And Abram came up from Egypt, he, and his wife and all that was his, and Lot with him, to the south. And Abram was very heavy with cattle, with silver, and with gold. And he went on his journeys, from the south and until Beth El, until the place where his tent had been previously, between Beth El and between Ai. (Bereishis 13:1-3)
Avraham was the prince of the pivot. He handled all that came his way with a sense of belief and confidence. Upon arriving in Canaan, he finds himself in the midst of a regional famine and so together with Sarai and Lot, he travels down to Egypt. After the drama of Egypt, Avraham makes his way back, and it is at this moment that the Torah shares with us a peculiar detail, “And he went on his journeys …” Rashi comments, “When he returned from Egypt to the land of Canaan, he went and lodged in the inns where he had lodged on his way to Egypt. This teaches you etiquette, that a person should not change his lodgings (Arachin 16b).” The commentaries explain that if a person changes his accommodations, it may reflect poorly on his host. Therefore, Avraham was careful that upon his return to Canaan, he stayed at the same lodgings as on his way down to Egypt. Avraham is modeling for us that even in the midst of personally challenging or difficult times, one must be mindful of the feelings and sensitivity of the other. One can never be so wrapped up in their own “stuff” that they forget to think about the other.
Perhaps, there is an additional message as well. Avraham is teaching us the power of retracing our steps. While we must be perpetually forward focused, always looking for ways to grow and improve, we must also be retrospectively introspective. Where we find ourselves in the current moment is a reflection and compilation of our past decisions. Am I happy with where I am? Am I content with the life I have created for myself? Have I done things or engaged in behaviors which have compromised my personalistic standing? To answer these questions, we have to “revisit the lodgings of the past.” I have to look at where I have been in my past and decide if I want to lodge at these same life destinations. Do I want to make the same decisions or perhaps, go in a different direction? For Avraham, he stayed at the same “lodgings,” he was content with the decisions he made and continued to make and reinforce them.
As we journey through life, we too must decide whether to keep living and lodging in the same way we have done in our past or ask ourselves if must we find the strength and courage to make new accommodations.
