Commentary for Genesis 19:20

העיר הזאת קרובה THIS CITY IS NEAR — Its settlement as a city is near in point of time — it has been populated quite recently and therefore its measure is not yet filled (Shabbat 10b). And how recent was its settlement? It dated from the generation of the Dispersal of Nations, when mankind was scattered and men began to settle down each in his own place. This took place in the year when Peleg died, and from that time until now was fifty-two years, because Peleg died when Abraham was 48 years old. How is this? Peleg lived after he begat Reu 209 years (11:19): deduct from this number the 32 years that Reu was old when Serug was born (v. 22) and the 30 from the birth of Serug until the birth of Nahor (v. 22) giving 62, and from the birth of Nahor until Terah was born (v. 24) 29, giving 91, and from then until Abraham’s birth 70, giving a total of 161. Add 48 years of Abraham’s life and you have the 209. That was the year of the Dispersion. When Sodom was destroyed Abraham was 99 years old, so that from the Generation of the Dispersal (in the 48th year of Abraham’s life) until this time was 52 years. The colonisation of Zoar took place one year later than that of Sodom and its sister cities. To this fact reference is made in the words אמלטה נא “let me escape נא” i.e. let me escape to the city which is (נ''א (51 in numerical value.

הלא מצער היא, its population is small and you can afford to leave them untouched for now, seeing that there are not many sinners.

הנה העיד הזאת קרובה, "This town is nearby, etc." The verse is difficult. If the inhabitants of that town were guilty, what difference did it make that it was close by? Moreover, how could the angel say: "I have granted your wish?" Since when was it up to him? If the town was innocent, who had given the angel permission to destroy it even if Lot had not pleaded on its behalf?

הנה נא העיר הזאת קרובה,“near” in the sense of “easy to escape to.”

Is it insignificant. A small town usually has fewer temptations to offer, therefore its sins are generally fewer as well).

Thus, from the generation of the Dispersion till this point, there are 52 years. You might ask: How does Rashi know that the other places [besides Zoar] were settled 52 years earlier? Perhaps people did not [start to] build for many years subsequent to the Dispersion. (Minchas Yehudah) This is not a question, as Rashi already said: “How recent is its settlement? From the generation of the Dispersion, when humanity dispersed and began to settle, each in his place... From then till now were 52 years.” Here, Rashi is explaining his proof: As soon as the people dispersed they began to build and settle in the various places. The reasoning is as follows. Originally, they sought to build a city and tower where they could settle. When they were dispersed over the face of the earth and stopped building the tower, each built in his own place and settled there. However, נא having the numerical value of 51 is no proof, as it is not the verse’s primary meaning. It is a mere allusion that supports the point as indicated from Rashi’s text here, and from the comments of Rashi and Tosafos in Shabbos 10b. And the Ein Yaakov writes there: “So explains Rashi on the Torah.” This refutes the Minchas Yehudah. (R. Meir Stern)

Wiederholt weist er darauf hin, dass die Stadt מצער ist. מצער ist nicht adjektive Form, sondern SubstantiRaw Hirsch on Genesis 19: Nicht: sie ist klein, sondern: etwas sehr Geringes, wenig Bedeutendes, keinen Reichtum und keinen Komfort gewährend. An dem Verbot zurückzuschauen, hatte Lot erkannt, dass der Verlust aller seiner Habe ihm absichtlich auferlegt sei, er soll nur mit dem nackten Leben davonkommen. Er meint aber, die Stadt bietet so wenig, ist ein so kümmerlicher Ort, dass selbst, wenn ihm nach der Üppigkeit in Sodom dieser Ort gestattet würde, er noch immer nur das Leben gerettet haben würde.

הלא מצער הוא IS IT NOT SMALL?— Are not its sins but few, so that you can let it alone.

והיא מצער, it is also a small town with few inhabitants. Even though the inhabitants are admittedly wicked, they are but few in number. They appear to have been spared from the destruction on my account.

Is it not a small city... The Re’m asks: I do not know what Rashi will do with the question raised by Chazal in Shabbos 10b: “[Why did Lot need to state that it was close and small?] They could see that!” And this question is what moved Chazal to depart from the plain explanation of our verse, as explained there. This is not a question, as Rashi brings the simple explanation [only] for the end of the verse, הלא מצער הוא, not for the beginning, הנה וגו' קרובה וגו' והיא מצער. The beginning surely follows [Chazal’s] Midrashic explanation: the city was recently settled and its sins are few. Although Rashi at first explains also the end of the verse Midrashically, he then brings the simple explanation, “A small city... and you should not mind...” This is because the end of the verse can bear this meaning, too. And Rashi needed to bring the simple explanation for the verse’s end, although the verse’s beginning must be understood [only] Midrashically, because he is answering the question: According to the Midrashic explanation, why is מצער repeated, stating twice that its sins are few? Thus Rashi brings the simple explanation: It is a small city. (R. Meir Stern)

We must view the situation in light of the Talmud Shabbat 10 that Tzoar was only 51 years old, whereas the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were founded 52 years previously. Lot knew this and reasoned that Tzoar's measure of guilt was not full as yet. We also have a principle (Baba Kama 60) that once permission has been granted to the destructive angel to execute G'd's judgment, it does not really matter whether the measure of guilt is full. However, the angel Gabriel was then in a position to exercise some discretion. Lot was aware of this and appealed to Gabriel's discretionary powers. Lot left Tzoar as soon as possible because he was afraid that the time limit for the angel's discretionary power would elapse.

ותחי נפשי SO THAT MY SOUL MAY LIVE? This is the Midrashic explanation (Shabbat 10b). The real meaning of the verse is: It is a small city with few inhabitants; you therefore need not be particular about leaving it alone, so that my soul may live in it.

ותחי נפשי, together with them.

אמלטה נא, the emphasis is on the letter ט. We have a similar construction in Samuel I 20,29 אמלטה נא ואראה את אחי, where the emphasis is on the מ instead of on the letter ט.

הלא מצער היא, he repeated the insignificance of the town due to its few inhabitants. Our sages understand the word מצער as meaning מזער, “young,” of recent origin; they therefore could not yet have accumulated so many demerits as the more established cities of the valley. (based on Shabbat 10) According to some sages Tzoar had been founded only 51 years previously, equaling the numerical value of the word נא used by Lot in his plea.