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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier
In 18:23 בראשית, after being informed by G-d that the depraved, wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be destroyed, Avrohom Avinu intercedes and prays to Hashem.
It seems at first glance that his argument is; Should the righteous suffer? Then abruptly his argument is that all of the people have merit to be saved due to the righteous.
Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsh זצ“ל offers a novel approach. Avrohom Avinu represents what true righteousness is. If he had lived in Sodom, he would have unceasingly tried to better his fellow citizens who had deviated from the true path of life and would have suffered over the loss of every person he had hoped to save.
Avrohom pondered, shouldn’t this deep pain the righteous of Sodom would have to endure be taken into consideration? Wouldn’t this entail punishing the righteous through the punishment of the wicked? Isn’t it then a strong enough argument to spare them the anguish – to pardon the whole condemned community? He uses the expression of בתוך העיר as comparable to this week’s הפטרה, that the אשה השונמית says “ בתוך עמי אני יושבת ”. When asked by אלישע הנביא (Kings II 4:13) if he can intercede with the king or officers to help her (the זוהר says it means the Almighty or the angels), she replies, “I don’t want to separate from my nation.” Life, true living, is only possible if one comes to Hashem, not as a separate entity, but rather as a part of a mass of people. Otherwise, all endowments from Hashem are worthless!
So too, Avrohom uses the terminology, בתוך העיר people who do not in haughtiness and arrogance look askance at the masses and abandon them, but rather understand the grave responsibility incumbent on one to exert herculean efforts to save all from a decadent lifestyle and a subsequent harsh judgement. He never ceases cajoling, rectifying, saving, trying, even if the success is minimal. Avrohom pleads; Hashem, how can these righteous bear the destruction of those they nurtured. (The opposite was in Yerushalayim at the time of the destruction of the First Temple, when the גמרא שבת נה teaches us that many righteous did not endeavor to bring the sinners back to the correct path; they therefore died first.)
Avrohom is arguing; if You, Hashem, feel their pain, then it’s only logical that everyone has to live! Hashem answers, if there are truly these righteous people; then on the contrary, it is sufficient proof that the measure of Sodom’s guilt is not full, for the majority is allowing them to exist among them. (For further, different explanations of these verses, please see מלבים and the .כתב והקבלה)
It’s incredible! Our patriarch, Avraham, who in the beginning of the portion is 99 years old, sick, weak, in pain after circumcising himself, is stationed at the opening of his tent on one of the hottest days of history, in case a traveler is in need. Why doesn’t he relax for one day? For he has taught and lives with the credo, “Living is Giving and Giving is Living.” Hashem is constantly giving (המחדש בטובו בכל יום תמיד); a human is a צלם אלוקים, here to emulate Him. Therefore, my mission is to always give! The greatest gift is to inculcate another with the idea that one has to constantly live with plan and purpose; how is that possible? Only when one is aware of the Creator, who has instructed us with this gift. It is part and parcel of human nature, the plan is embedded in our subconscious, it’s called the Torah! Chesed – be there for everyone; and inspire them with the ultimate gift – a meaningful, purposeful existence! Avrohom teaches us, it’s not an act of valor to selflessly think of others; it’s our essential, premier life task. Without the primary focus of life that there is a Supreme Being that bestows upon us every moment the many gifts of life, that He validates that I am important to Him; then invariably one will define oneself in an egotistical manner, as a sacred principle. Every person not only has to survive, but it’s mandatory to judiciously utilize their potential, if not they are an abject failure and don’t deserve assistance from anyone.
On the contrary due to this philosophy of egoism, it would be abhorrent and illogical to assist another, henceforth the Sodomite ideology.
But if one knows and lives with the fact that we are all Hashem’s family, then everyone is one’s brother and sister; we are all connected and helping another is helping oneself. It’s no different than a parent who pays tuition or buys food for a child – it’s an act of taking responsibility for oneself, for my child is my extension. So too, Avrohom Avinu taught that every person is part of one unit, and therefore one must constantly enhance another’s well-being.
