A Tale Of Two Cities
‘The Destructive Force Does Not Distinguish Between Good And Evil’
(Bava Kamma 60a)
In relation to the plague of makkas bechoros, the Torah states: “ve’atem lo tetze’u ish mipesach beiso ad boker – and, as for you, no man shall emerge from the doorway of his house until morning” (Shemos 12:22). R. Yosef explains that once the forces of destruction are empowered, they do not distinguish between the objects of their wrath – the wicked – and the righteous in their midst.
The Rambam (Hilchos Teshuvah 3:1) Gemara, states, “One whose sins overwhelm his merits is judged as one who is wicked and is sentenced to death at the hand of Heaven. Similarly, if the collective total of the evil of a particular country’s inhabitants overwhelms their collective merits, the entire country is punished with destruction.”
Abraham’s Plea
The Torah (Bereishit 18:23-33) relates that when Abraham was informed of the impending destruction of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he proceeded to intercede on their behalf. He appealed to Hashem, “If there be found righteous individuals in the city will You, Heaven forbid, destroy them along with the wicked? Won’t You, Hashem, spare the city on behalf of the righteous?” Hashem, however, informed him that there weren’t even 10 righteous individuals to warrant saving the cities.
Abraham’s Presumption
The Lechem Mishneh (Hilchos Teshuvah 3:1) wonders why Abraham expected Hashem to save these cities in light of the principle mentioned by the Rambam that everyone is punished in a wicked city, even the righteous. He answers that Abraham thought that prayer might arouse Hashem’s mercy and cause Him to spare the cities even though they rightfully deserved destruction.
Tzaddikim Gemurim
Citing Avodah Zarah 4a, the Brisker Rav (Imrei Chen al HaTorah – Parshat Vayera) suggests that there is a difference between ordinary righteous people and tzaddikim gemurim – those whose righteousness is extraordinary and who possess an impeccable record of no sin. While the former are punished along with their wicked neighbors, the latter are spared any punishment. Thus, Abraham was suggesting to Hashem that these cities might perhaps contain tzaddikim gemurim.
Divine Wrath
The Brisker Rav offers another explanation (Kisvei HaGriz, Parashas Vayera): There are different degrees of evil. There is ordinary evil, and there is evil that is so pervasive that it engenders charon af (divine wrath). Abraham was hoping to convince Hashem that the evil of Sodom and Gomorrah did reach the level that deserved His charon af.