א֠וּלַי יַחְסְר֞וּן חֲמִשִּׁ֤ים הַצַּדִּיקִם֙ חֲמִשָּׁ֔ה הֲתַשְׁחִ֥ית בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֖ה אֶת־כָּל־הָעִ֑יר וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִ֔ית אִם־אֶמְצָ֣א שָׁ֔ם אַרְבָּעִ֖ים וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃
오십 의인 중에 오인이 부족할 것이면 그 오인 부족함을 인하여 온 성을 멸하시리이까 가라사대 내가 거기서 사십오인을 찾으면 멸하지 아니하리라
Vayikra Rabbah
That which the verse said: “With the pious, act piously, with a wholehearted man, act wholeheartedly, with the pure, act purely, and with the crooked, act deviously” (Psalms 18:26–27). Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, Rabbi Yehuda interpreted the verse regarding Abraham our patriarch. Because he came with piety, the Holy One blessed be He engaged with him with piety. When he came uprightly, the Holy One blessed be He engaged with him uprightly. When he came indirectly, the Holy One blessed be He engaged with him indirectly. When he came to clarify his affairs, the Holy One blessed be He clarified his affairs. When did he come with piety? It was when he said: “Please do not pass from upon Your servant” (Genesis 18:3).7Abraham interrupted his communion with God in order to welcome guests, which was beyond the call of duty. What is written there? “Abraham was still standing before the Lord” (Genesis 18:22). Rabbi Simon said: A scribal emendation; the Divine Presence was awaiting him.8The verse should have stated that the Lord was still standing before Abraham, in that the Divine Presence waited for Abraham to return. However, the verse is phrased as it is in order to preserve the honor of God, as a scribe might emend a text for such purposes (Etz Yosef). When did he come wholeheartedly? It was when he said: “Perhaps the fifty righteous people will lack five” (Genesis 18:28). What is written? “He said: I will not destroy if I find there forty-five” (Genesis 18:28). When did he come indirectly? “I go childless” (Genesis 15:2). What is written there? “This one will not inherit you; [rather, one who shall emerge from your loins, he shall inherit you]” (Genesis 15:4). When did he come to clarify his affairs? It was when he said: “How will I know that I will inherit it?” (Genesis 15:8). What is written there? “Know that your descendants will be strangers [in a land that is not theirs, and they shall be enslaved to them; and they shall oppress them for four hundred years]” (Genesis 15:13).
Rabbi Neḥemya interpreted the verse regarding Moses. When he came with piety, the Holy One blessed be He engaged with him with piety. When he came uprightly, the Holy One blessed be He engaged with him uprightly. When he came indirectly, the Holy One blessed be He engaged with him indirectly. When he came to clarify his affairs, the Holy One blessed be He clarified his affairs. When did he come with piety? It was when he said: “Show me, please, Your glory” (Exodus 33:18). What is written there? “He said: “I will pass My goodness before you” (Exodus 33:19). When did he come uprightly? It was when he said: “Why will the bush not burn?” (Exodus 3:3). He said to him: ‘It is because My glory is present within it.’ When did he come indirectly? It was when he said: “They will say to me: What is His name; what shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13). What did He say to him? ‘This is My provisional name: “I will be what I will be”’ (Exodus 3:14). When did he come to clarify his affairs? It was when He said to him: “Now go and I will send you to Pharaoh” (Exodus 3:10), he said to him: “Please…send by means of whom You will send” (Exodus 4:13), [and:] “Since I came to Pharaoh [to speak in Your name he has harmed this people and You have not saved Your people]” (Exodus 5:23). What is written there? “Now you will see [what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a powerful hand he will send them forth and with a powerful hand he will drive them from his land]” (Exodus 6:1).
