Midrasch zu Bereschit 18:17

R. Elazar said: "The righteous is blessed through his own deeds, as it is written (Pr. 10, 7) The memory of the just is to be blessed, but the name of the wicked is cursed; even through his associates, as it is written (Ib.) And the name of the wicked shall rot. R. Hamnuna said to one of the scholars who arranged the Agada for him: "Whence do we learn the saying of the Rabbis: 'The name of the just is blessed?'" He replied: "Why this is the passage (Pr. 10, 7) The memory of the just is blessed." "Whence do we learn the same from the Pentateuch? (Gen. 18, 17) And the Lord said. Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? And the next verse reads: Abraham shall surely become a great nation." "And where is the passage in the Pentateuch whence we learn that the name of the wicked shall rot?" "It is written," said he, "(Ib. 13, 12) And [Lot] pitched his tents close to Sodom. And immediately after this is written. The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners." R. Elazar said further: "From the blessings awarded to the righteous, one can infer what curses are bestowed on the wicked; and from the curses given to the wicked, one can infer thy blessings reserved for the righteous. From the blessings awarded to the righteous, one can infer what curses are bestowed on the wicked; as it is written (Ib. 18, 19) For I know him, that he will command, etc. And the Lord said, Because the cry against Sodom and Gamorrah is great. And from the curses given to the wicked the blessings reserved for the righteous can be inferred, as it is written (Ib. 13, 13) The men of Sodom were wicked and sinners, etc. And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, etc."

And the Lord said: “Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing?” (Gen. 18:17). May it please our master to teach us whether one may recite the Aramaic translation (Targum) of the Torah while looking into the Torah scroll. Our masters teach us: One is forbidden to look into the Torah scroll while translating it, lest someone should contend that the translation is contained in the Torah scroll. Conversely, one who reads the Torah is forbidden to turn away from the scroll as he reads, for the Torah was given only in writing, as it is said: And I will write upon the tables the words that were on the first tables (Exod. 34:1). That is why anyone who is translating the Torah in public is forbidden to look into the Torah scroll while doing so. R. Judah the son of Pazzi declared: There is an entire verse in Scripture that deals with this subject: Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel (ibid., v. 27). Write thou these words alludes to the Pentateuch, which was given in writing, while The tenor of these words refers to the translation of the Torah that was given orally.

(Gen. 18:17:) THEN THE LORD SAID: SHALL I HIDE FROM ABRAHAM < WHAT I AM DOING >? Let our master instruct us: When someone is translating for one reading the Torah, is it correct for him to look at a written text?²⁷Tanh. Gen. 4:5; PR 5:1; cf. yMeg. 4:1 (74d); Meg. 32a (bar.) Thus have our masters taught: The translator is forbidden to look at a written text, and the reader is forbidden to take his eyes away from the Torah since the Torah was given only in a written text, as stated (in Exod. 34:1): AND I WILL WRITE UPON THE TABLETS. But it is forbidden for the translator to look at the Torah. R. Judah ben Pazzi said: There is a text (Exod. 34:27) which explicitly proves < this injunction >: WRITE DOWN THESE WORDS. Thus, the Scripture was given in writing. (Ibid., cont.:) FOR THESE WORDS ARE BY MOUTH. Here is < a reference to > the translation, which is given by word of mouth.²⁸See Pe‘ah 2:6 (17a); Exod. R. 47:3.

R. Judah bar Simon said (Ibid., cont.): I HAVE MADE A COVENANT WITH YOU AND WITH ISRAEL. < It was done > through writing and through word of mouth: FOR THESE WORDS ARE BY MOUTH. If you preserve what is in writing in writing and what is by word of mouth by word of mouth, I HAVE MADE < A COVENANT > WITH YOU. But, < if > you change what is by mouth into writing and what is in writing into word of mouth, I HAVE not MADE < A COVENANT > WITH YOU. R. Judah b. R. Shallum the Levite said:²⁹Tanh. Exod. 9:34. See Exod. R. 47:1; Cant. R. 2:7:1; cf. Hag. 13a; Ket. 111a. Moses wanted the Mishnah also to be in writing, but the Holy One foresaw that the peoples of the world were going to translate the Torah and read it in Greek. Then they would say: We too are Israel. The Holy One said to him (in Hos. 8:12): SHOULD I WRITE THE FULL ABUNDANCE OF MY TORAH (i.e., including the Mishnah) FOR YOU? If so, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN RECKONED AS STRANGERS. And why all this? Because the Mishnah is a mystery³⁰Gk.: mysterion. belonging to the Holy One, and the Holy One reveals his mystery only to the righteous. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 25:14): THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM. And so you find that even when the Holy One was angry over Sodom because of their evil deeds and when the Holy One sought to destroy Sodom, the Holy One did not seal their judgment until he had consulted with Abraham. {Thus it is stated:} [Where is it shown? From what we have read on the matter] (in Gen. 18:17): THEN THE LORD SAID: SHALL I HIDE FROM ABRAHAM < WHAT I AM DOING >?

