Midrash sobre Génesis 18:20

Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Azarya. Rabbi Yudan said: The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, because You acted with my neighbors with the attribute of justice, and with me with the attribute of mercy, I will run after You,’ as Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: What was not done to the Generation of the Flood was done to the Ten Tribes. Regarding the Generation of the Flood it is written: “Only evil the entire day” (Genesis 6:5), and regarding the Ten Tribes it is written: “Woe, the devisers of iniquity who perform evil on their beds” (Micah 2:1). That is at night; in the morning, from where is it derived? “In the morning light they perform it, for it is in their power” (Micah 2:1). From them, no remnant remained, but from these, a remnant remained;¹⁶²The Generation of the Flood sinned only during the day and there were no survivors, while the Ten Tribes sinned night and day, and there were survivors. by what merit? Rabbi Yitzḥak interpreted it to their credit, [as] Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] said: It was by the merit of, “behold a remnant remained in it, [who are brought forth]” (Ezekiel 14:22), “who bring forth” is not written here, but rather, “who are brought forth.” [This teaches that a remnant remained] in the merit of the righteous men and the righteous women, the prophets and the prophetesses, who would emerge from them.
Rabbi Ḥanina said: A statement was made regarding the coastal cities that was not stated regarding the Generation of the Flood: “Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Keretim” (Zephaniah 2:5)—a nation that is liable to be punished with karet. By whose merit were they rescued? It was by the merit of one God-fearing person whom they produced each and every year. Rabbi Levi interpreted it to their credit: “Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Keretim”—a nation that established [karat] a covenant,¹⁶³This is an allusion to the fact that some members of this nation converted and fulfilled the covenant of circumcision. This merit prevented the destruction of the nation at that time, but the punishment was only temporarily averted (Etz Yosef). as it is stated: “He established [vekharot] a covenant with him” (Nehemiah 9:8).
Rabbi Yehoshua bar Nehemiah said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: A statement was made regarding the tribes of Judah and Benjamin that was not stated regarding the Sodomites. Regarding the Sodomites it is written: “Their sin is very weighty” (Genesis 18:20), but regarding the tribes of Judah and Benjamin it is written: “He said to me: The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very very great” (Ezekiel 9:9). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: We have another verse: “The iniquity of the daughter of my people exceeded [the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands seized it]” (Lamentations 4:6). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: One hand did not seize another, they did not extend their hands to perform mitzvot; but these extended their hands to perform mitzvot.¹⁶⁴Rabbi Tanḥuma explains why Sodom was overthrown in a moment whereas the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were not, despite the fact that their sins were greater than those of Sodom. The Sodomites did not extend their hands to assist one another or perform mitzvot, whereas the tribes of Judah and Benjamin did. “The hands of merciful women [cooked their children, they were food for them]" (Lamentations 4:10). Why [did they act] in such a way? It was because they provided “food [levarot] for them in the disaster of the daughter of my people” (Lamentations 4:10).¹⁶⁵The midrash interprets the verse in Lamentations to mean the starving people of Jerusalem would give the small amount of food they had to others in order to attempt to console [lehavrot] them for the loss of family members. The reference to cooking their children is understood allegorically in the sense that they deprived them of food in order to console others. Thus, the verse states that the merciful women deprived their own children of food. Why did they act in such a way? In order to attempt to console others.

“The iniquity of the daughter of my people exceeded the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands seized it” (Lamentations 4:6).
“The iniquity of the daughter of my people,” Rabbi Yehoshua ben Rabbi Neḥemya said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: It is stated regarding the tribes of Judah and Benjamin what is not stated regarding the Sodomites. Regarding the Sodomites, it is written: “And their sin, because it is very [meod] grievous” (Genesis 18:20). But regarding Judah and Benjamin it is stated: “He said to me: The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly [meod meod] great” (Ezekiel 9:9). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: I have another. “The iniquity of the daughter of my people exceeded the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands seized it.” They did not extend their hands to perform mitzvot, but these extended their hands to perform mitzvot.²¹Despite the fact that the sin of Judah and Benjamin was greater than that of Sodom, Sodom was entirely overthrown with no survivors, which was not the case of Judah and Benjamin. This is because “no hand seized it,” the Sodomites did not perform mitzvot, whereas the tribes of Judah and Benjamin did. That is what is written: “The hands of merciful women cooked their children” (Lamentations 4:10).²²See below, section 13, where the midrash interprets this verse allegorically to mean that the Israelites cared for their neighbors and gave charity even under terribly adverse conditions. Why to that extent? It is because “they were food [levarot]²³Instead of eating their own bread, they would give it to console their bereaved neighbor as the meal after the burial [seudat havraa]. for them” (Lamentations 4:10).

