Parashat Lech Lecha: What Went Wrong?

The figure of Lot is shrouded in ambiguity. On the one hand, he clings to Abraham, even going down with him to Egypt, and does not reveal to the Egyptians that Sarah is Abraham’s wife. He tries with all his might to host guests in Sodom and protect them under his roof. On the other hand, Lot sins through incest, and his descendants harass the Jewish people and attempt to lead them astray. From this ambivalence we must try to understand Lot’s character and what went wrong in his life that led him to leave Abraham and sink into obscurity.