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PARSHA
Reminding God to be Righteous
Quiz
The destruction of Sodom
Midrash on why
ABRAHAM REMINDS GOD TO BE RIGHTEOUS FOR THE RIGHTEOUS
When the three men [Abraham
had been hosting] got ready to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and
Abraham walked part of the way with them. Adonai spoke inwardly,
“Should I tell Abraham what I am going to do, since his
family will become a great and powerful nation that will be a blessing to all
the other nations on earth? I have chosen him to teach
his family to obey me forever and to do what is right and fair. If they do, I
will give Abraham many descendants, just as I promised.” So Adonai said,
“Abraham, I have heard such an outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, that their
evil is so heavy! Now
I am going down to see for Myself they are acting like that outcry, and I will
know if not.”
The men turned and started
toward Sodom. But Adonai stayed with Abraham. And
Abraham asked him, “Adonai, when you destroy the evil
people, are you also going to destroy those who are good? What if
there are fifty righteous people in it? You surely wouldn't wipe
out the city and not forgive it if there are fifty righteous
people there. You are the judge of all the earth, and you must do justice!” Adonai replied,
“If I find fifty good people in Sodom, I will save the city to keep them from
being killed.”
Abraham answered, “I am
nothing more than the dust of the earth. Please forgive me, Adonai, for
daring to speak to you like this. But suppose there are only
forty-five righteous people
in Sodom. Would you still wipe out the whole city?”
“If I find forty-five Tzadikim,”
Adonai replied, “I won't destroy the city.”-
“Suppose there are just
forty righteous people?” Abraham asked. “Even
for them,” Adonai replied, “I won't destroy the city.” Abraham said, “Please
don't be angry, Adonai, if I ask you what you
will do if there are only thirty righteous people in the city.” “If I
find thirty,” God replied, “I still won't destroy it.” Then
Abraham said, “I don't have any right to ask you, Adonai, but
what would you do if you find only twenty?” “Because
of them, I won't destroy the city,” was Adonai's answer.
Finally, Abraham said,
“Please don't get angry, God, if I
speak just once more. Suppose you find only ten righteous
people there.” “For the sake of ten righteous people,” Adonai told
him, “I still won't destroy the city.” After speaking with
Abraham, God ascended, and Abraham went back to his home.
1)
This quiz is mostly on
Sulfur. That sounds like chemistry, not
the Torah portion. Has Mar Hirsch gone and lost his mind this time?
a)
Yes, he’s flipped his lid.
Popped his cork. Pringled his brainpan.
b)
Maybe he’s whiffed his wuffle, it’s hard to tell. Maybe not.
c)
Obviously he has finally
Zippled his zongle.
d)
I don’t think so, he may
just be joking.
e)
I think he’s got some kind
of connection between them, dude.
2)
How common is sulfur in the
universe (by mass)?
a)
Incredibly rare, as it
needs water to form.
b)
Rare, but not exceedingly
so.
c)
Common- like tenth most common element.
d)
Super common, right after
Hydrogen and Helium.
e)
Sulfur is the single most
common element in the universe. Stars are made of sulfur, dude.
3)
What color is solid Sulfur?
a)
Periwinkle.
b)
Canary Yellow
c)
Royal Blue
d)
A deep crimson.
e)
Don’t be fooled, dude, sulfur is a transparent gas.
4)
How common is sulfur in the
earth’s crust?
a)
Incredibly common, with all
the water on earth
b)
Really common, like 5th
most common element in the crust.
c)
Common, like tenth most common element, like in the
rest of the universe
d)
Rare, like platinum or something.
e)
Sulfur is the single most
rare element in the universe. It’s millions of dollars an ounce, dude.
5)
Sulfur melts at what
temperature Celsius?
a)
32 degrees.
b)
100 degrees
c)
115 degrees
d)
200 degrees
e)
1,875.23 degrees.
6)
What color is molten
sulfur?
a)
Periwinkle.
b)
Canary Yellow
c)
Royal Blue
d)
A deep Crimson.
e)
Don’t be fooled, dude, sulfur never melts, it just burns.
7)
What does it mean if a
meteor ends in an Airburst?
a)
It means it was never
visible to the human eye
b)
It means the meteor burst
up before hitting the ground
c)
It means the meteor bursts
up before entering the atmosphere
d)
It means that the meteor
made a glittery streak across the sky.
e)
It means the Jewish space
lasers have failed.
