The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts on the parsha that R' Frand spoke about in his shiur tonight. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand began his vort by quoting the first pasuk in the parsha which states וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה בְּאֵֽלֹנֵ֖י מַמְרֵ֑א וְה֛וּא ישֵׁ֥ב פֶּֽתַח־הָאֹ֖הֶל כְּחֹ֥ם הַיּֽוֹם. Rashi comments on the word ישֵׁ֥ב that Avraham wanted to stand and Hashem told him - no, I will stand, much the way that I will stand during judgment by a Beis Din and the judges will be seated.
R' Frand said that this Rashi always bothered him, as he wondered which Beis Din this was referring to?
R' Frand answered the question based on the Nefesh HaRav by R' Soloveitchik. He quoted the Gemara in Yoma about three people who come to be judged in Shamayim after 120, a poor person, a wealthy person and a wicked person. They ask the poor person why he did not spend time learning and he says that he was too poor and needed to earn money. They respond to him - are you more poor than Hillel? He was destitute and he learned. They ask the wealthy person and he says he was too rich they ask - were you more wealthy than R' Elazar Ben Charsom? A rasha then comes to be judged and he responds - I could not because I was so attractive. They then ask - were you more handsome than Yosef. The Gemara learns that Hillel is M'Chayev the poor, R' Elazar is M'Chayev the rich and Yosef is M'Chayev the wicked.
R' Frand said that the Gemara is teaching that if there is a legitimate reason that a mitzva cannot be performed, he will be exempt because he is an Ahnues.
R' Frand then quoted the Nefesh HaRav who tied the thought into Sodom. When Hashem wanted to destroy Sodom based on its wickedness, the residents could have said - this is not our fault, we are social creatures and its the environment which is influencing us. So how can they be destroyed? The answer is based on Avraham - he lived in an environment where everyone worshipped idols, but he did not act like them, nor did he suffer, he thrived. Avraham stands against Sodom, because he shows that one can overcome the environment.
R' Frand said that Avraham was not a judge, he was the example which allowed for them to be judged, He demonstrated that people can overcome their environment and are responsible for their actions.
R' Frand quoted R' Chatzkel Abromski who asked noted that the pasuk in Bereishis 18:16 states וַיָּקֻ֤מוּ מִשָּׁם֙ הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים וַיַּשְׁקִ֖פוּ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י סְדֹ֑ם וְאַ֨בְרָהָ֔ם הֹלֵ֥ךְ עִמָּ֖ם לְשַׁלְּחָֽם - they got up from there and they looked down on Sodom. Why did they get up from there? Based on the Nefesh HaRav we understand why they got up? Because only after seeing Avraham were they able to go and destroy Sodom. Just like Hillel is M'Chayev the poor, R' Elazar is M'Chayev the rich and Yosef is M'Chayev the wicked, Avraham was M'Chayev Sodom.
R' Frand said a second vort on the pasuk in Bereishis 18:19 - כִּ֣י יְדַעְתִּ֗יו לְמַ֩עַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצַוֶּ֜ה אֶת־בָּנָ֤יו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ֙ אַֽחֲרָ֔יו וְשָֽׁמְרוּ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה לַֽעֲשׂ֥וֹת צְדָקָ֖ה וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט לְמַ֗עַן הָבִ֤יא יְהֹוָה֙ עַל־אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֖ר עָלָֽיו. R' Frand said that there is a machlokes about what the pasuk means. Rashi says that Hashem is saying I love Avraham because he was committed to give over the mesorah to his children and future generations.
The Meshech Chachma notes that in the entire Torah there is no mitzva explicitly to teach your children. The explicit pasuk in the Torah V'Limaditem is about teaching your children Torah. But this is not the mitzva to teach your children.
R' Frand quoted R' Povarsky who stated that all over the Gemara the concept of Chinuch is a Mitzva D'Rabbanan. So what is the Mitzva on the Torah level? He answered that there are two types of Chinuch - on the D'Rabbanan level one has to teach a child to do certain mitzvos, buying him tzitzis, or a lulav at certain ages. But there is a separate Mitzva to teach a child about being Jewish and enjoying being Jewish. And this applies to women as well, they need to teach their children about being Jewish and how appealing it is.
R' Frand quoted a Sefer about a R' Jacobson who when he was growing up lived in Bayit V'Gan. He lived across the street from Yeshivat Kol Torah and he would watch the students standing around R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and asking him questions. And this little boy would observe this day after day and wonder - when will I be able to ask. Until one day when he was brave enough to step forward and say - I have a question. R' Shlomo Zalman said - what is the question?
The boy was now on the spot - he always wanted to ask a question, but now that it was his turn, what can I ask? He remembered a question that he asked his Rebbi in class and the teacher was so annoyed with him for asking it. But it was a question, so he asked - it says that Hashem wanted to give us Zchusim so he added so much Torah and Mitzvos. But if Hashem wanted to make it good for us, why did he add so much, it would be easier if there was less?
R' Shlomo Zalman responded - this is great question, He then asked the child - do you know how to put on your shoes? The child said, first put on the right shoe and then the left shoe and then tie the left and then the right. R' Shlomo Zalman said - correct! And then R' Shlomo Zalman asked him, do non-Jews put on shoes? Yes, the boy responded. But they do not have a system that gives them a reward, correct? The boy answered yes.
R' Shlomo Zalman said to the boy, do you mean to tell me that every time a Jew puts on his shoes he gets a Mitzva and a non-Jew does not? Yes. This is how Hashem gave us great Zchusim - because every act that we do, gives us reward. We put on shoes and they put on shoes, we tie and they tie. But our tying gives us reward.
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