G-d commanded Avraham to leave his family and birthplace, and told him
that in the end, he would only see blessing by complying with G-d’s wishes.
One of the brachos given to Avraham was that he would become wealthy,
which did happen. However, it’s interesting to note that when Avraham
acquired his vast wealth, the pasuk (13:2) says that “Avraham was heavy
with cattle, gold, and silver.” However, when it came to his nephew Lot,
who also became very rich, the Torah leaves out the word “heavy.” Why?
Explain the commentaries: Because Avraham viewed wealth as a burden.
He felt a tremendous yoke of responsibility to use his newfound wealth in
positive and giving ways which would influence people to take on a G-dly
path in life. Lot, on the other hand, saw no burden in wealth. In fact, just the
opposite. He saw it as an opportunity to indulge in luxury and enjoy life. No
wonder Lot wound up in Sodom, which was the Las Vegas strip on steroids,
and Avraham wound up building the Jewish nation. One saw wealth as a
means to have fun and the other saw wealth as a gift from the Almighty to
do acts of kindness and charity, which would, in turn, influence people to
live a G-dly way of life.
Wishing you an inspiring Shabbos,
Rabbi Moshe Gruenstein