(Exodus 15:5) "so that the depths should cover them": Now are there depths there (at the bottom of the sea)? Is it not dry ground? What, then, is the intent of "should cover them"? __ The lower depths (under the earth) ascended to the upper depths and the torrents embattled them. Thus, "the depths should cover them." (The water) covered the firmament over them and darkened the stars over them, viz. (Ezekiel 32:8) "All the lights of the heavens I will darken above you, and I will bring darkness to your land," and (Isaiah 13:10) "For the stars of heavens and their constellations will not give their light. (For) the sun will be dark when it rises, etc." And it is written (Ezekiel 30:18) "And in Techafnefess the day will be darkened when I break there the power of Egypt… (For) a cloud shall cover it. And (Isaiah 13:11) "and I shall requite to the world (its) evil, etc." Jonah descended to one depth, viz. (Jonah 2:6) "The depth surrounded me," and they descended to two depths, viz. (Exodus 15:5) "The depths covered them." Jonah descended into one metzulah (whirlpool, viz. Jonah 2:4), and they descended into two, (Exodus, Ibid.) "metzuloth." And it is written (Nechemiah 9:11) "And their pursuers You cast into metzuloth, as a stone into raging waters." (Exodus, Ibid. "They descended into the metzuloth": Now are there metzuloth there? Is it not dry land? We are hereby apprised that the Great Sea (the Mediterranean) burst into it (the Red Sea) and the torrents embattled them. Thus, "They descended into the metzuloth." "as a stone": "As one metes it out, so, is it meted out to him." They said (Exodus 1:16) "and you see upon the (birth;) stones, etc." — wherefore You, likewise made the waters like stones to them, and the waters struck them upon the stones. Thus, "as a stone." Variantly: "as a stone": This was the middle state. The wicked among them were tossed about like stubble (viz. 7); the "moderate," like stone (here); the "better," like lead (viz. 10). Variantly: "as a stone": because their hearts were hard as stone. But Your goodness and Your many lovingkindnesses and Your mercies are upon us, and Your right hand is stretched out to all who enter the world, "Your right hand," being written twice (viz. 15:6). (Psalms 44:4) "… but Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance — for You favored them," and (Isaiah 45:23) "By Myself I have sworn. From My mouth has gone forth righteousness, a word that will not turn back." (Exodus 15:6) "Your right hand, O L rd, is grand in power": ("nedari bakeach") Comely (na'eh) are You, and grand (adir [acronym of "nedari"]) in power. For You gave a grace period to the generation of the flood to repent. And they did not repent, as it is written (Genesis 6:3) "My spirit shall not contend (in Me) forever, etc." And You did not decree (destruction upon them) until they had consummated their evil before You. And thus do you find with the men of the tower (of Bavel), that You gave them a grace period for repentance and they did not repent. As it is written (Ibid. 11:6) "Behold, they are one people, and all of them have one language, and this is what they begin to do! And now, etc. "Now" connotes (an opening for) repentance, viz. (Devarim 10:12) "And now, O Israel, what does the L rd your G d ask of you" (but to repent). And You did not decree destruction upon them (the men of the tower) until they had consummated their evil before You. And thus do you find with the men of Sodom, that You gave them a grace period for repentance and they did not repent. As it is written (Genesis 18:20-21) "And the L rd said: The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah, because it has become great … I shall go down now and I shall see, etc." (Ibid. 19:24) "And the L rd rained down upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire": If they repent — rain; if not, brimstone and fire. It is written here "rain," and elsewhere (Psalms 11:6) "rain." Just as there (ab initio) "rain," so, here, (ab initio) "rain." — But perhaps, just as here, "brimstone and fire," there, too, brimstone and fire! __ It is, therefore, (to negate this) written (Genesis, Ibid.) "from the L rd, from heaven" (and evil does not descend [ab initio] from the L rd.) And You did not decree (destruction) upon them until they had consummated their evil. And thus with Egypt. You brought ten plagues upon Egypt, and You did not decree destruction upon them until they had consummated their evil. Variantly: "Your right hand, O L rd, is grand in power. Your right hand" — twice. When Israel do the will of the L rd, they, as it were, convert the "left" to the "right." And when they do not do the will of the L rd, they convert the "right" to the "left," viz. (Eichah 2:3) "He has turned back His right hand before the foe." When Israel do His will, there is no sleep before Him, viz. (Psalms 121:9) "He does not slumber and He does not sleep." And when they do not do His will, there is, as it were, "sleep" before Him, viz. (Ibid. 78:66) "Then the L rd woke as a sleeper, as a warrior rousing himself from wine." And when Israel do His will, there is no wrath before Him, viz. (Isaiah 27:4) "I have no wrath." And when they do not do His will, there is wrath before Him, viz. (Devarim 11:17) "and the wrath of the L rd will burn against you." When Israel do His will, He wars for them, viz. (Exodus 14:14) "The L rd will war for you." And when they do not do His will, He wars against them, viz. (Isaiah 63:10) "And He turned into a foe of theirs; He warred against them." (Exodus 15:6) "Your right hand, O L rd, will break the foe": It is not written "broke the foe," but "will break the foe," in the future, viz. (Habakkuk 3:12) "In fury You will tread the earth; in wrath You will trample nations." "breaks the foe": This is Pharaoh, viz. (Exodus 15:9) "The foe (in this context, Pharaoh) said, etc." Variantly: This is Esav, viz. (Ezekiel 36:2) "Because the foe has said against you 'He'ach!', etc."

