"When Abram heard his kinsman had been captured, he armed his disciples who had grown up in his house…and he pursued [the captors] as far as Dan…He and his servants….attacked them, pursuing them as far as Chovah…He Brought back all the booty and his kinsman, Lot….Malki-Tzedek, the king of Shalem, brought out bread and wine. He was a priest of G‑d, the Supernal One….And he gave him a tenth of everything." (Gen. 14:15-20)

This is the way of the righteous: to chase after the wicked in order to bring them back to the good….

Rabbi Abba said: The phrase "Abram heard" refers to the G‑dly soul. "That his kinsman had been captured" refers to the Evil Inclination. "He armed his disciples who had grown up in his house" refers to righteous men who have been educated in the precepts and in the way of good, as Rabbi Abahu said, "When a righteous tzadik sees that a wicked person has been deserted [by his Good Inclination] and has become trapped by his sin, he goes and grabs him, for perhaps he can bring him back. Thus, he draws him closer and teaches him, as it is written, "And he pursued them as far as Dan" - he chases after him, after the sentence [in Aramaic, "dina"] of Gehinom.

The Zohar derives this from the similarity between the words dina, dina, dan which all have their root in the word din - judgment or severity.

This is the way of the righteous: to chase after the wicked in order to bring them back to the good…. [This is the meaning of the verse] "He and his servants…attacked them". The G‑dly soul, together with the righteous, pursue them, rebuke them and castigate them. "Pursuing them as far as Chovah [which literally means 'debt' or 'guilt']." They inform them of their evil, and they chase after them until they reveal their evil and wickedness to them, so that they will be ashamed of their ways…This is what the G‑dly soul does.

Even the Evil Inclination, against its will, returns and repents….

What is written subsequently? "He brought back all the booty and his kinsman, Lot". Rabbi Abahu said: Against their will they repent, as it is written, "His kinsman, Lot, together with his property, he brought back." Even the Evil Inclination, against its will, returns and repents. Rabbi Abahu said: Come and see how great is the reward of a person who makes others come back and repent. From which verse do we deduce this? From that which is written immediately afterwards, "Malki-Tzedek, the king of Shalem." [This is interpreted as follows:]

The great Rabbi Chiya taught that when the soul of a tzadik who brought others back and helped them repent leaves his body, the archangel Michael, who brings the souls of tzadikim before their Creator, goes out to meet the soul of that tzadik. It states, "Malki-Tzedek…" - this is Michael, the chief guardian of the gates of righteousness; "…the king of Shalem" - this is Jerusalem above1; "…Brought out bread and wine" - he went out to meet Abraham and said, "May you come in peace."

"He was a priest of G‑d, the Supernal One," as Rabbi Yosef taught: Just as there is a High Priest [in the Temple] below, so Michael, the archangel is the High Priest above. He goes out and blesses the incoming soul [of a tzadik] first, and then he blesses the Holy One, blessed be He…as it states: Then he blessed him saying, "Blessed is Abram of G‑d, the Supernal One, Maker of heavens and earth." Blessed are you who had merited this. Afterwards [he blesses G‑d, saying:] "Blesses is G‑d, the Supernal One, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." This refers to the wicked who have returned in your merit. You have made their soul [as the verse states "And the souls that they had made in Haran" (above 12:5).]

G‑d… took a letter from beneath the Throne of Glory and gave it as a crown to the soul….

"He gave him a tenth of everything." Rabbi Yitzchak said: From the verse, we do not know who gave to whom [i.e. whether Abraham gave a tenth to Malki-Tzedek or to G‑d, or whether Malki-Tzedek offered Abraham a tenth of what he had brought back. However, Rabbi Yitzchak concludes that none of these views is correct.]

[Rather,] the Holy One blessed be He gave him [Abraham] a tenth. He took a letter from beneath the Throne of Glory and gave it as a crown to the soul, which is Abram. Which was this letter? The letter hei as it is written, "Your name shall no longer be 'Abram', but 'Abraham' [below, 17:5].

Commentaries explain that the letter hei denotes the sefira of malchut, which is the tenth sefira, and is therefore referred to as a tenth.

"…Of everything" - Rabbi Yehuda said: What does "of everything" mean? Of the Shechina, of the Omnipresent One….

[Midrash Ne'elam & Zohar Chadash 24d-25a; translation and commentary by Moshe Miller
First published by Fiftieth Gate Publications and Seminars.]