Rebbe and his call to each of us in our times; To see and sense how every Jew is precious, carrying a spark of Moshiach’s soul, the Pintele Yid. And to do whatever we can to help reveal that soul within them and bring them back to a positive engagement and observance of Yiddishkeit.
Through our efforts to restore the individual sparks of the soul of Moshiach, we will be merit the revelation of the complete Neshama of Moshiach the collective soul of all of the Jewish people. Then, all of the sparks will be drawn back to their source, back home to the tent of Avraham where they rightfully belong.
One of the cities conquered was Sodom, where Avraham’s nephew Lot had taken up residence on parting with uncle.
Avraham, alerted to the fact that his nephew had been captured, armed himself and set out in pursuit. Miraculously Avraham defeated the four kings, freeing his nephew and restoring him to his home.
This seemingly trivial story has a deeper dimension and can teach us a powerful lesson.
The posuk in Tehillim saysמצאתי דוד עבדי , “I found My servant Dovid”. The Midrash on this Posuk poses and answers a question; “Where did I find him (Dovid)? In Sodom”. What does it mean that Hashem found Dovid in Sodom?
The Midrash is referring to Lot. Lot would later father Moav. Rus, the great-grandmother of Dovid Hamelech was a descendant of Moav. In Lot, in Sodom, Hashem had planted the seeds of the lineage of Dovid.
Dovid is also used as a reference to Moshiach, a king who will arise from the House of Dovid. In Kabbalistic thought, the spark (nitzutz) of Moshiach rested within Lot. It was this soul that Amrafel sought to capture in battle. This is also the soul that the king of Sodom referred to when he said to Avraham תן לי הנפש, Give me the soul (written in singular form), the unique soul of Moshiach.
Rashi observes that it was Lot’s choice to live in Sodom that caused him to be captured. Lot had grown up in the tent of Avraham. Yet he chose to abandon Avraham and the way of life that he espoused. Lot chose to settle in Sodom, with full knowledge of who its inhabitants were.
Avraham puts his own life at risk to save Lot; As lowly as he may be, despite his conscious decision to veer from the path of Avraham which ultimately put him at risk, nonetheless inside of him was a spark of Moshiach that had to be saved.
We live a time where many of our fellow Jews are like Lot, finding themselves far away from the tent and way of life of Avraham Avinu, spiritually distant from their roots. They may find themselves in Sodom and may have chosen to settle there intentionally.
How do we respond?
Every Jew possess a Neshama. The essence of every Neshama is the spark of Moshiach. It may be stuck in Sodom, hidden under layers of concealment, but it remains pure and complete. Every Jew is our brother or sister and we cannot sit idly by, content with our own Torah observance while they remain in spiritual captivity.
Our forefather Avraham risked his life to save Lot. In doing so, Avraham instilled within his descendants the moral-calling, the strength and the self-sacrifice to give up of ourselves, physically and spiritually, to try to reveal that spark within others.
This is the vision of the Rebbe and his call to each of us in our times; To see and sense how every Jew is precious, carrying a spark of Moshiach’s soul, the Pintele Yid. And to do whatever we can to help reveal that soul within them and bring them back to a positive engagement and observance of Yiddishkeit.
Through our efforts to restore the individual sparks of the soul of Moshiach, we will be merit the revelation of the complete Neshama of Moshiach the collective soul of all of the Jewish people. Then, all of the sparks will be drawn back to their source, back home to the tent of Avraham where they rightfully belong.