RITSS HIGH SCHOOL

PRESENTS A

D`VAR TORAH

ON VAYAIRA (5758)

By Rabbi Moshe Heigh

WHY WOULD ANYONE DAVEN FOR THE PEOPLE OF SEDOM?

"Avraham came forward (vayigash) and said, 'Will You actually wipe out the innocent together with the guilty? Perhaps there are fifty innocent people in the city. Would You still destroy it, and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty innocent people inside it?'" (Perek Yud Ches, 23-24). Rashi, based directly on Beraishis Rabba 49:8, remarks that the term "vayigash" denotes three things: an approach for warfare (harsh words), appeasing words, and prayer. Rashi points out that Avraham, in his entreaty for the wicked inhabitants of Sedom, came forward with all three plans - he would utter firm words if necessary, he would attempt to pacify Hashem's anger at Sedom, and he would even beg and plead for the survival of the inhabitants.

The perplexity does not need to be unearthed; it is obvious. How could Avraham Avinu, model of hospitality, master of chesed, embodiment of Torah values and morality, plead on behalf of the sinful and corrupt people of the Sedom region?

Let us begin with the Midrash Tanchuma on our parsha, letter Ches. Hashem does not wish to declare people guilty, if at all possible. This is indicated clearly by the pasuk in Yechezkel 18:32: "I do not desire a person's death, says Hashem...bring yourselves back in repentance, and you will live." G-d only wishes to find merit with His creatures. Similarly, says the Midrash, when the inhabitants of Sedom became horribly sinful, Hashem revealed His plan of destruction to Avraham SO THAT AVRAHAM WOULD ATTEMPT TO DEFEND THEM. This is the meaning of the pasuk, "Shall I hide from Avraham what I am going to do?" (18:17). Immediately, Avraham began to build his case to defend the sinners.

This idea is summarized by the Netziv of Volozin in his opening comments to Sefer Beraishis. "This was the praiseworthiness of the avos. Besides the fact that they were righteous and saintly, and they loved Hashem to the extent humanly possible, they were also 'yesharim' (upright and humane toward all people). This means that they behaved toward the gentiles, even despicable idolaters, with love, and they were concerned for their welfare, since this attitude is crucial for the continuance of the universe. This is like what we see, how much effort Avraham expended to daven for Sedom, EVEN THOUGH HE DESPISED THEM AND THEIR KING WITH THE UTMOST HATRED BECAUSE OF THEIR WICKEDNESS. Even so, he desired that they continue to exist. And this is literally like (Avraham's name, which means) a father of a multitude of nations; even though the son does not go in the proper path, he (the loving father) seeks his welfare."

Thus, our noble leaders ALWAYS seek to find zechus, merit, in G-d's creatures. There is still the potential for them to do teshuva, so why obliterate them? In fact, it is Hashem's will that this be our attitude, according to this Midrash Tanchuma. Avraham, in particualar, filled this role, says the Netziv, since his name indicated that he was supposed to be a parent to all the nations. Nevertheless, we DO have an obligation to pray that SINS be eliminated from the world, as we will now demonstrate.

The Gemara is in Brachos 10A near the top of the amud, and you have probably heard of it. There were some vicious men living in the neighborhood of Rebbi Meir, and they were causing him much anguish. Rebbi Meir davened that they should die. His illustrious wife, Bruria, questioned her husband's strategy. "What is your opinion? Is it because it is written (Tehillim 104:35), 'Chataim should be eliminated from the earth'? [Do you read the word 'chataim' to mean sinners - the PEOPLE who commit the transgressions?] But does it say that SINNERS should die? No, it says that SINS should be eliminated. [The prayer is that the yaitzer hora to do the avairos, the transgressions, cease to exist, NOT that the people who commit the avairos should be destroyed.] Furthermore (continued Bruria), look down at the end of the pasuk: 'And evil people they will no longer be.' Since the sins will stop, they (those people who had been sinning) will no longer be wicked people!" In other words, Bruria urged her husband, Rebbi Meir, to pray that these reshaim do teshuva, NOT that they should die. If they would repent, they would no longer be reshaim. The Gemara records that Rebbi Meir DID daven as his wife suggested, and these formerly vicious individuals repented. Bruria's plan worked perfectly.

We see from this Gemara that the attitude of Avraham Avinu, to maintain hopeful thoughts even about reshaim, prevailed in the mind of Bruria. In fact, her renowned husband, Rebbi Meir, adopted her policy, and the outcome was quite positive.

Doesn't it seem puzzling that one person could pray for another to repent? Isn't this decision in the hands of the sinner alone, to choose the proper path? Various interpretations exist to explain this, but the Ahavas Aisan remarks that Rebbi Meir could have been davening based on the following concept. The fear created as a result of seeing other people punished or suffering can inspire one to teshuva. This was Rebbi Meir's tefila, that his evil neighbors be moved to teshuva as the result of witnessing others being chastised by Hashem for their sins. The ultimate decision to move closer to Hashem always rests with the individual, but the Master of the Universe is capable of creating external stimuli to hasten and encourage the process. Yes, the tefilla did its job. All of this becomes very practical when we look at various tefillos we ourselves say. Some are daily, and many are on the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe. In the weekday shemoneh esreh, we pray "v'chol ha'risha k'rega tovaid" - may all evil end as in a moment. In the Siddur Otzar Hatefillos, the Iyun Tefilla brings our exact discussion. He comments that this wording of the shemoneh esreh is fashioned after Bruria's brilliant dialogue, that we must hope for the demise of the yaitzer hora and the sins it causes, not the termination of those who do the sins. Consequently, we do not daven that the DOERS of evil perish, but that the EVIL will cease to exist. In fact, adds the Iyun Tefilla, most of our prayers are about the termination of evil, not the death of the reshaim. In the second paragraph of Aleinu, we request that the idols and abominations be obliterated and cut off, but we daven that those who serve them do teshuva. And Rav Boruch Halevi Epstein, in his sefer called Boruch She'amar on page 351, remarks that the same theme prevails on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. "And all the evil should vanish like smoke" is the proper version of the tefilla; we are to daven for the end of all wickedness, NOT for the extermination of reshaim. Those people should rather repent and become devoted servants of Hashem.

Unless the Torah specifically tells us to annihilate evildoers, as in the nation of Amalek, we are to hope for their return to avodas Hashem, and this should be our prayer. May this attitude of Avraham Avinu be a genuine inspiration for us all.

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Editing by Dovid Lustig

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