In this week’s parsha, Avraham went to Abimelech, King of Gerar, to complain about a well of water that Avraham’s servants dug to provide water for his people and flocks, but which Abimelech’s servants had stolen. Instead of simply apologizing and taking responsibility, Abimelech immediately offered a set of excuses: “I don’t know who did it, and also you didn’t tell me about it, and also I never heard about it until today” [21:26].

Each of Abimelech’s responses is sufficient and logical in its own right. When he says “I don’t know who did it,” Abimelech is denying that he had anything to do with the theft. When he adds that “you didn’t tell me about it” he goes further, reversing the blame, saying it only happened because Avraham didn’t protest. And when he concludes with “I never heard about it until now,” this obviously means both that he doesn’t know who did it, which was his first answer, and also that he couldn’t have stopped it because he didn’t know about it. One is reminded of the line from Shakespeare: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks!”

Abimelech offered a litany of excuses because he was more interested in whitewashing his own reputation than addressing the problem. If he had made it clear to his servants in the first place that he wanted them to be honest enough not to steal on his behalf, then his servants would have known better than to touch Avraham’s well.

Avraham demonstrated his higher standard in last week’s reading. There was an ongoing war for years between four kings and five. “Twelve years they served Chedarleomer, and for thirteen years they rebelled” [14:4] But then the four kings seized the people and property of Sodom and Gemorrah, including Lot, Avraham’s nephew. Avram, as he was still called at the time, then went and recaptured the people and property, getting his nephew back [14:16]. “And the King of Sodom said to Avram, ‘give me the people and take the wealth for yourself’” [14:21].

To that, “Avraham said to the King of Sodom, ‘I lift my hand up to Hashem, the most high, maker of heaven and earth; if I take anything of yours, from a thread to a shoelace [swearing not to take them], and you shall not say “I am the one who enriched Avram”’” [14:22-23]. Avraham knew that the property he had recaptured all belonged to the kingdom of Sodom, and the king would say afterwards that everything Avram owned was originally his. And that is what Avraham refused to accept it.

Even the slightest appearance of dishonest gain was too much for Avraham. And that is the standard of honesty which we should all seek every day.