Food of Fanatics

14:13 | יד:יג
וַיָּבֹא הַפָּלִיט וַיַּגֵּד לְאַבְרָם הָעִבְרִי
The fugitive came and told Avram the Hebrew…

Food of Fanatics

In Parshas Lech-Lecha, a “fugitive” comes to Avram’s home and informs him that his nephew Lot has been taken as a prisoner of war.

The Midrash1 elucidates this encounter:

The fugitive was Og. Why was he called Og? Because when he came, he found Avram busy with the mitzvah of ugos [spelled עוגות in Hebrew, similar to the name עוג, Og].

Literally translated as “cakes,” matzah is called עוגות in Shemos 12:39. According to the Midrash, Avraham was preparing matzah when Og arrived.

The Midrash continues:

Og’s intentions were not for the sake of heaven. Rather, he thought, “This Avram is a zealot. I’ll tell him, ‘Your nephew has been taken captive,’ and he will go out to war and be killed. Then I will take Sarai, his wife.

These seemingly unrelated facts about Og’s name and his motives are written in immediate succession because, evidently, seeing Avram’s preoccupation with the mitzvah of matzah upon his arrival played a critical role in molding Og’s plans.

Matzah is “food of faith.”2 Avram’s intense preoccupation with this faith-building activity reflected his suprarational commitment to G‑d—a relationship that focused more on faith than on reason.

Such a person, reasoned Og, is a fanatic, and prone to acting irrationally. He was therefore certain that despite the obvious risks and questionable outcome, Avram would unreasonably jeopardize his own life to try to save his nephew—likely, never to return.

Thus, the matzah that Og found Avram preparing when he arrived led him to conclude that if he told Avram that Lot had been taken captive, it would create the perfect opportunity for him to swoop in and take this “fanatic’s” wife as his own.

—Reshimos, no. 17

1. Bereishis Rabbah 42:8.
2. See Zohar 2:183b.