The Outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah

Evil makes recognizable noises. The firing of a gun. The cry of the wounded. The shriek of terror. When may we eliminate the clamor and outburst of evil? We look to the Torah.

Abraham was a refugee. He fled from Babylon and settled in Canaan.  Abraham heeded God’s word and took possession of land in Canaan. At that time, the outrage of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great that it blasted in God’s knowingness. And God said, “Their sin is so grave. I will go down to see whether they have acted altogether according to the outcry that has reached Me; if not, I will take note.”

Abraham asked God, “Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?” Abraham was righteous. He sought to mitigate the pending annihilation for the sake of even a few innocents. Abraham tested God’s resolve.

God heard only the sounds of evil.  The anguish of a woman raped. The cry of a child ripped from its mother’s arms. Evil makes a terrible noise. Even if there were innocent among the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah, God determined that the uproar and clamor of evil must be eliminated.

For the sake of ten good people, God would have saved Sodom and Gomorrah.  But ten could not be found. Perhaps they were silent when evil was all around. Maybe they remained silent when God sought them out. Was it their silence that damned them? Perhaps they could not hear because evil is deafening. It drums out the beating heart of goodness. It drowns out the peace of a Shabbat morning.

God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. What lesson should we learn from the Torah? When may we emulate God and sweep away even the innocent to eliminate evil?

Evil swept away innocents. Evil killed saftas and sabas. Evil kidnapped young women.

Messengers said to Lot, who lived in Sodom, “Flee for your life! Do not look behind you, nor stop anywhere . . .”  Lot fled. God annihilated those cities.

No one stood to condemn God. The nations did not issue proclamations to decry the loss of life in Sodom and Gomorrah. The world was silent then.

Millennia passed. Israel suffers the evil of Hamas and Hezbollah. The outrage was great. But the rage was mixed. Some cried out in grief, and others cried out in anger. Some defended those who stood for evil.

Evil is blinding. Evil is the blast of rockets hurled without warning. The blare of warning sirens announces evil.

Abraham saw the smoke rising from the land like plumes from a kiln. God destroyed and annihilated. God removed Abraham and Lot and returned them to safety.

May evil be uprooted and peace be planted in its place. May the noise of evil be squelched and replaced with harmonies. May the glare of evil be dampened, and may the light of the righteous shine brightly.

Rabbi Evan J. Krame