Vayera

Parshat Vayera 5784

The Kedusha coming out of our connection to mitzvots .

This is what occurred in Sedom. Hashem sent the malachim to Sedom to test the people, to see if they would  treat them hospitably. If they would have passed the test they would have nullified the decree of destruction upon their city. The thunderous noises and earthquakes that had been occurring over a period of twenty-five years in order to convince them to do teshuva (as related by Chazal in the Medrash), would cease. 

Why did the People of Sedom Specifically seek to Attack Lot’s Guests?
 The Torah relates that  the people of Sodom converged upon the house, from young to old, all the people from every quarter. And they called Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? (19:4-9).
Why were the people of Sedom so interested in the three men who had come to their city? Why did it bother them so greatly that Lot was hosting them? Furthermore, Rashi explains that when they requested that Lot tell the men to leave his home so that “we can know them”, they meant that they wanted to engage in an illicit manner with them! Why were they drawn to these men in such an extraordinary fashion?

We must remember that  in that period of history the people of Sedom were the embodiment of tumah (impurity) -. It is well-known that any element of tumah causes the creation of a corresponding and equivalent element of kedusha.  That tumah is drawn strongly to the kedusha created in its wake, in fact, the most powerful elements of tumah seek to attach themselves to the most powerful elements of kedusha.
In Kabbalistic terms this is described as the “klipot” (literally the “shells”, representing the forces of impurity) seeking to suckle from the elements of kedusha. This is the reason that the Ari haKadosh suggested that a person should have thoughts of teshuva before performing a mitzvah.  These thoughts prevent the forces of tumah from removing the holy impact of the mitzvah and diverting the person of his reward. We all know that mitzvot are sometimes not performed l’shem Shamayim ,we should be aware that this can allow the klipot to penetrate the mitzvah and the forces of tumah to attack the forces of kedusha produced by the mitzvah.

The people of Sedom sensed the kedusha of Lot’s guests  and were drawn to it so strongly that they completely lost control of their actions. Since they were possessed by such extreme forces of tumah they desperately needed to cling on to the equivalent forces of kedusha, to the extent that they  rejected Lot’s pleas and his attempts to placate them.
In response, Lot made the townspeople a seemingly senseless offer: “See now, I have two daughters who have never known a man. I shall bring them out to you and do to them as you please ,  but to these men do not hurt them given that they have come under the shelter of my roof.” What was his intent?

We may suggest that Lot understood that the mob of people were expressing the urgent need of their impure souls to attach themselves to kedusha. He therefore offered them his daughters “who have never known a man” for they represented the epitome of kedusha for a woman. Perhaps the people could satisfy their urge to attach themselves to kedusha through these innocent women.
In fact, remarkably, the kedusha embodied by Lot’s two daughters brought forth the future dynasty of Yisrael, as David haMelech and indeed Mashiach, descended from Ruth who descended from them.

A Test from Shamayim to a Person against whom a Difficult Decree has been made, so that he can Overcome the Test and Erase the Decree

Some offer a different explanation of this event, based on a comment of the Rambam. In Perush hamishnayot (Brachot 9:7) the Rambam states that if it is decreed that a person be strictly punished, Hashem gives him an opportunity to save himself before the punishment is meted out. He is sent a test, often an extremely difficult one, which he must attempt to overcome, and if he does, his sin will be forgiven and the decree nullified.
Unfortunately the people of Sedom did not pass the test. They congregated “from young to old, all the people from every quarter” to threaten the guests who had appeared in their town; they failed the test. Immediately thereafter Hashem’s decree was carried out and Sedom was destroyed .
Apparently, there was a stage when Lot had begun to see himself as a part of the city of Sedom; not just a temporary resident. Seeing this, Hashem sent him a difficult test. Chazal relates that in Sedom hosting guests was outlawed - on one occasion a girl was burnt to death for the “sin” of feeding a friend who was dying of starvation. The test for Lot was to ignore the heinous laws of the city and to act hospitably.
The Purpose of the Test was to Grant Lot the Merit to be Saved from the Destruction of Sedom
By acting hospitably Lot would set himself apart from the rest of the city and allow himself to escape its destruction. He did so with flying colors. Ignoring the city’s forceful ban on hosting guests he pressured the malachim greatly to come into his home; he would not take no for an answer. The Ramban elaborates:'''And he pleaded greatly with them: It was a source of merit for Lot that he was insistent and that he had a good desire to take in guests. The malachim accepted in order to give him this merit - this is why they acceded to him in the end.'''

In other words, the purpose of the malachim’s visit was to elicit a strong desire within Lot to host them in spite of the wicked laws of the city and Lot’s affinity to these laws. He was given the chance to risk his life and stand up to the people of the city, when they surrounded his house and threatened to break down the door. The malachim’s intent was to prompt him to perform the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim not in mindless fashion but as a result of a strong desire born out of yirat Shamayim . Acting in this way would constitute repentance for his connection to the nefarious practices of Sedom and would make him deserving of salvation. 
In response, Lot stood up to the test. He risked his life to host the malachim and in doing so,  he connected himself to the point of kedusha contained in the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim. From that connection Hashem granted him a connection to all of Torah and mitzvot and to the ways of Avraham Avinu. This was the pathway of Lot’s repentance, as implied by the Ramban above, and was the basis for his salvation from the destruction of Sedom.

 May Hashem save us from difficult trials - may we always be connected to him and to his mitsvots without the need to be tested as we say every morning : Please do not bring me to sin , nor to iniquity , nor to be tested nor to shame ..........Rather grant me today as well as every day ,  grace , kindness and compassion in your eyes and in the eyes of all who see me .  

Shabbat Shalom  

Rabbi Gad Bouskila