Rabbi Neḥemya interpreted the verse regarding Moses. When he came with piety, the Holy One blessed be He engaged with him with piety. When he came uprightly, the Holy One blessed be He engaged with him uprightly. When he came indirectly, the Holy One blessed be He engaged with him indirectly. When he came to clarify his affairs, the Holy One blessed be He clarified his affairs. When did he come with piety? It was when he said: “Show me, please, Your glory” (Exodus 33:18). What is written there? “He said: “I will pass My goodness before you” (Exodus 33:19). When did he come uprightly? It was when he said: “Why will the bush not burn?” (Exodus 3:3). He said to him: ‘It is because My glory is present within it.’ When did he come indirectly? It was when he said: “They will say to me: What is His name; what shall I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13). What did He say to him? ‘This is My provisional name: “I will be what I will be”’ (Exodus 3:14). When did he come to clarify his affairs? It was when He said to him: “Now go and I will send you to Pharaoh” (Exodus 3:10), he said to him: “Please…send by means of whom You will send” (Exodus 4:13), [and:] “Since I came to Pharaoh [to speak in Your name he has harmed this people and You have not saved Your people]” (Exodus 5:23). What is written there? “Now you will see [what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a powerful hand he will send them forth and with a powerful hand he will drive them from his land]” (Exodus 6:1).
Bereshit Rabbah
“Far be it from You to do something like this, to kill the righteous with the wicked, and the righteous will be as the wicked. Far be it from You; shall the Judge of all the earth not practice justice?” (Genesis 18:25).
“Far be it [ḥalila] from You” – Rabbi Yudan said: It is profane for You,43Ḥalila is related to ḥol, meaning that which is unholy. it is foreign to You. Rabbi Aḥa said: Ḥalila ḥalila, twice – this entails profaning [ḥilul] the name of Heaven.44People will say that Your ways are unjust.
Rabbi Abba said: “From doing this thing” is not written here, but rather, “to do something like this” – neither it, nor something similar to it, nor something lesser than it.45Even allowing the righteous to suffer a bitter fate other than death on account of the wicked seems unjust.
Rabbi Levi said: Two people said the same thing, Abraham and Job. Abraham said: “Far be it from You to do something like this, to kill the righteous with the wicked.” Job said: “One matter, therefore, I say: The faultless and the wicked He destroys” (Job 9:22). Abraham received a reward for it, yet Job was punished for it. Abraham said it as a mature thought;46Literally, like a ripe fruit. Abraham’s argument was the result of well thought-out reasoning. Job said it as an immature thought47Literally, like an unripe fruit. Job spoke from emotion, without carefully contemplating his thoughts. – “One matter, therefore, I say: The faultless and the wicked He destroys.”
Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: There is an intermingling of arguments48Abraham’s argument and God’s counter-argument are intermingled in this verse. here. Abraham said: “Far be it from You to do something like this, to kill the righteous with the wicked.” The Holy One blessed be He said: “And the righteous will be as the wicked.” [You think:] Let Him suspend punishment for the wicked in the merit of the righteous? If only they were [truly] righteous. But these are nothing other than righteous men of inferior quality,49The midrash uses the term nivlei – which means dates that fall off the tree before they ripen. They only pretended to be righteous, but inside they were rotten. Therefore they could not supply any merit to save the wicked. as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: In all instances of the words righteous men [tzadikim] which were stated regarding Sodom, tzadikim is written without a yod.50This is an indication that their righteousness was inferior. This is the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan [elsewhere as well], as Rabbi Yoḥanan said [regarding the Givonites]: “Our elders [zekenenu] and all the inhabitants of our land” (Joshua 9:11) – zekenenu is written without a yod, indicating sinful elders, shameful elders.
“Perhaps there are fifty righteous men in the city; would You destroy it and not spare the place for the fifty righteous men that are in it?” (Genesis 18:24)
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Abraham said:51God had said He would not destroy the five cities (Sodom, Gomorrah, Adma, Tzevoim, Tzoar – see Genesis 14:2) if He found fifty righteous men there, ten for each city. The Midrash explains how Abraham’s plea went from fifty to forty-five (see Genesis 18:28). ‘Incorporate my righteous deeds and let them be included in the tally of fifty.’52If there are only nine people in each city, forty-five in all, let my righteousness take the place of the tenth man of each place. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: [Abraham said:] ‘Are You not the righteous One of the world? Incorporate Yourself with them so they reach the tally of fifty.’
