5

Sodom was one of the most morally corrupted societies that ever existed.

Wouldn't their disappearance be good for everyone (including themselves)?

Keeping those who are thoroughly wicked alive is not really a kindness since they will eventually damage others as the gemora says "He who is merciful to the cruel is destined to be cruel to the merciful".

I don't think one can answer: "to give them time to repent", because we see that they were thoroughly wicked, as when they attacked Lot (all of them came out, from young to old).

Improve this question
3
  • 6
    Where do you see that he prayed for the evil-doers of Sodom? I only see him praying for the righteous inhabitants that they shouldn't be treated like evil-doers. והיה כצדיק כרשע השופט כל הארץ לא יעשה משפט?
    – Double AA ♦
    Nov 9, 2012 at 7:56
  • 5
    I second Double AA's qustion, though I'd say that he was praying for the place to be saved as a whole, on account of the righteous inhabitants( "האף תספה ולא תשא למקום למען חמשים הצדיקם אשר בקרבה"). Avraham might have accepted God getting rid of the wicked inhabitants without destroying the place, and displacing it's righteous inhabitants.
    – Tamir Evan
    Nov 9, 2012 at 10:27
  • We learn from Beruria Berochos. 10a: Her husband, Rabbi Meir, prayed for the death of troublesome neighbours. Beruriah explained that sins and not sinners should be removed from the earth (see Ps. 104. 35). And as a result “the wicked will be no more.”
    – Avrohom Yitzchok
    Nov 10, 2012 at 22:54

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

wouldn't their disappearance be good for everyone

Well, the well-being of everyone is independent of their existence. One's fate is sentenced on Rosh-Hashana, for Tzadik or Rasha, or on Yon Kippur for Beinoni. That sentence applies till next year (with measured dynamics :-) ).

(including themselves)

If they're doomed for Gehenom, their own sake is to do Teshuva, which is enabled only in their lifetime.

keeping those who are thoroughly wicked alive is not really a kindness since they will eventually damage others as the gemora says "He who is merciful to the cruel is destined to be cruel to the merciful"

Off the top of my head, as Double AA and Tamir Evan indicated, he prays for the righteous. However, regarding Tamir's comment that it seems that the prayer is also for the whole place (האף תספה ולא תשא למקום למען חמשים הצדיקם אשר בקרבה), I'd say that the verse explicitly says that it's for the Tzadikim למען חמשים הצדיקים. Also, in the next verse: חללה לך מעשת כדבר הזה להמית צדיק עם רשע והיה כצדיק כרשע, it's again clear that the essence of the prayer is the righteous' lives.

So, why also save the whole place? Maybe because Avraham also prays for their living-conditions. If the city gets destructed, the Tzadikim lose their house, the close-by market, their fields... Inevitably, they also suffer from the punishment. אוי לרשע ואוי לשכנו, woe to the wicked and woe to his neighbour. Avraham prays for the whole place so that the slightest harm won't reach the Tzadikim (the words אשר בקרבה, are maybe used to emphasize the strong connection between them and their city).

i dont think one can answer: "to give them time to repent", because we see that they were thoroughly wicked, as when they attacked Lot (all of them came out, from young to old)

But that only happened after the prayer. Even Gd has decided to "go and see with own eyes":

ארדה נא ואראה הכצעקתה הבאה אלי עשו כלה ואם לא אדעה

and Unklus translates to

אעביד עמהון גמירא אם לא תיבין ואם תיבין לא אתפרע

I'll eliminate them if they don't make Teshuva but if they do I will not.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .