Parshat Vayera: Bad and Badder

This week’s parsha has an episode that illustrates Avraham’s concern for others and why it was one of the reasons God choose him for His covenant to bring blessing to all. And yet despite Avraham’s lofty level, someone far lesser than him was able to accomplish a feat for the good of others that even Avraham could not pull off.

When God informs Avraham that He wishes to wipe out Sodom, Gemorrah and their surrounding cities, Avraham comes to their defense. Avraham, feeling a responsibility for all people, quickly begins to advocate for those whom God deems evil and no longer deserved of life. He makes the argument that it would not behoove God to destroy the good with the evil in one fell swoop. He is quite adamant and claims it would even be profane for God to do such an act, “To destroy the good along with the wicked. It would be sacrilegious of You! Shall the Judge of the entire earth not Himself act justly?!” Quite courageous of him to speak to God in such a forceful manner. 

Avraham begins his negotiations with God by probing how many good people residing in Sodom, Gemorrah and its environs it would take to have it spared from God’s decree of destruction. He starts at fifty but successfully gets God down to a mere ten. A minyan one supposes – the bare-bones minimum quorum of decent people that maybe can turn the society away from their wickedness.

But try as he may, Avraham in the end wasn’t successful. And although we give him much credit for trying, and commend him for his sense of responsibility for others inasmuch as he undertook to save even the most depraved of men, when all was said and done, he failed. Right after his pleadings the Torah narrates that the angel made its way to Sodom to destroy it.

But then there is a strange turn of events. Another angel is sent to spare Avraham’s nephew, Lot who was living in Sodom, to tell him to get the heck out of Dodge and hole up in the nearby mountains. For some reason Lot feels he cannot make it that far. Lot implores the angel to save one of the cities that was destined for destruction to be spared so he can flee to it. And lo and behold, his request is granted. He is told, “Ok, I have granted you consideration even for this; I will not overturn the city that you have spoken about.”

Let’s stop and think about this for a moment. How is it that the great Avraham – the father of the Jewish nation, the one whom God makes a covenant with and speaks with on a regular basis and is the source of blessing for all – was not able to successfully save any of these cities, and yet Lot – who is not the most respected biblical figure – pulls it off? Avraham begs, pleads and argues with God to spare the region from Divine punishment – all to no avail. Yet Lot’s request to save one of the cities is granted. Lot succeeds where Avraham couldn’t. 

There are probably a couple factors involved, one being that Lot is pleading for his life. A very personal and heartfelt request is sometimes a more effective prayer than even one made by a great man like Avraham. But a deeper idea is revealed in the way Lot makes his plea to the angel (19:20). הִנֵּה נָא הָעִיר הַזֹּאת קְרֹבָה לָנוּס שָׁמָּה וְהִוא מִצְעָר אִמָּלְטָה נָא שָׁמָּה הֲלֹא מִצְעָר הִוא “Look, please, there is this close city to flee to and it is young. Please, let me escape to it. Isn’t it (just a) young (city)?”

Twice Lot mentions the fact that the city is מִצְעָר which some translate as small but in fact means young. Lot noted and said that there is a difference between this one particular city versus the other ones. And that difference is its youth. Meaning that either it is a newer city or its inhabitants are younger. Whatever the case, the implication is that it is not as set in its ways and steeped in evil to the same degree that the older, long established Sodom and Gemorrah were. That being the case, it should not suffer the same fate. Indeed, Rashi says this was instrumental to Lot’s successful plea. “Are not its sins but few that would allow you to leave it alone?” (Rashi on 19:20).

The difference between Lot’s approach and Avraham’s was based on the simple fact that Lot, living among the people in the towns of Sodom, Gemorrah and nearby, was more familiar with the various nuances of the locale. To Avraham the outsider, it was all one big bad place and his tact to save it was maybe there were enough righteous people who could redeem it. But Lot lived there and was sensitive and aware of the differences between the bad areas and the really really bad parts.

It would be akin to someone who avoids a particular neighbourhood deeming the whole area unsafe. But those who live in that neighbourhood will tell you which are the dangerous streets to avoid and which are not so terrible and relatively safe.

And so it is in life. Sometimes the lesser person, the one who doesn’t live a life so lofty and holy, can better understand the different shades of bad in another person or place. Whether in a family or business setting, the person who is far from the top of a given hierarchy can often offer valuable advice to those above them because they are down among the nitty-gritty, everyday Joes. How often do politicians err because they lose touch with the everyday man or woman and don’t listen to those living in Sodom or walk the streets of Baltimore? They forget to leave their white-picket fence and manicured lawns to see how the deplorables are struggling to make ends meet.  

Lot couldn’t hold a candle to Avraham when it came to most things. But in this one instance he indeed bested his uncle. When all was said and done, he saved one of the cities bound for destruction. Avraham did not.

At times, we need to listen to the Lots of the world. To see what they see and feel what they feel. And just as importantly, when we find ourselves in Lot’s place where we can right a wrong, we shouldn’t be intimidated or nervous that the powers-that-be have not fixed the situation. Because there is a good likelihood that we see and hear things they are missing. And who knows it could very well be that our words, prayers and pleas may very well save the lives of others the way Lot was able to do. 

Well, the midnight gangs assembled
And picked a rendezvous for the night
They’ll meet beneath that giant Exxon sign
That brings this fair city light
Man there’s an opera out on the Turnpike
There’s a ballet being fought out in the alley
Until the local cops
Cherry top
Rip this holy night…
Down in Jungleland
-Bruce Springsteen