(Gen. 18:15:) FAR BE IT FROM YOU TO DO SUCH A THING! Let our master instruct us: Is it correct for someone to stand and pray < the Amidah > with frivolity? Thus have our masters taught (in Ber. 5:1):³⁹See TBer. 3:21; yBer. 5:1 (8d); Ber. 31a. ONE STANDS TO PRAY < THE AMIDAH > ONLY WITH REVERENCE. David said (in Ps. 2:11): SERVE THE LORD WITH FEAR, AND REJOICE WITH TREMBLING. There is a story about a certain person who stood < for the Amidah > with frivolity and supported himself against the wall, but R. Samuel bar Nahmani turned him back. He said that he should not behave with frivolity. And so you find with the ancestors of the world. When they prayed, they would pray with fear. < It is > just as Moses said (in Deut. 9:18, 25): THEN I PROSTRATED MYSELF BEFORE THE LORD, when he was seeking mercy for Israel. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 32:11): BUT MOSES IMPLORED < THE LORD HIS GOD >. He girded his loins in prayer [to speak in defense⁴⁰Gk.: synegoria. of Israel]. He said to him: Sovereign of the World, (according to Exod. 32:11-13) WHY DOES YOUR WRATH BURN AGAINST YOUR PEOPLE… ? WHY, O LORD, SHOULD THE EGYPTIANS SPEAK, < SAYING: WITH EVIL INTENT HE BROUGHT THEM OUT TO KILL THEM IN THE MOUNTAINS > … ? REMEMBER YOUR SERVANTS, ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND ISRAEL…. Hezekiah bar Hiyya said: It was not pleasing to the Holy One until Moses mentioned the merit of the ancestors. The Holy One said to him: Moses, if they had not had the merit of the ancestors, I would have destroyed them. You do not know how to plead merit. R. Pinhas bar Hama the Priest in the name of R. Simon and R. Abbin in the name of R. Aha said: What did the Holy One do? He put on his prayer shawl, like the representative (shaliah) of a congregation [when he is passing] before the ark (i.e., leading the prayers), and said to Moses: Thus are you to pray to me and say (as in Exod. 34:6): THE LORD, THE LORD IS A MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS GOD…. < This interpretation is suggested by the beginning of the verse >, where it is stated: THEN THE LORD PASSED BEFORE MOSES AND PROCLAIMED…. What is the meaning of PASSED? < That the Holy One PASSED BEFORE MOSES > like < a prayer leader > passing before the ark. See how the righteous seek merit for the world and speak in defense⁴¹Ibid. of Israel! < They pray >, not only for Israel, but also for the wicked, since it is stated (in Ezek. 33:11): AS I LIVE, SAYS [THE LORD] GOD, I DO NOT DESIRE THE DEATH OF THE WICKED.⁴²Cf. Matthew 5:44. Why? Perhaps they may repent. You yourself know that it is so. When the Holy One desired to destroy those five cities, he consulted with Abraham, as stated (in Gen. 18:20): THEN THE LORD SAID: THE OUTCRY AGAINST SODOM AND GOMORRAH IS < SO GREAT >. Abraham began to speak to the Lord in their defense: Think! Perhaps they will repent. Where is it shown? Where they read on the matter (in Gen. 18:25): FAR BE IT FROM YOU TO DO SUCH A THING!