And the Lord said: “Shall I hide from Abraham?” (Gen. 18:17). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: It shall be for the filling of his belly; He shall cast the fierceness of His wrath upon him, and shall cause it to rain upon him into his flesh (Job 20:23). The retribution that befell the Sodomites bloated their bellies because they had filled their bellies previously through their transgressions, violence, and robbery. Hence, the punishment imposed upon them filled their bellies, as it is said: He shall cast the fierceness of His wrath upon him. R. Meir said: Scripture states concerning the rain that fell in Sodom: He shall cause it to rain upon him into his flesh (ibid.) and also: And the Lord caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire (Gen. 19:24). Why into his flesh? Because of the wars they waged with the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: The men of Sodom were very wicked and sinful before the Lord (ibid. 13:13). The word wicked implies toward each other; sinful indicates that they were guilty of lewdness; before the Lord means that they blasphemed and reviled the Lord and practiced idolatry; and very (m’od) signifies that they shed blood (dom).

Another interpretation (of Prov. 3:4): SO YOU SHALL FIND GRACE. This is Abraham, who was pleasing to mortals and to angels. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 23:6): HEAR ME, MY LORD < ABRAHAM >, YOU ARE A PRINCE OF GOD IN OUR MIDST. Ergo, < he was pleasing > to mortals. Where is it shown < that he was pleasing > to the Holy One and to angels? Where it is stated (in Gen. 18:17): THEN THE LORD SAID: SHALL I HIDE FROM ABRAHAM < WHAT I AM DOING > ?

Another interpretation: Why did the Holy One give a revelation to Abraham? R. Judah the Levite spoke a parable:³³Gen. R. 49:2. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had an orchard and gave it to his friend as a gift. After some days the king needed to cut down < some > beams from it. The king said: Although it was mine, I gave it to my friend. I shall not cut them until I consult with my friend. So < it was with > the Holy One. When he brought < Abraham > up into the land of Israel, he said to him (in Gen. 13:14f.): PLEASE LIFT UP YOUR EYES AND LOOK {TOWARD THE SEA AND TOWARD THE NORTH} … and it is also written (in the next verse): [FOR] ALL THE LAND WHICH YOU SEE, < TO YOU WILL I GIVE IT, AND TO YOUR SEED FOREVER >. When, therefore, the Holy One wanted to destroy those five cities, he said: I am not destroying them without Abraham knowing. If you should say that they were not part of the land of Canaan, see what is written (in Gen. 10:19): AND THE BORDER OF CANAAN WAS FROM ZIDON, < AS YOU GO TOWARD GERAR, UNTO GAZA; AS YOU GO TO SODOM, GOMORRAH, ADMAH, AND ZEBOIIM, UNTO LASHA >. He did not, therefore, destroy them until he had consulted with Abraham, as stated (in Gen. 18:17): THEN THE LORD SAID: SHALL I HIDE FROM ABRAHAM < WHAT I AM DOING >?

THE SIN OF SODOM
THE third descent which He descended || was at Sodom, as it is said, "I will go down now and see" (Gen. 18:21). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Shall I not tell My friend Abraham an important matter which I will do in My world in the future, as it is said, "And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do?" (Gen. 18:17). Rabbi Chanina, son of Dosa, said: The Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed, and three angels (appeared) unto our father Abraham, as it is said, "And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men" (Gen. 18:2). He began to inform him about the conception of the womb by Sarah his wife, as it is said, "I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round" (Gen. 18:10). Afterwards He told (him) about the doom of Sodom, as it is said, "And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great" (Gen. 18:20).

"and god said am i hiding from Abraham" r yitzchak opened " the reminder of the righteous shall be blessed and the name of the wicked shall rot" r yitzchak said: anyone who mentions a righteous man and doesn't bless him transgress a positive commandment, what is the reason "the reminder of the righteous shall be blessed". and anyone who mentions the name of the wicked and dosent curse him also transgress a positive commandment, why " the name of the wicked shall rot". r shmuel the son of nachman says the names of the wicked are similar to valuable garments while you use them they last, as soon as you put them down, have you heard somebody called pharo, sisra, sancheriv!! rather abraham, issac, jacob, rubin, shimon. r berchya and r chelbo say in the name of r shmuel the son of nachman and r yonsan, when he got to this verse that was exiled from jeruslam with the exile" he would say nevuchadnetzar crushed bones (curse)" and why didn't he curse him when he read jerimia because all the times that he is mentioned in jerimia he was alive, here he was dead. rav, when he god to humun on purim, he said, cursed is humun and cursed are his sons, to fulfill what it says "and the name of the wicked shall rot". r pinchas said charvona is remembered for good. r shmuel the son of nachman says we find that god mentions the name of the jews and blesses them as it says: the lord who remembers us will bless. r huna in the name of r acha says i only know that god blesses 600,000 Jews, how do we know that god mentions and blesses every individual jew as well? as it says:and god said am i hiding from Abraham what i am going to do, but Abraham will become a great nation, all the verse needed to say was " i heard the screams of sedom and amora for they are great" rather god said: i mentioned a tzadik and i wont bless him!! and abraham will be a great nation.

...Rabbi Berechya, Rabbi Chiya, and the Rabbis "from there" [Babylonia] stated in the name of Rabbi Yehudah: Not a day passes that the Holy and Blessed One does not innovate some halacha in the heavenly court. What is the reason [prooftext]? As it is written: "Listen, listen to the roar of His voice, to the sound (hegeh) that issues from His mouth" (Job 37:2). And hegeh is none other than Torah, as it is written "meditate (v'hegita) on it day and night" (Joshua 1:8). And even these halachot was known by our father Abraham.