The simple interpretation of the Psukim in relating the War of the four kings vs. the five kings seems to indicate that its purpose is to complete the story of Lot's separation from Avraham. Even though Lot was separated from him, Avraham took pains to go and save him. On the words "Ki Nishba Achiv", one of the commentaries says that even though Lot was really Avraham's nephew (Haran's son), the Torah emphasized that Avraham emphasized their brotherhood in saving Lot.

But there are more points of emphasis in the story that deserve our consideration:

Hints to the future:

1. In relation to the four kings, Chazal say that these represent four kingdoms - Shinar represents Bavel, Elasar represents Madai or Paras, Eilam represents Yavan, and Goyim represents the world of nations included in the Roman exile - and that Avraham's victory in the war against these four kings represents his children overcoming all four of these exiles.


2. The Torah describes the place of one of the battles as "Ein Mishpat, which is Kadesh". Rashi points out that later, in Parshat Chukat, the Torah identifies Kadesh with Mei Meriva - the location where Moshe and Aharon hit the rock instead of speaking to it, and where therefore judged and prevented from entering Eretz Yisrael.


3. "Vayirdof ad Dan" - Avraham chased the four kings as far as Dan in the area of the current Syria-Israel border. Later on, the Torah says "Ad Chova", referring to the area to the west of Damascus, just north of Dan. These hint to the Golden Calf that Yeravam would later build in this area. It is here that Avraham Avinu's strength waned and he could no longer maintain the chase.


4. "Vayachalok Alehem Laila" - Most interpretations translate this as "and they divided themselves during the night", but it really means, "and the night divided itself for them". The first half of the night belonged to Avraham. At midnight, he defeated the kings (as mentioned in the Hagaddah - Vayehi Bachatzi Halaila poem), hinting to the time when the night would again be divided at midnight with the first half being one of slavery and the second half being one of freedom.

Additional points:

1. The Torah relates that Avraham brought 318 people with him to fight. But 318 is also the gematria of Eliezer, Avraham's chief assistant. While the Kli Yakar cites Rashi in claiming that Avraham only brought Eliezer, and relies on the gematria to prove this, Rabbenu Bachaye says that Avraham actually brought 318 people with him to fight, but that before the fight began, he went among them asking the Torah's prescribed questions, "Mi ha'Ish Rach Halevav", and in this way eliminated the sinners from his army, leaving only him and Eliezer to fight.


2. The Targum Yonatan states that Eliezer was the son of Nimrod. Yet we find in Rashi that Amrafel, the first of the four kings mentioned, was actually Nimrod himself.


3. The five kings are described by Rashi as devoted rebels against Hashem. Each one had a worse reputation than the last. Yet, even so, Avraham went to tremendous lengths to save them and return their property.

It seems that the entire world was completely immersed in a campaign of absolute rebellion against Hashem. Whether the four kings or the five, all of them had declared open rebellion against Hashem and the ways He was trying to instill in the world.

And Avraham, who called out in Hashem's name, appears in this parsha with the name "Avram HaIvri", meaning that he is on one side (Ever), while the entire rest of the world is on the other.

Not only this, but Avraham's nephew, Lot, who had been living with him until just recently (and therefore was entitled to all of the riches that he had accumulated), rebelled against Hashem as well and separated from Avraham (Rashi on 13:11 explains, "Vayisa Lot MiKedem" as "And Lot traveled from "Kadmono Shel Olam" - the Precursor of the world - Hashem).

It would be completely natural that when the entire world (whether near or far) is on one side, and Avraham is by himself on the other, that Avraham would decide to disconnect from the world and close himself off in his own little space, at least to maintain and protect his own private home and make sure that at least that would not fall apart.

Yet Avraham Avinu did not give in. Chazal say that the reason Hashem did not allow Moshe to fight Moav was that "Preida Achat Yesh Li Mikem". Even though Moav was a source of tum'a (as we see in the story of Shitim and other places), Hashem foresaw that Ruth was going to come from Moav, and He therefore prevented Moshe from destroying them. In the same way, Avraham Avinu was prepared to put himself in danger to save that same "Preida" - that same later separation of Ruth, who would descend from Lot. He inserted himself to save the five kings, whose entire purpose was to rebel against Hashem, in order to save Lot.

But this salvation of the kings could not be done in a natural manner, since its entire concern was the G-dly perspective of all of reality. Hashem was able to foresee Lot's descendants and see in them the future that would bring the revelation of Hashem's Glory to the entire world. As such, Avraham had to use a super-natural means of salvation.

Avraham Avinu's war was like Hashem's war on Mitzraim - "Ani Velo Hashaliach". It was a supernatural war, rather than a natural one. In Mitzraim, Hashem took one nation out from among another, while on the surface, it appeared that each nation were idol worshippers and there was nothing to differentiate them spiritually, so why even get involved?

But Hashem knows hidden things, and took the Bnei Yisrael out of Mitzraim since the final salvation and revelation of Hashem's Glory would come out of this nation.

Since this war was a spiritual war, Avraham Avinu fought it the way the Bnei Yisrael would later fight their wars - letting only tzadikim go out to fight, thereby proving that the war was not being one in natural ways through personal heroism and bravery, but only because of Hashem. Some commentaries even state that Avraham went to war without arms at all, in order to prove that it was Hashem's victory.

For the same reason, Avraham's strength waned as he reached Dan, since the revelation of Hashem's Glory was harmed there leading to a weakness in Hashem's help and the justification for Avraham's war. Perhaps it is for the same reason that Avraham took Eliezer - Nimrod's son. On his own, Eliezer was cursed. But in his allegiance to Avraham and his subservience to him, he was worth all the rest on his own. In this way, Avraham showed the way to dedicate and purify the "cursed" in the world - through allegiance and subservience to Hashem.

In any case, through this spiritual victory, it was shown that even though both sides in the war were disconnected from Hashem and rebelled against Him, they were basically minimized in the face of the main side in this story - Avraham, who came in the name of Hashem. Therefore, all the kings eventually came to crown Avraham as their leader. According to Rashi (14:17), "Emek Hashave Hu Emek Hamelech" refers to the place where they realized who the True King was.

This shows that Avraham Avinu was higher than all the kings together, simply by being allegiant and subservient to Hashem, and that this was publicized among the nations. And for this reason, Avraham refused to take "even a shoe string" from the king of Sdom, "so that you won't say, 'I enriched Avraham'," since everything is from Hashem, and success cannot be attributed to human strength.

In the future as well, Avraham's children would overcome the four kingdoms of exile even though the entire world stood against them and rebelled against Hashem. The purpose of the Jewish people at the end of days is not to disconnect from the world, but rather to lift it up, to repair the world through Hashem's Kingship, and to show that the root of all kingship is Hashem, and that kingdoms reign based on His power.

נדמה לי שהקשר למי מריבה הוא שב"עין משפט" היה מלחמה בין מורדים למורדים, ובמי מריבה היו אפילו משה ואהרון מורדים בתגובה למרד ע"י נגד הקב"ה. משה ואהרון טעו כשהרשו לכעס שלהם נגד העם להתגבר על הרצון לעמוד לפני הקב"ה. בכך הם מרדו באותו זמן ש"נלחמו" נגד המורדים האחרים בקרב בנ"י.