“And the Lord rained down brimstone and fire upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah from the Lord, from the heavens” (Genesis 19:24). “And the Lord rained down brimstone and fire upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah…” – it is written: “Let them be like snails that melt away as they go along, like a nefel mole [eshet],¹ which has never seen the sun…” (Psalms 58:9). Like this kilei-silei, a snail, like a slug that dissolves into refuse, like a mole that does not have a chance to see the sun before it returns to the earth, like a married woman [eshet ish] who committed adultery, who is ashamed to show her fetus and casts it away at night before it sees the sun. That is what is written: “The sun rose upon the earth and Lot came to Tzoar” (Genesis 19:23).²

footnotes: ¹ A kind of subterranean animal. ² The people of Sodom also did not see the sun, but were annihilated at sunrise.

“And the Lord rained down…upon Sodom…” – this is analogous to two provinces that rebelled against the king. The king said: ‘Let one of them³ be burned down at its own expense, and let the other one be burned at the expense of the royal treasury.’⁴ So, elsewhere [regarding Edom]: “Its streams will turn into pitch, and its dust into sulfur, [and its land will become burning pitch]” (Isaiah 34:9).⁵ But here, “and the Lord rained down…upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah from the Lord, from the heavens….”⁶ Rabbi Avun said: This is analogous to a maidservant who was removing a loaf of bread from the oven. Her mistress’s son came along, and she removed a loaf and gave it to him. Her own grandson came along, and she removed coals and gave them to him. So, elsewhere, [regarding Israel]: “The Lord said to Moses: Behold, I am raining down food for you from the heavens” (Exodus 16:4). But here, “and the Lord rained down brimstone and fire upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah.”⁷ Rabbi Ḥelbo ben Rabbi Ḥilfi bar Simkai in the name of Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Simon: “and the Lord rained down…upon Sodom” – this refers to Gavriel. “From the Lord from the heavens” – this is the Holy One blessed be He.⁸ Rabbi Elazar said: Every place that “and the Lord” is stated, it refers to Him and His heavenly court.⁹ Rabbi Yitzḥak said: In the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the Writings, we find that an ordinary person mentions his name twice in one verse.¹⁰ In the Torah: “Lemekh said to his wives: […wives of Lemekh, hear my words…]” (Genesis 4:23). “My wives” is not written here, but rather: “Wives of Lemekh, hear…” (Genesis 4:23). In the Prophets: “The king said to them: Take with you the servants of your lord, mount Solomon my son upon my mule…” (I Kings 1:33). “The king’s son” is not written here, but rather, “Solomon my son.”¹¹ In the Writings: “[King Aḥashverosh said…] as a document that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the ring of the king may not be revoked” (Esther 8:7–8). And you wonder that the Holy One blessed be He mentions His name twice in one verse?¹²

footnotes: ³ The province whose rebellion was less severe. ⁴ The province that rebelled more severely. The king was so anxious to destroy it that he wanted to do it at state expense. ⁵ The Edomites were less sinful than the people of Sodom, and their fire of punishment came from their own streams and dirt. ⁶ God punished the people of Sodom from His own resources, namely, fire and brimstone from heaven. ⁷ Heaven is like the maidservant of God. When God’s child, Israel, comes along, heaven provides it with bread. When heaven’s own children come along, alluding to the people of Sodom, who worshiped the heavenly bodies, heaven provides them with fire and brimstone. ⁸ The Midrash is explaining the unusual wording of the verse: “And the Lord rained down brimstone… from the Lord,” rather than “from Himself.” The first mention of “the Lord” refers to the angel Gavriel. ⁹ And that is why “and the Lord” can be interpreted to refer to Gavriel. ¹⁰ Instead of using the pronoun ‘me’ or ‘my’ to refer to himself, he says his name. ¹¹ Many commentators emend the Midrash: “Take with you my servants” is not written here, but rather: “Take with you the servants of your lord.” ¹² Even ordinary people speak like this, so we should not be surprised that the verse speaks this way regarding God: “And the Lord rained down brimstone…from the Lord.”

“Brimstone and fire” – that is what is written: “He will rain upon the wicked burning coal [paḥim], fire and brimstone…” (Psalms 11:6).**“Paḥim” – [this means both] coals and traps. “Fire and brimstone” – why is it that when a person smells brimstone his soul becomes unsettled? It is because it knows that it will be sentenced with it in the future, as it is stated: “[Fire and brimstone…] will be their lot [menat kosam]” (Psalms 11:6). Rabbi Yishmael bar Naḥman in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: Like a cup [kos] of herbal drink [that one drinks] after attending the bathhouse.¹³ Rabbi Ḥanina [ben Pazi] said: Nothing bad ever descends from on High. They raised an objection: But is it not written: “Fire and hail, snow and vapor”? (Psalms 148:8). He said to them: It is the “storm wind” that “performs His word” (Psalms 148:8).¹⁴ A statement of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish disagrees with what Rabbi Ḥanina ben Pazi said, [as Rabbi Shimon said]: “The Lord will open for you His storehouse of goodness” (Deuteronomy 28:12) – from here we learn that He has other storehouses.¹⁵ “From the Lord from the heavens”¹⁶ – like something hurled by a mighty man.

footnotes: ¹³ This drink was drunk with much eagerness, enjoyed to the last drop. So, too, the wicked will drink their cup of punishment to the last drop. ¹⁴ When they first descend from heaven, they are not harmful. It is the storm wind that renders them harmful. ¹⁵ Storehouses that contain things other than “goodness.” ¹⁶ The verse states that it was from the heavens, why was it necessary to state also “from the Lord”?

