Parshat Lech Lecha5 min read

Abraham Gave Shem a Tenth of the War Spoil

Lot came out of the wagons unchained. The kings' silver followed him like a second army. Abraham would not keep the glory.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. Shem Stepped Out of the Flood
  2. The Prayer That Named a Shield
  3. Terah Would Not Leave the Gifts
  4. The King of Sodom Tried to Pay

Abraham counted men in the dark and found three hundred eighteen. Lot was gone into the spoil trains of four kings. Smoke from sacked towns still hung over the road. He cut north while the enemy slept on victory wine.

Abraham Gave Shem a Tenth of the War Spoil Click for full size

Steel and shouting rose before dawn. The kings broke. Abraham chased them past Damascus through night and dust. Lot came out of the wagons unchained. Silver, cloth, and captives followed the rescued nephew like a second army.

Shem Stepped Out of the Flood

Shem, son of Noah, came forth to meet him. Flood memory walked in the old man's gait. He saw the mountains of spoil and did not praise Abraham's arm first. He wondered in his heart at the deeds and the wealth, then he blessed the Name.

"And blessed be God the Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand!" (Genesis 14:20).

Abraham sorted a tenth from the wealth of the defeated kings and from Lot's recovered goods. He set it in Shem's hands. Rabbi Joshua said he was the first to begin to give a tithe. The first tenth was not a ledger rule. It was a man who had just won a war refusing to call the victory his own.

The Prayer That Named a Shield

Abraham rose and prayed. "Sovereign of all worlds! Not by the power of my hand, nor by the power of my right hand have I done all these things, but by the power of Thy right hand with which Thou dost shield me in this world and in the world to come."

He spoke the psalm that names the Lord a shield and a lifter of the head (Psalm 3:3). Angels answered with a formula that would outlive the battlefield. "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the shield of Abraham."

Spoil still glittered in the dust. The prayer made the glitter answer to heaven instead of to a general's pride. Lot stood free. The tenth already belonged to Shem. The rest waited for a king of Sodom who would try to buy the savior with gifts.

Terah Would Not Leave the Gifts

Earlier, on another road, Abraham had pleaded with his father Terah to leave Nimrod's favor. They were hiding from a hunt. Abraham did not ask his father for comfort. He asked him to walk.

"Consider that it was not for thy sake that Nimrod overloaded thee with honors, but for his own profit," he said. "Though he continue to confer the greatest of benefactions upon thee, what are they but earthly vanity? Riches and possessions profit not in the day of wrath. Hearken unto my voice, O my father. Let us depart for the land of Canaan, and serve the God that hath created thee, that it may be well with thee."

Terah left and stalled in Haran. The son who would later give a tenth to Shem had already refused to treat royal presents as salvation. War only made the same choice public and heavy with silver. Nimrod's smile and Sodom's bargains were cousins. Both wanted a man on a leash made of gold.

The King of Sodom Tried to Pay

When the king of Sodom offered Abraham the goods if he would return the people, the refusal was already rehearsed in the tithe. Abraham would not be made rich by Sodom's hand. A man who has given a tenth to Shem cannot sell the rest of his righteousness for a city of ash-to-be.

Lot returned to dangerous streets. Abraham returned to tents and promises. The tenth stayed with the flood-survivor priest of the Most High. Angels had already fixed a name to a shield.

Hands that counted captives also counted a tenth. A name for God rose louder than any victory chant. Lot's freedom did not buy Abraham a throne. Shem's hands closed on silver that would never sit in Nimrod's treasury or Sodom's market.

The three hundred eighteen slept at last. Dust settled on tracks that kings would not follow. Abraham lay down poorer in goods than the war had made him, and richer in a formula the angels had sung back to him. Shield of Abraham. The phrase would travel farther than any wagon of spoil.

In the morning light the tenth looked ordinary. Cloth. Metal. A share of flocks. Ordinary things become covenant when a man who could have kept all of them keeps none of the credit. Shem blessed. Abraham prayed. The road toward Canaan stayed open under a name stronger than any local king.

Campfires sank to coals. Lot sat apart, already half turning toward Sodom's lamps on the horizon. Abraham watched him and did not snatch the choice away. Freedom includes the freedom to walk back toward danger. The tithe, at least, had gone the right direction.

