בס "ד

This class is based on a talk by the Luvavitcher Rebbe explaining a story of Abraham and his guests. Abraham would force them to thank G-d after giving them food. What’s the value of a forced recognition? Based on Likutei Sichot, vol. 15, p. 122. Original English text of the Rebbe’s talk:

What the Rebbe Teaches Us About Abraham and the Soul of a Non-Jew

When I teach this sicha of the Rebbe, most of the class already has the English translation of the main text in front of them. They can read that on their own. What they cannot read alone are the sources buried in the footnotes — especially those that discuss a sensitive and often misunderstood topic: the spiritual nature of the non-Jewish soul.

To understand the Rebbe’s conclusion, we need to begin at the beginning: with Abraham, the first monotheist.

Abraham’s Radical Hospitality — and His Strange Demand

The Midrash makes an intriguing comment. The Torah states that Abraham “called in the name of G-d,” but the Midrash rereads it:

“Do not read he called, but he caused others to call.”

Abraham didn’t just believe in one G-d — he taught it. And he set up his life in a way that made teaching unavoidable. His tent was open on all four sides so that travelers could walk in from any direction. He fed them generously. And when the guests thanked him, he refused to accept their gratitude.

Instead, he demanded they thank G-d.

If they refused, he charged them absurdly high prices for a simple meal. Faced with that choice, they blessed G-d.

This raises a serious question:
Why does G-d praise Abraham so highly for this if the blessings were essentially forced?

This tension takes us to the heart of the sicha.

What Abraham Didn’t Accomplish

The Rebbe begins by dismissing two simple explanations.

Possibility 1: Abraham just did the best he could.
But the Torah calls him G-d’s “partner in creation.” Clearly, something deeper is happening.

Possibility 2: Abraham wanted holiness in his home.
That may be true, but it does not explain the extraordinary praise he receives.

So what did Abraham accomplish?

To explain it, the Rebbe brings three stories — and together they build an unexpected conclusion.

Three Stories That Unlock the Teaching

1. The Spies — A Broken Ego Reveals the G-dly Soul

After G-d told the generation of the spies that they would die in the desert, they suddenly wanted to enter the Land of Israel.
Why the sudden change?

The Rebbe explains: G-d’s harsh words shattered their ego. That “hit” allowed their nefesh Elokis, their godly soul, to surface. Their inner truth broke through.

But Abraham’s guests were not Jewish.
They didn’t possess a godly soul.
So this cannot explain Abraham’s achievement.

2. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar and the “Ugly” Man

The rabbi insulted a man for appearing ugly. The man replied, “Go complain to the One who made me.”

The Rebbe’s reading: the ugliness was spirituel. The sharp rebuke broke through the man’s rough exterior and awakened his awareness of G-d.

Here, the “hit” doesn’t reveal a godly soul — it simply opens a person to something higher.

3. The Rebbe Rashab and the Broken Visitor

A man came to the Rebbe Rashab with serious problems. The Rebbe told him, “I cannot help you.” The man was crushed. Only once he was fully broken did the Rebbe finally help him.

Why the delay?

Because the man had been too coarse, too self-focused. Only when his ego collapsed did he reach a place where he recognized that only G-d could help him. At that moment, he became receptive.

Two Types of “Breaking” — One for Jews, One for Everyone

From these stories the Rebbe extracts two distinct spiritual dynamics:

1. Breaking that reveals the godly soul (Jews only)

When the ego breaks, the nefesh Elokis emerges, as in the story of the spies.

2. Breaking that removes coarseness (Jews and non-Jews)

This doesn’t reveal a godly soul in a non-Jew — they don’t have one —
but it does make them capable of receiving moral truth and godly ideas.

This second type is crucial.

Now We Finally Understand Abraham

Abraham’s guests were not Jewish.
He could not reveal a godly soul within them — they didn’t have one.
But he could break their coarseness.

The choice he gave them:

was not a trick. It was a spiritual intervention.

The pressure broke through their inner resistance, making them receptive. Only after this opening could Abraham teach them monotheism for hours. Their blessing might not have been deep, but the breakthrough was real.

This is why Abraham is praised.
He became, quite literally, a partner in creation, helping to reshape the inner world of other human beings.

The Mitteler Rebbe’s Insight: The Two Types of Non-Jewish Souls

In the footnotes, the Rebbe directs us to a deeper source:
the Mitteler Rebbe’s Kuntres HaHispaalus and the commentary of *Reb Hillel of Paritch.

There we find the key distinction:

1. The Idolator

2. The Righteous of the Nations (Chassidei Umos HaOlam)

This does not make them Jewish — their soul is fundamentally different — but it means they have genuine spiritual potential.

And this brings us back to Abraham.

Abraham’s Real Achievement

Abraham’s guests were idolaters — the first category.
That was the breaking of the person’s coarseness—not to reveal anything within, because there was nothing there to reveal. There was no godly soul present. But this breaking allowed the people to absorb all the explanations that Abraham shared for hours while providing the food. Now, the person at least has the capacity and potential to reflect on it. It has become a capability

He did not reveal a godly soul.
He awakened human spiritual potential.

This, according to the Rebbe, is why Abraham is called G-d’s partner in creation.

Why This Teaching Matters Today

In a world obsessed with identity and difference, the Rebbe gives us a nuanced framework:

Abraham modeled it.
The Rebbe articulated it.
And we can learn to live it.

With thanks to Rabbi Tuvia Serber for the shiur and the feedback.

Power Point



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