“He overturned those cities, and the entire plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the vegetation of the earth” (Genesis 19:25). “He overturned those cities” – Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: These five cities were situated on a single rock, and the angel extended his hand and overturned them. That is what is written: “He extends his hand to the flinty rock [ḥalamish]; he overturns mountains from the root” (Job 28:9). Two amora’im disagreed: One said: With one-fifth [ḥomesh] of the hand, and one said: With one-fifth of the little finger. Rabbi Yehoshua said: “And the vegetation of the earth” – even the plants that were in the earth were stricken. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: To this day, if a person collects rain from the airspace of Sodom and places it in a furrow, it will not facilitate growth.

“His wife looked behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26). “His wife looked behind him, [and she became a pillar of salt]” – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This was because she sinned with salt on that night that the angels came to Lot. What did she do? She went to all her neighbors and said to them: ‘Give me salt, as we have guests,’ and her intention was that the residents of the city should become aware of them. That is why “she became a pillar of salt.”

It was when God destroyed the cities of the plain, God remembered Abraham, and He sent Lot from the midst of the upheaval, as He overturned the cities in which Lot lived” (Genesis 19:29). “It was when God destroyed the cities of the plain, God remembered Abraham, and He sent Lot” – what memory did He remember on his [Lot’s] behalf? It was the silence that he had maintained when Abraham said regarding Sarah his wife: “She is my sister” (Genesis 12:18) – He knew [this was not true], but he remained silent. “From the midst of the upheaval [as He overturned the cities in which Lot lived]” – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: He dwelled in [all of] them.¹⁷ The Rabbis say: He would lend them money with usury.¹⁸

footnotes: ¹⁷ He spent time in all five cities. ¹⁸ In that sense Lot “lived” in all five cities. He earned his livelihood by moneylending to the residents of all of them.

“Lot ascended from Tzoar and settled on the mountain, and his two daughters with him, because he feared to live in Tzoar. He lived in a cave, he and his two daughters” (Genesis 19:30). “Lot ascended from Tzoar and settled on the mountain” – that is what is written: “For the chief musician, al tashḥet, an instruction by David, when he was in the cave when he fled from Saul” (Psalms 57:1). He [David] said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, before I entered the cave, You performed acts of kindness for others on my behalf;¹⁹ now that I am situated in the cave, may it be Your will that “You will not destroy [al tashḥet].”’

footnotes: ¹⁹ You spared Lot, as my forbearer, Moav, was born from him and his elder daughter.

“The elder said to the younger: Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to consort with us in the way of the world” (Genesis 19:31). “The elder said to the younger: Our father is old, [and there is no man on the earth]…” – because they believed that the entire world had come to an end, as in the generation of the Flood. “Let us give our father wine to drink, and we will lie with him, and we will give life to offspring from our father” (Genesis 19:32). “Let us give our father wine to drink…” – Rabbi Tanḥuma in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: “We will give life to offspring from our father.” “We will give life to a child from our father” is not written here, but rather, “we will give life to offspring from our father” – that offspring that will come from another place. Which is that? The messianic king.²⁰ “They gave their father wine to drink that night. The elder came and lay with her father and he was not aware when she lay and when she arose” (Genesis 19:33). “They gave their father wine…[and when she arose [uvkuma]]” – there is a dot over the vav of uvkuma, [intimating] that when she lay he was not aware, but when she arose he was aware. “It was the next day, and the elder said to the younger: Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us give him wine to drink tonight as well and come and lie with him, and we will give life to offspring from our father” (Genesis 19:34). “It was the next day and the elder said to the younger…. [Let us give him wine]” – from where did they get wine in the cave? Because they [the people of Sodom] had a preponderance of wine, they would hide it away in caves. Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: Something resembling a sample of the World to Come was provided for them,²¹ just as it says: “It will be on that day,²² that the mountains will drip with juice” (Joel 4:18).

footnotes: ²⁰ The Messiah, scion of David, will be a distant descendant of Lot, through Moav and Ruth. ²¹ It came there miraculously, so that Lot’s daughters could intoxicate him and have children through him, from whom David would descend. ²² In Messianic times.

