“Perhaps the fifty righteous people will lack five; will You destroy the entire city for the five? He said: I will not destroy, if I find there forty-five” (Genesis 18:28). “Perhaps the fifty righteous people will lack five” – Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: Abraham sought to go down directly from fifty to five.68The verse should thus be translated: “Perhaps the fifty righteous people will be lacking, so that there will be only five.”
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Back up.’69Lower your request by smaller increments. Rabbi Levi said: This is analogous to a water clock.70Similar to an hourglass, but uses water instead of sand. It was used to limit the amount of time given to an advocate in court. As long as it is filled with water, the advocate pleads his case.
Sometimes, when the judge wishes him to continue pleading his case, he says: Add water to it.71By adding water, the advocate would have more time to plead his case. God here intimated to Abraham: ‘Go on with your pleas, just use smaller increments.’