ויהי ריב…ויאמר אברם אל נא תהי מריבה…(לך לך יג:ז-ח)

Why is the word “ריב” written in the masculine form, while “מריבה” appears in the feminine form? Avraham Avinu was teaching Lot that one must stop a quarrel while it is still small, before it grows and intensifies. Therefore, the Torah uses the feminine form — “מריבה” — to hint that a quarrel, like something feminine, can give birth and multiply, producing more and more strife. Avraham urged: Let us end the dispute while it is still minor, before it spirals out of control.