“Lot’s two daughters conceived from their father” (Genesis 19:36). “Lot’s two daughters conceived from their father” – Rabbi Elazar said: A woman never conceives from her initial act of intercourse. But is it not written: “Lot’s two daughters conceived from their father”? (Genesis 19:36). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: They manipulated themselves, broke their hymen, and conceived as though it were from a second act of intercourse. Rav Naḥman bar Ḥanin said: Anyone who has a ravenous appetite for sexual relations will ultimately be fed his own flesh.²³ Rabbi Yudan of Gaul and Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, both in the name of Rabbi Elyehoeini: We do not know whether Lot lusted after his daughters or his daughters lusted after him. From what is written: “The isolated one²⁴ seeks lust” (Proverbs 18:1), we see that Lot lusted after his daughters, but his daughters did not lust after him. Rabbi Tanḥuma bar Rabbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rabbi Hoshaya the interpreter: There is no Shabbat on which one does not read the passage about Lot.²⁵ What is the source for this? “The isolated one seeks lust, with all tushiya²⁶is a reference to Torah (see Sanhedrin26a). he will be exposed”²⁷ (Proverbs 18:1). Rabbi Aḥa said: “They will be exposed” is not written here, but rather, “he will be exposed” – the men [of Amon and Moav] were distanced, but the women were drawn near.²⁸

footnotes: ²³ A metaphor for incest. ²⁴ Lot, who was isolated from Abraham. ²⁵ In those days there was apparently a practice to recite the passage about Lot every Shabbat, to warn people not to overindulge in wine. ²⁶ Tushiya ²⁷ The shame of Lot is exposed for all to reflect upon. ²⁸ The shame of Lot is preserved for all time, in that the Torah prohibits Moavite and Amonite men from marrying Israelite women (Deuteronomy 23:4). The shame of Lot’s daughters is not preserved, however, because Moavite and Amonite women may marry Israelite men.

That is what is written [concerning Moav]: “I know its fury, the utterance of the Lord, and its lies [badav] are unfounded [lo khen]” (Jeremiah 48:30). Rabbi Huna bar Pappa and Rabbi Simon, Rabbi Huna said: At the beginning of Moav’s conception, it was not for the sake of licentiousness, but rather, for the sake of Heaven.²⁹ Thus it is stated: His offshoots [badav] are not like that [lo khen]. They [Moav’s descendants] did not act for the sake of Heaven, but for the sake of licentiousness, as it is stated: “Israel was residing in Shitim, and the people began to engage in licentiousness [with the daughters of Moav]” (Numbers 25:1).³⁰ Rabbi Simon said: From the beginning of Moav’s conception it was not for the sake of Heaven, but rather, for the sake of licentiousness, as it is stated: “Its fury [evrato]³¹ to be related to ibur, conception.…its lies [badav] are unfounded [lo khen]”– his offshoots [badav]³² can mean either lies or offshoots. did not act this way [lo khen] – [they did not act] for the sake of licentiousness, but for the sake of Heaven, as it is stated: “She³³ went down to the threshing floor, and acted in accordance with everything that her mother-in-law had commanded her” (Ruth 3:6).³⁴ Rabbi Levi said: If Moav’s beginning was for the sake of licentiousness, his later act was also for the sake of licentiousness, [and the verse is to be interpreted:] Did his offshoots [badav] not do so as well [lo khen]? “Israel was residing in Shitim…” And if the beginning of his conception was for the sake of Heaven, his end was also for the sake of Heaven, [and the verse is to be interpreted:] Did his offshoots [badav] not do so as well [lo khen]? “She went down to the threshing floor.”

footnotes: ²⁹ Lot’s daughters acted out of noble motives, as they thought there was no other way to repopulate the world (see section 8). ³⁰ Those Moavites, unlike their forebear, Lot’s daughter, acted out of immoral motivations. ³¹ The Midrash interprets evrato ³² Badav ³³ Ruth the Moavite. ³⁴ By lying down next to Boaz as he slept.

“The elder gave birth to a son, and called his name Moav; he is the ancestor of the Moavites to this day” (Genesis 19:37). “The younger too gave birth to a son, and called his name Ben-Ami, he is the ancestor of Benei Amon to this day” (Genesis 19:38). “The elder gave birth to a son…” – Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Aivu: The elder daughter, because she demeaned her father’s honor and called his [her son’s] name Moav, meaning from father,³⁵ the verse said: “Do not besiege Moav, and do not provoke war with them” (Deuteronomy 2:9) – you may not wage war with them, but you may breach their riverbeds, or burn their stacks of grain with fire.³⁶ But the younger daughter, because she spared her father’s honor and said: “And she called his name Ben-Ami” – meaning the son of the one who was together with me, the verse states: “Do not besiege them and do not provoke them” (Deuteronomy 2:19) – at all. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Ḥanin said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Lot’s daughters were going to violate a transgression,³⁷ yet they were remembered favorably [by God].³⁸ By what merit? It was due to the merit of Moav – the one who [mi] is the father [av], as it is stated in Abraham’s regard: “For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:5).

footnotes: ³⁵ By calling her son Moav she made the act of incest public, which demeaned her father’s honor. ³⁶ You may intimidate them in other ways, as long as you do not wage war against them. ³⁷ This opinion maintains that Lot’s daughters acted immorally. ³⁸ God granted them pregnancies and great nations emerged from them.