The Hidden Message By Rabbi Joshua (subliminally known as The Hoffer) Hoffman
The Torah tells us that when Avraham left his home, his nephew Lot went along with him. Later, however, while in the land of Cannan, a fight broke out between the herdsmen of Lot's livestock and the herdsmen of Avraham's livestock, and the two relatives decided to part company, in order to sustain their friendly relations. Avraham told Lot that wherever he would decide to settle, he, Avraham, would remain close behind, ready to come to his assistance. Lot surveyed the territory, and decided to settle in the plain of Jordan, near Sodom. The rabbis tell us that, actually, Lot wanted to settle near Sodom because of his propensity toward sexual immorality, which was rampant in Sodom. They went so far as to expound, phrase by phrase, the verse in the Torah that describes Lot's surveying of that area as being laden with sexual undertones, even though the verse explicitly mentions only that the area was very fertile .When Lot eventually separates himself from Avraham , the Torah describes it by saying simply, "…and Lot parted from the east; and they parted each man from his brother" (Bereishis, 13, 11). The rabbis, however, interpret this the word 'mikedem'- from the east- to mean from God- the Forerunner ( kadmono) of the world, as if to say, that Lot, by leaving Avraham, was saying that he did not want to be part of Avraham or his God, Why were the rabbis so critical in regard Lot, to the point of interpreting these verses in a non- literal way? Were they really judging him fairly?
Rabbi Ya'akov Kaminetsky, in his Emes L'Ya'akov, explains that just as in regard to the text of the Torah, there are four levels of interpretation- pshat, or the simple meaning, drash, or the homiletical meaning, remez , or the hinted meaning, and sod, or the mystical meaning- so , too, in regard to what a person says, there are different levels of meaning Simply stated, when people say and do things, there is an explicit meaning to what they say and do, as well as a hidden, subconscious message. The rabbis understood that there had to be more to Lot's decision to move within the proximity of Sodom than mere monetary gain, since he had flourished while living close to Avraham. Therefore, they saw his decision as a desire to remove himself from the morality of Avraham as represented by his attachment to God, and, ultimately, to be able to indulge in the sexual immorality prevalent in Sodom.
Rabbi Kaminetsky points out that the rabbis saw a similar hidden message in the complaint of the people against the manna, as recorded in parshas Beha'aloscha ( Bamidbar, 11, 5). According to one opinion in the Talmud, they were really complaining about the sexual restrictions placed upon them by the laws of the Torah. What led them to say this, Rabbi Kaminetsky explains, was the fact that their explicit complaint about the manna, saying that they preferred the vegetables and fish that they had received in Egypt, made no sense, since the manna was an ambrosial food, providing its consumer with the taste of any food that he desired. Therefore, the rabbis concluded that there was something else that they were really complaining about, namely, the sexual restrictions that had been placed upon them by the Torah. In a similar way, the rabbis explained Lot's parting from Avraham as being motivated by his sexual desires. As a general principle, the rabbis say that the Jews only worshipped idolatry in order make unbridled sexual activity permissible. The idea they were expressing is that as long as a person maintains a relationship with God and accepts His code of morality, he remains within certain boundaries in regard to sexual matters. By denying God and His providence, he feels free to indulge without restriction. Therefore, they explained that when Lot left Avraham in order to settle in the area near Sodom, where sexual immorality was rampant, he was really leaving God behind, as well.
Although Rabbi Kaminetsky does not say this, I believe there was a deeper reason behind he rabbis' explanation of Lot's motivation to leave Avraham. Actually, when Avraham originally traveled away from his homeland, he was not commanded to take Lot along with him. Rather, Lot decided on his own to join his uncle on the journey. What led him to do this? I believe that he was attracted by Avraham's attribute of chesed, or kindness. Avraham distinguished himself by his acts of kindness to strangers, and Lot adapted some of his practices, as well. Thus, we find that when Lot was in Sodom, he offered hospitality to strangers, even though the city was notorious for its refusal to offer aid to anyone coming from the outside. The kabbalists teach us that although chesed, as manifested in the desire to give to others, is a wonderful trait, it must be controlled. Otherwise, it can lead to moral disaster. Thus, the Torah describes sexual relations between brother and sister as chesed, because it constitutes a form of unrestrained giving. The ten tests that Avraham endured helped refine his attribute of chesed, tempering it with various forms of gevurah, or restraint... When Lot left Avraham, he also left behind the process of refinement, and, as a result, his penchant toward chesed was no longer restrained, and led to the excesses that the Torah describes in parshas Vayeira in regard to Lot's comportment with his daughters. Avraham, on the other hand, continued with the process of refinement, and became a role model of chesed for his people.