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: This is what Abraham said to Him: ‘With a mortal king, one can suspend his ruling by means of an appeal from commander to prefect, from prefect to governor. But You, because you have no one who can be used to suspend judgment for an appeal, will You not perform justice?’53This is what Abraham meant when he said: “Shall the Judge of all the earth not practice justice?”
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: [Abraham said:] ‘When You sought to impose judgment on Your world,54By creating the Roman empire, which ruled over virtually all the world. You delivered it into the hand of two people: Remus and Romulus,55The legendary founders of Rome. so that if one of them sought to perform an action the other could prevent him from doing so.56In the Roman system of government, there was always a senior official who could restrain the absolute power of the ruler. But You, because You have no one to prevent You from doing anything, will You not perform justice?’
Rav Ada said: [Abraham said:] ‘You took an oath that You would not bring a flood to the world. Are You seeking to evade Your oath? [Do You argue that You swore that] You would not bring a flood of water, but You may bring a flood of fire? If so, You have not fulfilled your oath.’
Rabbi Levi said: [Abraham said:] ‘“Shall the Judge of all the earth not practice justice?” If You wish to have a world, there can be no strict justice, and if You wish to have strict justice, there can be no world. You seek to hold the rope from both ends; You wish to have the world and You wish to have strict justice. If You do not concede somewhat, the world will be unable to endure.’
The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Abraham, “You love righteousness [tzedek] and abhor wickedness” (Psalms 45:8) – you love to vindicate [letzadek] My creations. “And abhor wickedness” – you refuse to condemn them. “Because of this, God your God, has anointed you over your counterparts with the oil of joy” (Psalms 45:8). What is “over your counterparts”? From Noah until you there were ten generations, and from among all of them, I did not speak with any of them except for you: “God said to Abram: Go you”’ (Genesis 12:1).
“Far be it [ḥalila] from You” – Rabbi Yudan said: It is profane for You,43Ḥalila is related to ḥol, meaning that which is unholy. it is foreign to You. Rabbi Aḥa said: Ḥalila ḥalila, twice – this entails profaning [ḥilul] the name of Heaven.44People will say that Your ways are unjust.
Rabbi Abba said: “From doing this thing” is not written here, but rather, “to do something like this” – neither it, nor something similar to it, nor something lesser than it.45Even allowing the righteous to suffer a bitter fate other than death on account of the wicked seems unjust.
Rabbi Levi said: Two people said the same thing, Abraham and Job. Abraham said: “Far be it from You to do something like this, to kill the righteous with the wicked.” Job said: “One matter, therefore, I say: The faultless and the wicked He destroys” (Job 9:22). Abraham received a reward for it, yet Job was punished for it. Abraham said it as a mature thought;46Literally, like a ripe fruit. Abraham’s argument was the result of well thought-out reasoning. Job said it as an immature thought47Literally, like an unripe fruit. Job spoke from emotion, without carefully contemplating his thoughts. – “One matter, therefore, I say: The faultless and the wicked He destroys.”
Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: There is an intermingling of arguments48Abraham’s argument and God’s counter-argument are intermingled in this verse. here. Abraham said: “Far be it from You to do something like this, to kill the righteous with the wicked.” The Holy One blessed be He said: “And the righteous will be as the wicked.” [You think:] Let Him suspend punishment for the wicked in the merit of the righteous? If only they were [truly] righteous. But these are nothing other than righteous men of inferior quality,49The midrash uses the term nivlei – which means dates that fall off the tree before they ripen. They only pretended to be righteous, but inside they were rotten. Therefore they could not supply any merit to save the wicked. as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: In all instances of the words righteous men [tzadikim] which were stated regarding Sodom, tzadikim is written without a yod.50This is an indication that their righteousness was inferior. This is the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan [elsewhere as well], as Rabbi Yoḥanan said [regarding the Givonites]: “Our elders [zekenenu] and all the inhabitants of our land” (Joshua 9:11) – zekenenu is written without a yod, indicating sinful elders, shameful elders.