AbrahamShemTithingLotKingsWarBenjaminTempleSacrificeTithe
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From the tradition

Sources

2 sources

The texts behind this telling. Some cards carry a translation of the source; others are our own retelling of it, and each card says which. Every card links out to the original.

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 27:7Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer, trans. Rabbi Gerald Friedlander, London (1916) · CC-BY

It is often remembered as a formal obligation, a percentage we owe. But its roots, according to some fascinating ancient texts, are surprisingly personal, filled with gratitude and recognition of a higher power.

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a remarkable text of Jewish lore, tells us that Abraham himself was the first to tithe. Rabbi Joshua recounts how Abraham, fresh from a victorious battle, didn't just keep all the spoils. He carefully selected a tenth – a tithe – from the wealth of the defeated kings, and also from the possessions of his nephew Lot. And to whom did he give this significant offering? To Shem, the son of Noah. "And he gave him a tenth of all," as it says in (Genesis 14:20).

The scene. Shem, a figure from a previous era, a link to the generation that survived the flood, comes out to meet Abraham. He sees the magnitude of what Abraham has accomplished, the sheer volume of wealth he’s brought back. He’s awestruck. He doesn't simply congratulate Abraham; he bursts into praise, glorifying God, the Most High. He exclaims, "And blessed be God the Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand!" (Genesis 14:20).

Abraham, in turn, responds with profound humility. He doesn’t take credit for his victory. Instead, he prays before the Holy One, blessed be He, acknowledging that his triumph wasn't due to his own strength or skill. "Sovereign of all worlds!" he proclaims. "Not by the power of my hand, nor by the power of my right hand have I done all these things, but by the power of Thy right hand with which Thou dost shield me in this world and in the world to come." He recognizes God as his protector, his source of strength in both this life and the next. He quotes (Psalm 3:3), saying "But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me" in this world, and "my glory, and the lifter up of mine head" in the world to come.

It's a powerful moment of recognition. Abraham understands that his success is not solely his own doing. He’s been blessed, guided, and protected. And the angels, hearing this heartfelt prayer, respond in kind. They affirm Abraham's devotion, proclaiming, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the shield of Abraham."

So, what does this ancient story tell us about the nature of tithing? It’s more than just a financial transaction. It's an act of gratitude, a recognition of the source of our blessings. It's about acknowledging that we are not alone in our endeavors, that we are supported by a force greater than ourselves. Perhaps the act of giving, then, is less about fulfilling an obligation, and more about expressing a heartfelt "thank you" to the divine. It certainly gives us something to think about.

Full source
Legends of the Jews 5:57Legends of the Jews

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg (1909) · Public Domain

Legends of the Jews turns to Terah's Legacy.

In Legends of the Jews, that incredible collection of lore compiled by Louis Ginzberg, Abraham implores his father to leave the land and journey to Canaan. He says, and I'm paraphrasing, "Dad, Nimrod isn't showering you with gifts because he loves you. It's all about what he gets out of it."

Pretty insightful for a young man. He's seeing through the facade of power and political maneuvering.

Abraham doesn't stop there. He goes on to say, "Even if Nimrod keeps giving you more and more, what does it really amount to? It's all just earthly vanity! Riches and possessions are worthless when things get really tough." A stark warning, hinting at a deeper spiritual truth.

Then comes the core of his plea: "Listen to me, Father. Let's go to the land of Canaan and serve the God who created you, so that things will be good for you."

Wow. A son urging his father to embrace a new path, a new understanding of the world. It's not just about escaping Nimrod's wrath, though that's certainly a factor. It's about finding true meaning and purpose in serving the one God.

Think about the courage it must have taken for Abraham to speak these words. To challenge his father, a man respected and favored by the king. To risk everything for the sake of his beliefs.

Did he sense the truth in his son's words? Did he hesitate, torn between the comfort of his current life and the call of something greater? We know that Terah did eventually leave with Abraham and his family, journeying toward Canaan, though he stopped in Haran. (Genesis 11:31)

Abraham's words, though spoken millennia ago, still resonate today. They remind us to question the values of the world around us, to seek something deeper than material possessions and fleeting honors. They remind us to listen to the quiet voice within, the one that calls us to a higher purpose. Maybe, just maybe, that voice is calling us to leave our own "land" – our own comfort zones – and begin a journey of faith.

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