When Abram follows God’s instructions and journeys from his homeland, he doesn’t travel alone. With him are his wife, all that he possesses including flocks of cattle and sheep, and his nephew Lot, who also brings all of his possessions and flocks. At one point “there was a quarrel between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and between the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle…. And Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no quarrel between me and between you and between my herdsmen and between your herdsmen….” – Gen. 13:7-8
The Torah contains not a single extraneous line, word, or even letter, so this seemingly mundane episode of the bickering shepherds must contain an important message. The Netziv (Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, 1816-1893) finds an explanation in the Book of Proverbs: “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, and before you are exposed, abandon the quarrel.” (Prov. 17:14) If a barrel full of water has a tiny hole in it, water will trickle out through that hole and eventually the trickle will become a stream because the water itself will make the hole bigger. So too with an argument. Abraham is wise enough to know that a petty disagreement among hired herdsmen, if allowed to continue will eventually become a dispute that threatens his relationship with his nephew. Even a seemingly innocuous disagreement can turn into something toxic, so let’s resolve disputes as soon as they begin!
Image: “Parting of Lot and Abraham”, mosaic from 430 CE
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