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Why did Lot's shepherds allow their flocks to graze freely on Canaanite land? The shiur develops the position that Avrohom already owned the land through Divine promise, making Lot his heir. However, the Canaanites retained usage rights as tenants until their eventual expulsion.
The shiur examines the dispute between Avrohom's and Lot's shepherds in Parshas Lech Lecha, focusing on a Midrash that explains the shepherds' different approaches to grazing on Canaanite land. Avrohom's shepherds muzzled their animals to prevent theft, while Lot's shepherds allowed free grazing, arguing they had legitimate rights to the land. The Midrash presents Lot's shepherds' reasoning: since Hashem (ה׳) promised the land to Avrohom's descendants, and Avrohom appeared childless ("like a mule that has no offspring"), Lot as nephew would inherit. Therefore, they claimed to be eating from their own future inheritance, not stealing from others.
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Parshas Lech Lecha
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