There were four judges in Sodom. Every one of them had a name which meant false, lie, etc. If a person struck his neighbor's wife, and she miscarried, they used to decide that the woman should be given to the striker, and he should return her when she would be pregnant again. If it happened that one cut off the ear of his neighbor's ass, they used to decide that the ass should be delivered to the striker, till it should be cured. If one wounded his neighbor, they decided that the striker shall be paid for bleeding him. He who passed the river on a bridge had to pay four zuz. And he who passed it by foot had to pay eight zuz. It happened once that a washer came there and they required of him four zuz. And when he said that he had passed the water on foot, they required eight. And because he didn't pay, they wounded him, and when he came to the judge, the latter decided that he should pay for bleeding and eight zuz for passing the water. Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, happened to be there, and was wounded and when he came to the judge to complain the latter said: "You must pay for bleeding." Whereupon he took a stone and wounded the judge, saying: "The payment for bleeding which you owe to me pay them, and my money shall remain with me." They made a stipulation that if a guest invited to a wedding bring one with him, that the inviter be stripped of his garments. There was a wedding at the time Eliezer happened to be in the city, and none of them wanted to sell him any bread for a meal. He then went to the wedding and took a place at the very end of the table. And when he was asked who had invited him, he pointed to the one who was sitting next to him, 'Thou hast invited me.' And fearing that they would believe that he had invited him and that he would be stripped of his garments, the man hurried to take his mantle and run away. And so he did to the rest of the people, and they all ran away, and he ate the whole meal. They had a bed for strangers. If he was too long for the bed they made the stranger shorter, and if too short they stretched him. When Eliezer was there they told him to sleep in the bed; whereupon he answered: "Since my mother is dead I vowed not to sleep in a bed." When a poor man happened to be there every one used to give him a dinar, on which his name was engraved, but they did not sell him any bread until he died. And then each one took his dinar back. There was a girl who used to supply a poor man with bread, which she used to hide in a pitcher while she went for water, and when this was found out they smeared her body with honey, put her on the roof of the surrounding wall, and bees came and killed her; and this is what is said (Gen. 18, 20) Because the sin against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, etc.

You set a time during which the Sodomites were to repent, as it is said: And the Lord said: Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and, verily, their sin is exceeding grievous. I will go down now, and see if they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which has come unto Me (Gen. 18:20–21), yet You did not decree their destruction until they performed their wicked acts before You. The Lord caused to rain upon Sodom (ibid. 19:4). Had they repented it would have been just an ordinary rain, but since they did not, it was a rain of fire and brimstone. Similarly, Egypt would have suffered only the plagues if they had repented, but since they failed to repent, not one of them remained alive.

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).

Rabbi Jehudah said: They made a proclamation in Sodom (saying): Everyone who strengthens the hand of the poor or the needy with a loaf of bread shall be burnt by fire. Peleṭith, daughter of Lot, was wedded to one of the magnates of Sodom. She saw a certain very poor man in the street of the city, and her soul was grieved on his account, as it is said, "Was not my soul grieved for the needy?" (Job 30:25). What did she do? Every day when she went out to draw water she put in her bucket all sorts of provisions from her home, and she fed that poor man. The men of Sodom said: How does this poor man live? When they ascertained the facts, they brought her forth to be burnt with fire. She said: Sovereign of all worlds ! Maintain my right and my cause (at the hands of) the men of Sodom. And her cry ascended before the Throne of Glory. In that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, said: "I will now descend, and I will see" (Gen. 18:21) whether the men of Sodom have done according to the cry of this young woman, I will turn her foundations upwards, and the surface thereof shall be turned downwards, as it is said, "I will now descend, and I will see whether they have done altogether according to her cry, which is come unto me" (ibid.). "According to their cry" is not written here (in the text), only "According to her cry."

"And the men turned (faced) from there" (Gen. 18:22) - this proves that angels do not have a back [of the head] (i.e. they went one way but could still face the other). "And they went towards Sodom but Abraham remained standing before Hashem" Rabbi Simon said: "This is a correction of the scribes [rather than saying] that the Shechinah (Divine Presence) would wait for Abraham ."