8)
What color is sulfur when
it burns?
a)
Periwinkle.
b)
Canary Yellow
c)
Royal Blue
d)
A deep Crimson.
e)
Dude, sulfur doesn’t burn,
it explodes.
9)
What famous sushi roll is
named for the water sprites featured in Harry Potter? (nothing to do with sulfur, just raw trivia)
a)
Tekka Maki
b)
Hoso maki
c)
Futomaki
d)
Kappa Maki
e)
Hirschen Maki
10) Burning sulfur produces SO2,
Sulfur dioxide. What happens when
that reacts with water?
a)
It makes nothing. SO2 does
not react with water.
b)
It releases its oxygen back
into nature.
c)
It makes carbon disulfide,
which is inert and doesn’t do much.
d)
It makes Hydrogen Sulfide, which stinks so bad it is
what you smell in natural gas.
e)
It makes sulfuric acid,
dude! Acid Rain! Lung Damage! Evil stuff, dude!
11) What the heck does this have to do with the Parsha? Take a
guess.
THE FALL
OF SODOM AND ITS SUBURBS: BERAYSHEET 19
Two of the angels who visited Abraham and Sarah traveled on to
Sodom. Loht, Avrom’s nephew, is the only
one in the town who offers them shelter overnight. When the rest of the town finds out there are
travelers in town, they come to assault the travelers and Loht, but they are
driven back by the Sanveirim
of the angels. And then…
The two angels said to Loht, “Adonai has heard many
terrible things about the people of Sodom, and so has sent us here to destroy
the city. Take your family and leave. Take every relative you have in the city,
as well as the men your daughters are going to marry.” Loht went to the men who
were engaged to his daughters and said, “Hurry up and get out of here!
Adonai is going to destroy this city.” But they thought he was joking, and
they laughed at him.
Early the next morning the two angels tried to make Loht hurry
and leave. They said, “Take your wife and your two daughters and get away from
here as fast as you can! If you don't, every one of you will be killed when
Adonai destroys the city.” Loht ֓hesitated instead
of leaving. But Adonai wanted to save him, so the angels took Loht, his
wife, and his two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city. When
they were outside, one of the angels said, “Run for your lives! Don't even stop
to look back. And don't stop in the valley! Run to the hills, only there will
you be safe.”
The sun was coming up as Loht reached the suburb of
Zoar, and Adonai sent burning sulfur down like rain on
Sodom and Gomorrah. God destroyed those cities and everyone who lived in
them, as well as their land and the trees and grass that grew there. On the
way, Loht's wife stopped to look back and became like a pillar of salt.
That same morning Abraham got up and went to the place where he
had stood and spoken with Adonai. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah
and saw smoke rising from all over the land—it was like a flaming furnace. Yet
it was that when God destroyed the cities of the valley where Loht lived, he
remembered his promise to Abraham and saved Loht from the terrible destruction.
THE PEOPLE OF SODOM AND THEIR LAWS
Mishnah,
Avot 5:13
אַרְבַּע
מִדּוֹת בָּאָדָם. הָאוֹמֵר שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלָּךְ, זוֹ מִדָּה
בֵינוֹנִית. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, זוֹ מִדַּת סְדוֹם. שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלְּךָ וְשֶׁלְּךָ
שֶׁלִּי, עַם הָאָרֶץ. שֶׁלִּי שֶׁלְּךָ וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלָּךְ, חָסִיד. שֶׁלִּי
שֶׁלִּי וְשֶׁלְּךָ שֶׁלִּי, רָשָׁע:
There are four temperaments among people:
the one who says "what is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours"
-- that's an [average] temperament. And there are some who say that is the
temperament of Sodom. [A second type is one who says] "what is mine is
yours, and what is yours is mine" -- [that's an] am ha'aretz .
"What is mine is yours, and what is yours is yours" -- [that's a]
pious person. "What is yours is mine, and what is mine is mine" --
[that's a] wicked person.
