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Lot - A Study in Mediocrity and Ambivalence
Lot - A Study in Mediocrity and Ambivalence Part 2 - Printer Friendly Version
Lot was a member of Avraham’s family. He followed Avraham on his sojourns and adopted his values. But after living in Egypt, something changed. Lot was influenced by Egyptian society, which was technologically advanced, though morally primitive. After they left Egypt, Lot was no longer able to live with Avraham. He separated from his mentor and headed toward Sodom. The Talmud elaborates on this choice:
תלמוד בבלי – נזיר כג:
דרש רבא ואיתימא רבי יצחק מאי דכתיב {משלי י"ח:א'} לתאוה יבקש נפרד ובכל תושיה יתגלע לתאוה יבקש נפרד זה לוט ובכל תושיה יתגלע שנתגלה קלונו בבתי כנסיות ובבתי מדרשות דתנן עמוני ומואבי אסורין ואיסורן איסור עולם
Talmud Bavli - Nazir 23b
On the same issue, Rava expounded a verse homiletically, and some say it was Rabbi Yitzḥak: What is the meaning of that which is written: “He who separates himself seeks his own desire, and snarls against all sound wisdom” (Proverbs 18:1)? “He who separates himself seeks his own desire,” this is Lot, who separated from Abraham. “And snarls [yitgala] against all sound wisdom,” this too describes Lot, as his shame was eventually revealed [nitgala] in the synagogues, when his actions recorded in the Torah are read in public, and in the study halls, where the halakhot of his descendants are taught. As we learned in a mishna: An Ammonite and a Moabite are prohibited from entering the congregation by marrying a Jewish woman, and their prohibition is permanent.
משלי יח:א
לְֽ֭תַאֲוָה יְבַקֵּ֣שׁ נִפְרָ֑ד בְּכׇל־תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗ה יִתְגַּלָּֽע׃
He that separateth himself seeketh his own desire, And snarlest against all sound wisdom.
רש"י משלי יח:א
לתאוה יבקש נפרד – מי שנפרד מן הקב"ה שלא לשמר מצותיו לתאות לבו ויצרו הרע הוא רודף וסופו בכל תושיה יתגלע בין החכמים תגלה חרפתו. ורבותינו פירשוהו בלוט שנפרד מאברהם על תאות לבו: ויבחר לו לוט את כל ככר הירדן וגו' (בראשית י"ג:י"א) כל המקרא הזה על שם ניאוף נאמר, וסופו נתגלה קלונו בבתי כניסיות ומדרשות: לא יבא עמוני וגו' (דברים כ"ג:ד').
Rashi on Mishlei 18:1
He who is separated seeks lust He who is separated from the Holy One, blessed be He, not keeping His precepts, pursues the lust of his heart and his evil inclination, and finally... in all sound wisdom, he is exposed Among the wise, his disgrace will be revealed. Our Sages expounded this as referring to Lot, who separated from Abraham because of the lust of his heart, as it is stated (Gen. 13:11): "And Lot chose for himself the entire plain of the Jordan, etc." This whole verse is stated concerning adultery. His end was that his shame was exposed in the synagogues and in the study halls, [when people read] (Deut. 23:4): "Neither an Ammonite nor a Moabite may enter [the congregation of the Lord]."
The Talmud applies the verse in Mishlei to Lot, indicating that in his choice to separate from Avraham he was primarily motivated by his desires. He saw the lush plain of the Jordan, and eventually was sucked into the materialistic and immoral society of Sodom.
In Avraham’s household, Lot was exposed to a lifestyle committed to truth, justice, and kindness. It stood in stark contrast with the surrounding culture. Lot accepted Avraham’s principles and tried to follow his lead.
Lot’s experience in Egypt and his newfound wealth awakened a conflict within him. He was deeply influence by Avraham and wanted to stay loyal to his values. However, he also wanted everything the material world offered. He was hopeful he could simultaneously pursue both. But when these pursuits came into conflict, he was forced to make a choice. We see Lot choose to separate from Avraham in Parshat Lech Lecha. In Parshat Vayera, we see the consequences of this choice.
The conflict between Avraham’s values and the materialistic society of Sodom play out in Lot’s actions. He does sustain guests, but only at night out of the watchful eyes of his neighbors. He is willing to stand-up to protect them, but he is willing to give up his daughters to do so. He imitates particulars of Avraham’s actions, but they are devoid of Avraham’s values.
