This Statement Is Simply Proof of Abraham's Humility

What is written above the matter? "And Abram heard that his kinsman was taken captive." And was he his brother? Rather, see the humility of Abraham: after that quarrel of which it is written, "And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle" (Genesis 13:8), even so he still called him his brother, as it is written: "For we are men, brothers" (Genesis 13:8). "And he armed his trained men": he took silver and gold and covered them with it. He said to them: Know that we are going out to war; do not set your eyes upon the silver and gold, behold, all of this is yours. And "and he armed" means nothing but gold, as you say: "and her pinions with greenish gold" (Psalms 68:14). Another interpretation: "and he armed" teaches that he made them turn pale with his words. He said to them: "Who is the man that is fearful" (Deuteronomy 20:8) of transgressions, "and faint-hearted" (Deuteronomy 20:8) from the evil deeds he has done, "let him go and return to his house, and let him not melt," and so forth (Deuteronomy 20:8). When he said this to them, he emptied them out one by one, each first one first, and there remained with him none but Eliezer. From where do you learn this? Alef, one; lamed, thirty; yod, ten; ayin, seventy; zayin, seven; resh, two hundred; behold, eighteen and three hundred [the numerical value of Eliezer's name equals the three hundred eighteen of Genesis 14:14]. What is written after it? "And he pursued" (singular), and it is not written "and they pursued." "As far as Dan." When that righteous one reached Dan, his strength weakened. He saw that his descendants were destined to worship idolatry in Dan, as it is said: "And he set the one in Bethel, and the other he placed in Dan" (1 Kings 12:29). Our Rabbis taught: Two things strike before them and after them, and these are they: idolatry, and one who plants on the eve of the seventh year is liable and at the close of the seventh year is liable. So too idolatry strikes before it and after it. How so? Up to now Jeroboam, who made the calf and set it up in Dan, had not yet arisen, and yet "he smote them." "And he pursued them as far as Hobah": we searched through all the places and did not find any place whose name was Hobah ["guilt"]; to teach you that Dan was called Hobah from the outset on account of the idolatry that was destined to stand there. "And he brought back all the goods, and also Lot his kinsman and his goods he brought back, and also the women." "And also" comes to include all his household vessels, even a thing worth a peruta. "And the king of Sodom went out to meet him," and so forth, "that is the King's Valley": from that moment it was called the King's Valley. And which king? This is Abraham, who defeated all the kings and their armies. And concerning him it is said: "The utterance of the LORD to my lord: Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet" (Psalms 110:1). When the king of Sodom came out, he said to him: Give me the persons, since you have rescued me from being slain by those kings, for had they killed me, they would have taken my life and my property; take for yourself my property, since you have rescued me. At that moment Abraham swore and said to him: "I have lifted up my hand to the LORD." And "lifting up" means nothing but an expression of an oath, as it is said: "And he lifted up his right hand and his left hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever" (Daniel 12:7). "That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelace." Why? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, promised me that He would make me rich, for so He said to me: "And I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing." Were I to take from anything that is yours, "so that you should not say, I have made Abram rich." And I marvel. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You said, "If from a thread"; I will purify your children at the altar, which shall be encircled with a thread of crimson. As we have learned: The altar was encircled with a thread of crimson. And further, in reward for your saying "if from a thread," I will give your children the commandment of threads, the commandment of the cord of blue. You said, "even to a shoelace"; I will give your children the commandment of the levirate widow and the removing of the shoe, "and she shall remove his shoe." And in the merit that you said "a shoe," I will give your children the commandment of eating the Passover offering, concerning which it is written: "And thus you shall eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet," and so forth (Exodus 12:11). And further, I will exact punishment from Esau, as it is said: "Upon Edom I will cast My shoe" (Psalms 60:10). And further, I will praise your children with that same expression, as it is said: "How beautiful are your steps in sandals" (Song of Songs 7:2). You spurned the reward of flesh and blood; your reward shall be exceedingly great from now on and henceforth.