Comentário sobre Gênesis 19:11

פתח THE DOOR (literally, opening) — This means the hollow space (opening) through which people go in and out.

בסנורים, a plague of blindness.

וילאו למצוא הפתח, even though they had already been smitten with blindness they did not therefore desist from their wicked intention. This is in line with the psychological insight of our sages in Eyruvin 19 that the wicked will not become penitents even when they stand at the gates of hell. [the Nazis persisting in the “final solution,” even while already defeated by the Russsians are the best example of this insight we know of. Ed.]

ואת האנשים, the angels punished the men of Sodom who were at the entrance to the house

סנורים, vielleicht zusammengesetzt aus סנה Dorn, und אור Licht; also Augenstechen.

בסנורים This is an attack of blindness (cf. Yoma 28b)

וילאו, they wearied and were unable למצוא הפתח, they gave up trying to find the doorway. We find the word נלאו describing the inability of the Egyptians to find water after digging for it when Moses had turned the waters of the Nile in to blood. (Exodus 7,18-21) There are numerous instances when the word is used when it expresses a total inability, such as in Jeremiah 20,9 ונלאתי כלכל לא אוכל, “I was totally unable to restrain.” Compare also Isaiah 16,12 כי נלאה מואב על הבמה ובא אל מקדשו להתפלל ולא יוכל, “when it became clear that Moav had gained nothing in the outdoor shrine, he shall come to pray inside his temple, also to no avail.” Job 4,2 also employs the word נלאה in a similar sense.

בסנורים, with a temporary blindness The word סנורים is a composite of the two words סני ראיה.

מקטן ועד גדול FROM SMALL TO GREAT — The small had begun this wrongdoing — as it is said, (Genesis 19:4) “both young and old” — therefore the punishment started with them (Genesis Rabbah 50:8).