Lot is deeply conflicted about leaving Sodom. When he finally does, he insists that he can no longer live with Avraham. His world is no longer compatible with Avraham’s.
בראשית רבה פרשת וירא פרשה נא:ט
רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא בַּר רַבִּי חִיָּא מִשֵּׁם רַבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָא תֻּרְגְּמָנָא אֵין כָּל שַׁבָּת וְשַׁבָּת שֶׁאֵין קוֹרִין בָּהּ פָּרָשָׁתוֹ שֶׁל לוֹט, מַאי טַעְמֵיהּ (משלי יח, א): בְּכָל תּוּשִׁיָּה יִתְגַּלָּע.
Bereisheet Rabbah 41:9
Rebbe Tanchuma bar Rebbe Chiya in the name of Rebbe Hoshaya the speaker, “Not a week goes by that we do not read the section of Lot.” What is the reason? “In all manner of wisdom he is exposed (Mishlei 18:1)
There is something universal in the story of Lot. While it possible to be steadfast in the Torah’s values and to have material wealth, exemplified by Avraham, sometimes the pursuit of each come into conflict. Avraham was clear about his priorities. He refused to accept even a shoelace from the king of Sodom (Bereisheet 14:22) lest it compromise his ability to teach and pursue justice. Lot tries to make compromises, but ends up with only the empty shell of Avraham’s teachings. His mediocre attempt at maintaining Avraham’s values and eventual ambivalence, lead him toward a path of depravity. Lot is a central character – he is cautionary tale. Sodom’s values of materialism, licentiousness, and corruption stand in contrast to Avraham’s values of truth, kindness, and justice. Lot’s ambivalence and mediocrity stand in contrast to Avraham’s clarity of mission and steadfast commitment.
References
Translation of the Talmud from The William Davidson digital edition of the Koren Noé Talmud, with commentary by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz Even-Israel (CC-BY-NC 4.0), digitized by Sefaria. Retrieved from: https://shas.alhatorah.org/Full/Nazir/23b.1#e0n6
Rashi in English on Mishlei. Translated by A. Cohen, Soncino Press (London, 1945). Retrieved from: https://mg.alhatorah.org/Full/Mishlei/18.1#e0n6
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bentorah.substack.com
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By Ben TorahLot - A Study in Mediocrity and Ambivalence Part 2 - Printer Friendly Version
Lot was a member of Avraham’s family. He followed Avraham on his sojourns and adopted his values. But after living in Egypt, something changed. Lot was influenced by Egyptian society, which was technologically advanced, though morally primitive. After they left Egypt, Lot was no longer able to live with Avraham. He separated from his mentor and headed toward Sodom. The Talmud elaborates on this choice:
תלמוד בבלי – נזיר כג:
דרש רבא ואיתימא רבי יצחק מאי דכתיב {משלי י"ח:א'} לתאוה יבקש נפרד ובכל תושיה יתגלע לתאוה יבקש נפרד זה לוט ובכל תושיה יתגלע שנתגלה קלונו בבתי כנסיות ובבתי מדרשות דתנן עמוני ומואבי אסורין ואיסורן איסור עולם
Talmud Bavli - Nazir 23b
On the same issue, Rava expounded a verse homiletically, and some say it was Rabbi Yitzḥak: What is the meaning of that which is written: “He who separates himself seeks his own desire, and snarls against all sound wisdom” (Proverbs 18:1)? “He who separates himself seeks his own desire,” this is Lot, who separated from Abraham. “And snarls [yitgala] against all sound wisdom,” this too describes Lot, as his shame was eventually revealed [nitgala] in the synagogues, when his actions recorded in the Torah are read in public, and in the study halls, where the halakhot of his descendants are taught. As we learned in a mishna: An Ammonite and a Moabite are prohibited from entering the congregation by marrying a Jewish woman, and their prohibition is permanent.
משלי יח:א
לְֽ֭תַאֲוָה יְבַקֵּ֣שׁ נִפְרָ֑ד בְּכׇל־תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗ה יִתְגַּלָּֽע׃
He that separateth himself seeketh his own desire, And snarlest against all sound wisdom.
