Parshat Lech Lecha - Saving [Private] Lot

"In the last Great Invasion of the the Last Great War, the Greatest Danger for Eight Men was Saving...One...."

This was part of the tagline for what is arguably one of the greatest war films ever made - 'Saving Private Ryan'.

When it came out 21 years ago, veterans of the D-Day Landings, such as G.I. Frank DeVita, said that the first twenty minutes of the film were accurate. Others said that they represented the closest that non-combatants could get to the horror that faced the soldiers who risked (and in many cases, lost) their lives on 6th June , 75 years ago on Omaha Beach, Dog Green Sector. Frank was only 19.

If you've seen the film, you know how harrowing some of the scenes are, as the eight soldiers fight their way through France to find the elusive Private Ryan and save him - his parents last remaining child. The only one of the his brothers who hasn't been killed in battle.

The Israeli Army has a dictum that no soldier is ever left out on the field and they will go to extraordinary lengths to rescue our wounded brothers on the field of battle.

So where does this noble idea emanate?

בראשית י״ד:ט׳-י״ב

(ט) אֵ֣ת כְּדָרְלָעֹ֜מֶר מֶ֣לֶךְ עֵילָ֗ם וְתִדְעָל֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ גּוֹיִ֔ם וְאַמְרָפֶל֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ שִׁנְעָ֔ר וְאַרְי֖וֹךְ מֶ֣לֶךְ אֶלָּסָ֑ר אַרְבָּעָ֥ה מְלָכִ֖ים אֶת־הַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃ (י) וְעֵ֣מֶק הַשִׂדִּ֗ים בֶּֽאֱרֹ֤ת בֶּאֱרֹת֙ חֵמָ֔ר וַיָּנֻ֛סוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־סְדֹ֥ם וַעֲמֹרָ֖ה וַיִּפְּלוּ־שָׁ֑מָּה וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִ֖ים הֶ֥רָה נָּֽסוּ׃ (יא) וַ֠יִּקְחוּ אֶת־כָּל־רְכֻ֨שׁ סְדֹ֧ם וַעֲמֹרָ֛ה וְאֶת־כָּל־אָכְלָ֖ם וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ׃ (יב) וַיִּקְח֨וּ אֶת־ל֧וֹט וְאֶת־רְכֻשׁ֛וֹ בֶּן־אֲחִ֥י אַבְרָ֖ם וַיֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְה֥וּא יֹשֵׁ֖ב בִּסְדֹֽם׃

Genesis 14:9-12

[The invaders] seized all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions, and went their way. (12) They also took Lot, the son of Abram’s brother, and his possessions, and departed; for he had settled in Sodom.

בראשית י״ד:י״ד

(יד) וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע אַבְרָ֔ם כִּ֥י נִשְׁבָּ֖ה אָחִ֑יו וַיָּ֨רֶק אֶת־חֲנִיכָ֜יו יְלִידֵ֣י בֵית֗וֹ שְׁמֹנָ֤ה עָשָׂר֙ וּשְׁלֹ֣שׁ מֵא֔וֹת וַיִּרְדֹּ֖ף עַד־דָּֽן׃

Genesis 14:14

(14) When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he mustered his retainers, born into his household, numbering three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

רש"י על בראשית י״ד:י״ד:ג׳

שמנה עשר וגו'. רַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ אֱלִיעֶזֶר לְבַדּוֹ הָיָה (נדרים ל"ב), וְהוּא מִנְיַן גִּימַטְרִיָּא שֶׁל שְׁמוֹ:

Rashi on Genesis 14:14:3

'שמנה עשר וגו THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN — Our Rabbis said, “It was Eliezer alone whom he armed and it (318) is the numerical value of his name” (Nedarim 32a).

בראשית י״ד:ט״ו-ט״ז

(טו) וַיֵּחָלֵ֨ק עֲלֵיהֶ֧ם ׀ לַ֛יְלָה ה֥וּא וַעֲבָדָ֖יו וַיַּכֵּ֑ם וַֽיִּרְדְּפֵם֙ עַד־חוֹבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִשְּׂמֹ֖אל לְדַמָּֽשֶׂק׃ (טז) וַיָּ֕שֶׁב אֵ֖ת כָּל־הָרְכֻ֑שׁ וְגַם֩ אֶת־ל֨וֹט אָחִ֤יו וּרְכֻשׁוֹ֙ הֵשִׁ֔יב וְגַ֥ם אֶת־הַנָּשִׁ֖ים וְאֶת־הָעָֽם׃

Genesis 14:15-16

(15) At night, he and his servants deployed against them and defeated them; and he pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. (16) He brought back all the possessions; he also brought back his kinsman Lot and his possessions, and the women and the rest of the people.

Avram, one man with possibly a single servant (if you follow Rashi's dictum which is how it is accepted) went to war against the four kings - just in order to rescue his nephew. Can you imagine that?

Why did he do it - because he knew that it was the right thing to do.

He knew that he had to save his 'Private Ryan'.

He had no option but to risk his life, putting into jeopardy the future of his progeny, leaving his wife possibly widowed. Losing everything he could aspire to be.

Because.

In that war, the greatest danger for two men was saving one man.

Avram and Eliezer, risked their lives simply to save one man, who had previously preferred to leave his uncle and live in the sin drenched hellhole that was Sodom. A city that would soon be found to be unredeemable by Gd, as we will see next week

Avram cast his own mortality to the winds because there was something more important to do. He had to rescue Lot, irrespective of how much he did or did not deserve to be saved.

3000 years ago, he established the dictum - you never leave a man out there on the field, whatever the price.

In Whitehall tomorrow and next week and on Tuesday at 11.00, we will remember those of our nation who made the ultimate sacrifice and paid for it with their lives.

They fought an enemy who knew no mercy, in wars that made little sense and in which millions of people were killed in battle or murdered through a deliberate and state endorsed policy of genocide.

They too engaged in suicidal missions which many knew might not succeed and which would and in many times, did cost them and their families dearly. Yet, like Avram and his servant, outnumbered, out-gunned, out-witted and out-manoeuvred, they still threw caution to the wind and did what they could to save their own Private Ryans.

And it is for this reason that today, we, the fortunate ones, owe them, the victims of war, our greatest respect and gratitude and we remember them precisely because of what they did - and the victory that their colleagues eventually achieved.

Every day in many different locations, our Avrams and Eliezers, our Wingates and Montys, our Dayans and Rabins fight the battles that were they to lose, we could not win.

May the memories of each and every single serviceman and woman who fell for this country be in our minds, hearts and thoughts and may they rest in eternal peace, Amen.

Shabbat Shalom.