וְאַנְשֵׁי סְדֹם רָעִים וְחַטָּאִים לַה’ מְאֹד׃
The inhabitants of Sodom were very wicked sinners against the LORD. (13:13)
Here’s a sample of their wickedness.
The law there was to make foreigners and beggars feel as unwelcome as possible. The judges were assigned to uphold that law. When Eliezer, the servant of Avraham (who is mentioned in this week’s parsha in chapter 12, and mentioned extensively in parshat Chayei Sara chapter 24) found himself in Sodom, he was beaten bloody. He took his attacker to court where the judge ordered him to pay his attacker for blood letting! Eliezer then took a stick and beat the judge bloody. He turned to the judge and said, “Now you owe me for blood letting! Instead of paying me, pay my attacker for me.”
This is a mild sample of the sinfulness of Sodom towards outsiders.
Pirke Avot (5:10) teaches us what the ideology of Sodom was. “There are four types of character in human beings: One that says: “mine is mine, and yours is yours”: this is a commonplace type; and some describe this is a Sodom-type of character. [One that says:] “mine is yours and yours is mine”: is an unlearned person (am haaretz); [One that says:] “mine is yours and yours is yours” is a pious person. [One that says:] “mine is mine, and yours is mine” is a wicked person.”
It seems odd for this seemingly benign trait of what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours to be associated with the cruel city of סדום. The commentary of Tiferes Yisroel explains the downward spiral of Sodom in the following way.
It began with being inhospitable to foreigners. It seems that the accepted practice was to accommodate those travelling through a city. Sodom’s attitude was, “Take care of yourself or find somewhere else to stay.” Now this would mean that if someone from Sodom was in a foreign city he would then be treated in the same inhospitable way. But to the people of Sodom that didn’t matter because, “What’s mine is mine and what’s your is yours.” You don’t bother me and I won’t bother you. That’s why this trait is described as a Sodom-type character.
But, write Tiferes Yisroel, it didn’t stop there. Their inhospitable attitude didn’t allow for the Sodomites to build any kind of friendly relationship with outsiders. From there things spiraled downward and eventually turned into cruelty towards them.
In other words, not giving is not benign. It can lead to insensitivity and even cruelty.
Sefer HaChinuch in mitzvah 611 writes:
The commandment to walk in – and make oneself similar through – the ways of God, may He be blessed:
That we were commanded to perform all our actions in the way of straightness and goodness with all our strength and to incline all our affairs that are between ourselves and others towards the way of kindness and mercy; as we have known from our holy Torah that this is the way of God, and this is God’s desire for His creatures so that they merit God’s goodness – as He desires kindness. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 28:9), “and you shall walk in His ways.” And this commandment was further repeated in another place, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:12, 11:22), “to walk in all His ways.”
So, if you don’t give, you are opening the door to becoming cruel.
If you do give, you are becoming G-dly!
Shabbat Shalom!
Yitzchak