Avraham's humility as inner battle in prayer

ברש"י ויגש אברהם מצינו הגשה למלחמה כו' ועם מי נלחם בכאן.

In Rashi on "And Avraham drew near (vayigash)": we find "drawing near" used for battle, etc. - but with whom did he wage war here?

Rashi observes that the word vayigash can denote approaching for war, prayer, or appeasement. The Sefas Emes asks: if it implies war, with whom was Avraham fighting as he approached Hashem to plead for Sedom?

אך הפי' כי אברהם אע"ה מגודל ענותנותו כאמרו אנכי עפר ואפר הי' קשה לו מאוד להתפלל להבורא יתברך ולא מצינו שום דבר שהתפלל אע"ה על עצמו וכ"כ בזוה"ק על שלא ביקש על לוט ע"ש וזאת התפלה שהי' ברוב רחמיו נלחם עם עצמו אם להתפלל וז"ש ויגש אברהם

But the explanation is that Avraham Avinu, from the greatness of his humility - as he said, "I am but dust and ashes" - found it very difficult to pray to the Creator, blessed be He; and we do not find anything that Avraham prayed for on his own behalf, and so it is written in the holy Zohar concerning his not having prayed for Lot, see there. And this prayer, which came from his abundant compassion, was a war he waged with himself over whether to pray - and that is the meaning of "And Avraham drew near."

The "war" was an inner one. Avraham's profound anavah (humility) - feeling himself "dust and ashes" - made him reluctant to approach Hashem with requests; he never even prayed for himself. So his decision to plead for Sedom, driven by overflowing mercy, required overcoming his own self-effacement. That inner struggle is what vayigash signifies.

וי"ל שזה עצמו בכלל התפלה הנה הואלתי כו' ואנכי עפר ואפר פי' עם היותו יודע שהוא עפר אעפ"כ גבר רוב הרחמנות עליהם.

And one may say that this itself is part of the prayer - "Behold, I have undertaken [to speak]… and I am but dust and ashes" - meaning that even though he knew he was but dust, nevertheless his abundant compassion for them overcame him.

Avraham's very words to Hashem encode this tension: "I have dared to speak though I am dust and ashes." He acknowledges his lowliness yet pleads anyway, because his mercy for the people of Sedom outweighed his hesitation.

שנגש ורצה לבקש מהבורא ית' בעבורם. מכ"ש הבורא ית' שהוא אב הרחמים יש לו לרחם עליהם:

That he drew near and wished to request from the Creator, blessed be He, on their behalf - all the more so should the Creator, blessed be He, who is the Father of Mercy, have mercy upon them.

Avraham's plea contains its own logic: if he, mere dust, overcame himself out of compassion to beg for them, then surely Hashem, the very source and Father of all mercy, has all the more reason to show them mercy.

Summary: The "war" implied in vayigash was Avraham's inner battle against his own deep humility. Feeling himself "dust and ashes," he never prayed even for himself, yet his overflowing compassion for Sedom compelled him to approach Hashem. His very plea argues a kal va'chomer: if dust-and-ashes Avraham could be moved to mercy, surely Hashem, the Father of Mercy, will be.