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Why did Avrohom refuse even a shoelace from Melech Sedom, yet agree to keep what his servants had eaten? The Gemara (גמרא) in Chullin identifies this as gezel ha'nichbas—absorbed theft—which even tzaddikim don't return. The shiur develops a fundamental yesod: Avrohom dealt with Melech Sedom not according to halachic reality (where kibush milchama was permitted) but according to Melech Sedom's perception that it was theft. This middah—stepping out of one's own space to honor another's legitimate reality—earned Klal Yisrael the mitzvos of tefillin and tzitzis, symbols that we wear Hashem (ה׳)'s insignia and give Him His rightful place in creation.
The shiur opens with Avrohom's declaration to Melech Sedom after defeating the four kings: "I will not take from a thread to a shoelace" (Bereishis 14:23). Rashi (רש"י) notes two refusals—Avrohom won't take spoils of war, and he won't accept a reward from Melech Sedom's treasure house either. But why the redundancy? Once Avrohom says he won't take anything, what does the second statement add? Rabbi Zweig explains that the pasuk is addressing two different scenarios. The first—"not a thread or shoelace"—addresses the spoils themselves. The second addresses a potential reward Melech Sedom might offer as payment for Avrohom's military service. Avrohom rejects both, but for different reasons. The first is based on Melech Sedom's perception that the property still belongs to him; the second is to avoid the claim "I made Avrohom wealthy."
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Bereishis 14:21-24
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How could Avrohom keep the entire Torah before it was given, including rabbinical laws? The key insight is that mitzvos represent eternal spiritual realities, not just historical commemorations, so Avrohom could access these truths through his genuine search. His entire 172-year journey—even his early idolatry—retroactively became service of God once he reached ultimate truth.
