פּירוש אויף בראשית 13:14

אחרי הפרד לוט AFTER LOT WAS SEPARATED FROM HIM — So long as the wicked (Lot) was with him the word of God kept away from him (i. e. God had no communion with Abraham) (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayetzei 10).

וה' אמר אחרי הפרד לוט מעמו, “and Hashem had said after Lot had separated from him, etc.” G-d had told Avram that he made a mistake when he thought that Lot having moved to Sodom, or the valley near it was enough, as that was also part of the territories that He had in mind to give to Avram’s descendants as their ancestral territory.

And God said to Abram after Lot had parted from him. Rashi explains that as long as the wicked one was with him, Divine speech was withheld from him. Commentators raise a difficulty here: Hadn’t it already been stated And God appeared to Abram when Lot was still with him? It seems to me that this is not difficult at all, because in the first promise it was stated To your offspring I will give this land. This promise actually served as justification for Lot’s shepherds, misleading them to say that all the land belonged to Abram and Lot would inherit it. Therefore, they would graze their animals in others’ fields. However, if one were to analyze their legal claim, there is a rebuttal to their argument, as Abram had not acquired any rights to the land at all, for the land was only given to his descendants and not to him directly. Therefore, logically, Lot should not have agreed with his shepherds, who were mere cattle herders and not wise men in asking about this. However, in this promise, the Holy One, Blessed be He said to him For I will give it to you. This implies that Abram himself acquired rights to the land. Therefore, this promise was not given to Abram until after Lot had separated from him, so that Lot would not rely on this promise — which was greater than the first one — and come to steal openly, without being deterred by anything. As for what was said For I will give it to you, it will be explained, God willing, in Parshat Vaera, in what way Abram acquired rights to the land.