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Leave and Don't Look Back
This week Avraham questions God. Upon learning that God plans to wipe out the cities of Sodom and Gemorah if, upon review, they are really as sinful as they are said to be. Avraham asks “Will you sweep away the innocent along with the guilty? What if you find 50 innocent people in the city?” God agrees not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if there are 50 innocent people. Avraham continues his haggling until he gets to 10 innocent people. “I will not destroy, for the sake of the ten,” came the reply.
The visiting angels, acting on behalf of God, test the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. They only find Lot innocent. They inform Lot about the demise of the cities and instruct him to gather his family and leave. Lot’s sons-in-law believed him to be joking. He continued trying to convince them. The angels urged Lot to take his wife and two remaining daughters and leave, otherwise they would be swept away from the city. He delayed.
The Torah explains that the angels had to take Lot and his family by his hands and hurry them out of Sodom as he had delayed so long. Lot’s wife looked back during their escape though she had been warned not to. Lot delayed because he did not want to leave his married daughters and husbands behind. His wife looked back to see if her married daughters were following and in compassion for her friends and neighbors.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Israel have been evacuated from their homes. The reasons may be out of necessity following an attack that left their homes unlivable, out of fear of repeated attacks, constant sirens suggesting rockets coming their way, because they’ve been told to get out of harm's way, because they want to shield their family from war and know they’ll be safer elsewhere. There are approximately 700,000 people who have left Northern Gaza heeding the warnings of the IDF who have made clear their intentions and have followed through with a ground operation in Northern Gaza, attempting to weed out those who are wicked.
Radak explains that when Lot’s wife turns to salt, it was not a punishment, rather she hesitated and got caught up in the destruction of the cities. Her fate was a natural consequence of not heeding a warning, of slowing down.
The day after hearing about their impending destruction, Avraham woke to see if his intercession had been successful. He knows that the inhabitants were sinful and wicked, but he was still moved by the destruction of the wicked, however necessary.
Daniel G. Saunders offers this understanding: Please God the IDF will be totally successful in the removal of Hamas from Gaza, but being moved by the suffering of those present is part of our Jewish heritage. Just as in ancient times a Bet Din (court) fasted on the day of a judicial execution, to remind the judges of the seriousness of taking human life, however justified and necessary for the good of the community, so we too hold on to our humanity when we are moved by the destruction even from a just and necessary war.
I agree. Amen.
Shabbat Shalom
Bring them Home
On October 7th, 2023 Hamas abducted over 241 civilians from Israel.
https://www.kidnappedfromisrael.com/
Support and Solidarity for the Safe Return of Hostages, Blue Ribbons for Israel Campaign
https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/
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