Pirke d’Rabbi Eliezer (Midrash) 25
Rabbi Zeira said: “The people of Sodom were the wealthiest people
in the world since they were from the richest and best soil of the world and
all of their early needs could be derived from it, as it says: “its dust
contains gold dust” (Job 28:6). When a person wanted to go out and get for
himself vegetables, he would say to his servant, “get for me an issar
worth of veggies.” The servant would go and harvest the greens and find gold in
the soil, as it says: “its dust contains gold dust.” And silver would come out
of it, as it is written: “There is a mine for silver.” (Job 28:1) Precious
stones and jewels would come out of it: “Its rocks are a source of sapphire.”
(verse 6) Rabbi Joshua ben Korha said: Yet they were never concerned with food
for guests and strangers; rather, they
would cut of the branches of fruit trees above the fruit so as not to provide
benefit to birds of the skies: “No bird of prey knows the path of it.” (Job
28:7)
BAVLI SANHEDRIN 109b
A) There were four judges
in Sodom: Shak’rai (The Liar) , Sha’kurai
(The Lying Liar), Zay’yafi (The Forger), and Matzle-Dina (The
Perverter of Justice).
· If one cut off the ear of his
fellow’s donkey, they would order, “Give the donkey to him [the attacker] to
make the ear grow back.”
· If one wounded his fellow they
would say to him [the victim], “Give him a fee for making you bleed.”
· He who crossed over with the
ferry had to pay four zuzim, while he who crossed through the water on
his own had to pay eight.
· If one put out rows of bricks out
for sale every person came and took one, saying, “I only took one.” If one spread out garlic or onions [to dry
them], every person came and took one, saying, “I only took one.”
B)
On one occasion, a certain cloth merchant happened to come there. Said they to
him, “Give us four zuzim [for the use of the ferry].” But, protested he, “I
crossed through the water!” “If so,” said they, “you must give eight zuzim for
passing through the water.” He refused to give it, so they beat him severely.
He went before the judge, who told the merchant “Give them a fee for bleeding
you and eight zuzim for crossing through the water.”
Now
Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, happened to be there and had also been beaten. When
he went before the judge, the judge said, “Give them a fee for making you
bleed.” Thereupon Eliezer took a stone and struck the judge. “What is this?!”
the Judge exclaimed. Eliezer replied, “The fee that you now owe me for
bloodletting, give to this man [who
attacked me], and my money will remain just as it is.”
C) Now, they had beds upon which travelers
slept. If he [the guest] was too long, they shortened him [by lopping off his
feet]; if too short, they stretched him out. Eliezer, Abraham’s servant,
happened to be there. Said they to him, “Why not get up [off the ground where
you are resting] and sleep on this bed!” He replied, “Oh, what a shame! I have
vowed since the day of my mother’s death not to sleep in a bed.”
B’REYSHEET 18:20-21
(כ) וַיֹּאמֶר יְקֹוָק
זַעֲקַת סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה כִּי רָבָּה וְחַטָּאתָם כִּי כָבְדָה מְאֹד:
(כא) אֵרֲדָה נָּא וְאֶרְאֶה הַכְּצַעֲקָתָהּ הַבָּאָה אֵלַי
עָשׂוּ כָּלָה וְאִם לֹא אֵדָעָה:
20
And the LORD said: ‘Verily, the cry ( זעקת )
of Sodom and Gomorrah is great ( רבה ),
and, for sure their sin is most serious. 21 I will go down now, and see whether
they have done altogether according to her cry ( הכצעקתה ), which is come unto
Me; and if not, I will know.’ 22
B’REYSHEET
RABBAH 49:6-
Rabbi
Levi said: “God said ‘Even if I wished to keep silent, justice for a certain
young woman does not permit Me to keep silent.” For it once happened that two
girls in Sodom went down to draw water from a well. One said to the other, ‘Why
are you so pale?’ ‘We have no more food left and are ready to die,’
replied the second. What did the first girl
do? She filled her pitcher with flour and they exchanged [their
pitchers], each taking the other’s. When they [the Sodomites] discovered this,
they took and burnt her alive for violating the law: “what is yours is yours”.
Said the Holy Blessed One: ‘Even if I desired to be silent, justice for
that young girl does not permit Me to keep silent!"
Hence it does not
say, whether they have done according to their cry [namely, the cry of
the Sodomites]; but ACCORDING TO HER CRY ‘- the cry of that young woman.