“Perhaps there are fifty righteous men in the city; would You destroy it and not spare the place for the fifty righteous men that are in it?” (Genesis 18:24)
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Abraham said:51God had said He would not destroy the five cities (Sodom, Gomorrah, Adma, Tzevoim, Tzoar – see Genesis 14:2) if He found fifty righteous men there, ten for each city. The Midrash explains how Abraham’s plea went from fifty to forty-five (see Genesis 18:28). ‘Incorporate my righteous deeds and let them be included in the tally of fifty.’52If there are only nine people in each city, forty-five in all, let my righteousness take the place of the tenth man of each place. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: [Abraham said:] ‘Are You not the righteous One of the world? Incorporate Yourself with them so they reach the tally of fifty.’
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: This is what Abraham said to Him: ‘With a mortal king, one can suspend his ruling by means of an appeal from commander to prefect, from prefect to governor. But You, because you have no one who can be used to suspend judgment for an appeal, will You not perform justice?’53This is what Abraham meant when he said: “Shall the Judge of all the earth not practice justice?”
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: [Abraham said:] ‘When You sought to impose judgment on Your world,54By creating the Roman empire, which ruled over virtually all the world. You delivered it into the hand of two people: Remus and Romulus,55The legendary founders of Rome. so that if one of them sought to perform an action the other could prevent him from doing so.56In the Roman system of government, there was always a senior official who could restrain the absolute power of the ruler. But You, because You have no one to prevent You from doing anything, will You not perform justice?’
Rav Ada said: [Abraham said:] ‘You took an oath that You would not bring a flood to the world. Are You seeking to evade Your oath? [Do You argue that You swore that] You would not bring a flood of water, but You may bring a flood of fire? If so, You have not fulfilled your oath.’
Rabbi Levi said: [Abraham said:] ‘“Shall the Judge of all the earth not practice justice?” If You wish to have a world, there can be no strict justice, and if You wish to have strict justice, there can be no world. You seek to hold the rope from both ends; You wish to have the world and You wish to have strict justice. If You do not concede somewhat, the world will be unable to endure.’
The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Abraham, “You love righteousness [tzedek] and abhor wickedness” (Psalms 45:8) – you love to vindicate [letzadek] My creations. “And abhor wickedness” – you refuse to condemn them. “Because of this, God your God, has anointed you over your counterparts with the oil of joy” (Psalms 45:8). What is “over your counterparts”? From Noah until you there were ten generations, and from among all of them, I did not speak with any of them except for you: “God said to Abram: Go you”’ (Genesis 12:1).
Bereshit Rabbah
“Perhaps the fifty righteous people will lack five; will You destroy the entire city for the five? He said: I will not destroy, if I find there forty-five” (Genesis 18:28).
“Perhaps the fifty righteous people will lack five” – Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: Abraham sought to go down directly from fifty to five.68The verse should thus be translated: “Perhaps the fifty righteous people will be lacking, so that there will be only five.” The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Back up.’69Lower your request by smaller increments. Rabbi Levi said: This is analogous to a water clock.70Similar to an hourglass, but uses water instead of sand. It was used to limit the amount of time given to an advocate in court. As long as it is filled with water, the advocate pleads his case. Sometimes, when the judge wishes him to continue pleading his case, he says: Add water to it.71By adding water, the advocate would have more time to plead his case. God here intimated to Abraham: ‘Go on with your pleas, just use smaller increments.’
“Perhaps the fifty righteous people will lack five” – Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: Abraham sought to go down directly from fifty to five.68The verse should thus be translated: “Perhaps the fifty righteous people will be lacking, so that there will be only five.” The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Back up.’69Lower your request by smaller increments. Rabbi Levi said: This is analogous to a water clock.70Similar to an hourglass, but uses water instead of sand. It was used to limit the amount of time given to an advocate in court. As long as it is filled with water, the advocate pleads his case. Sometimes, when the judge wishes him to continue pleading his case, he says: Add water to it.71By adding water, the advocate would have more time to plead his case. God here intimated to Abraham: ‘Go on with your pleas, just use smaller increments.’