רש"י משלי יח:א
לתאוה יבקש נפרד – מי שנפרד מן הקב"ה שלא לשמר מצותיו לתאות לבו ויצרו הרע הוא רודף וסופו בכל תושיה יתגלע בין החכמים תגלה חרפתו. ורבותינו פירשוהו בלוט שנפרד מאברהם על תאות לבו: ויבחר לו לוט את כל ככר הירדן וגו' (בראשית י"ג:י"א) כל המקרא הזה על שם ניאוף נאמר, וסופו נתגלה קלונו בבתי כניסיות ומדרשות: לא יבא עמוני וגו' (דברים כ"ג:ד').
Rashi on Mishlei 18:1
He who is separated seeks lust He who is separated from the Holy One, blessed be He, not keeping His precepts, pursues the lust of his heart and his evil inclination, and finally... in all sound wisdom, he is exposed Among the wise, his disgrace will be revealed. Our Sages expounded this as referring to Lot, who separated from Abraham because of the lust of his heart, as it is stated (Gen. 13:11): "And Lot chose for himself the entire plain of the Jordan, etc." This whole verse is stated concerning adultery. His end was that his shame was exposed in the synagogues and in the study halls, [when people read] (Deut. 23:4): "Neither an Ammonite nor a Moabite may enter [the congregation of the Lord]."
The Talmud applies the verse in Mishlei to Lot, indicating that in his choice to separate from Avraham he was primarily motivated by his desires. He saw the lush plain of the Jordan, and eventually was sucked into the materialistic and immoral society of Sodom.
In Avraham’s household, Lot was exposed to a lifestyle committed to truth, justice, and kindness. It stood in stark contrast with the surrounding culture. Lot accepted Avraham’s principles and tried to follow his lead.
Lot’s experience in Egypt and his newfound wealth awakened a conflict within him. He was deeply influence by Avraham and wanted to stay loyal to his values. However, he also wanted everything the material world offered. He was hopeful he could simultaneously pursue both. But when these pursuits came into conflict, he was forced to make a choice. We see Lot choose to separate from Avraham in Parshat Lech Lecha. In Parshat Vayera, we see the consequences of this choice.
The conflict between Avraham’s values and the materialistic society of Sodom play out in Lot’s actions. He does sustain guests, but only at night out of the watchful eyes of his neighbors. He is willing to stand-up to protect them, but he is willing to give up his daughters to do so. He imitates particulars of Avraham’s actions, but they are devoid of Avraham’s values.
Lot is deeply conflicted about leaving Sodom. When he finally does, he insists that he can no longer live with Avraham. His world is no longer compatible with Avraham’s.
בראשית רבה פרשת וירא פרשה נא:ט
רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא בַּר רַבִּי חִיָּא מִשֵּׁם רַבִּי הוֹשַׁעְיָא תֻּרְגְּמָנָא אֵין כָּל שַׁבָּת וְשַׁבָּת שֶׁאֵין קוֹרִין בָּהּ פָּרָשָׁתוֹ שֶׁל לוֹט, מַאי טַעְמֵיהּ (משלי יח, א): בְּכָל תּוּשִׁיָּה יִתְגַּלָּע.
Bereisheet Rabbah 41:9
Rebbe Tanchuma bar Rebbe Chiya in the name of Rebbe Hoshaya the speaker, “Not a week goes by that we do not read the section of Lot.” What is the reason? “In all manner of wisdom he is exposed (Mishlei 18:1)
There is something universal in the story of Lot. While it possible to be steadfast in the Torah’s values and to have material wealth, exemplified by Avraham, sometimes the pursuit of each come into conflict. Avraham was clear about his priorities. He refused to accept even a shoelace from the king of Sodom (Bereisheet 14:22) lest it compromise his ability to teach and pursue justice. Lot tries to make compromises, but ends up with only the empty shell of Avraham’s teachings. His mediocre attempt at maintaining Avraham’s values and eventual ambivalence, lead him toward a path of depravity. Lot is a central character – he is cautionary tale. Sodom’s values of materialism, licentiousness, and corruption stand in contrast to Avraham’s values of truth, kindness, and justice. Lot’s ambivalence and mediocrity stand in contrast to Avraham’s clarity of mission and steadfast commitment.
References
Translation of the Talmud from The William Davidson digital edition of the Koren Noé Talmud, with commentary by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz Even-Israel (CC-BY-NC 4.0), digitized by Sefaria. Retrieved from: https://shas.alhatorah.org/Full/Nazir/23b.1#e0n6
Rashi in English on Mishlei. Translated by A. Cohen, Soncino Press (London, 1945). Retrieved from: https://mg.alhatorah.org/Full/Mishlei/18.1#e0n6
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bentorah.substack.com