Abraham approached, and he said: Would You even destroy the righteous with the wicked?” (Genesis 18:23). “Abraham approached, and he said…” – Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yehuda says: The term approaching means for battle33To argue against God. – “Yoav and the people who were with him approached Aram to battle” (I Chronicles 19:14). Rabbi Neḥemya said: Approaching means for conciliation, as it says: “The children of Judah approached Joshua” (Joshua 14:6).
The Rabbis said: Approaching is for prayer, as it says: “It was at the time of offering up the afternoon offering that Elijah the prophet approached, and he said: Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel…” (I Kings 18:36). Rabbi Elazar interpreted it: [Abraham said:] ‘If it entails battle, I am coming; if it entails conciliation, I am coming; if it entails prayer, I am coming.’34Abraham’s intent was to engage in all three activities if necessary.
Rabbi Pinḥas, Rabbi Levi, and Rabbi Yoḥanan: When one passes before the ark,35To lead the prayers. one should not say to him [when inviting him to lead the prayers]: ‘Go and perform,’ or ‘Go and do battle,’ or ‘Go and wage the battle of the congregation,’ but rather, ‘Go and do battle in prayer.’36This includes the notion: Draw near for battle, conciliation, and prayer. Rabbi Tanḥuma said: Why did they institute fifteen blessings37In the daily Amida prayer. before [the blessing] “Who hears prayer”?
It is corresponding to the fifteen mentions of God’s name in: “Give to the Lord, sons of the mighty” (Psalms 29:1) until: “The Lord sat enthroned at the flood” (Psalms 29:10), indicating that He eradicates calamities from coming to the world.38After the Flood, God promised there would be no more such disasters. Rav Huna in the name of Rav Aḥa: “Would You even [ha’af] destroy [tispe]” – [Abraham said:] ‘You control [tispe] wrath [af]; wrath does not control You.’39Instead of translating ha’af tispe as: “Will You even destroy” the Midrash interprets it: You control wrath.
You are not carried away by wrath, as a human may be; You can overcome Your anger and forgive them. Rabbi Yehoshua bar Neḥemya said: [Abraham said:] ‘With the wrath [af] that You bring to Your world, You eradicate the righteous and the wicked. Not only do You not suspend punishment for the wicked in the merit of the righteous, but You are even [af] eradicating the righteous with the wicked.’ Rabbi and Rabbi Yonatan, Rabbi says: A mortal human being, fury overcomes him, but the Holy One blessed be He overcomes fury, as it is stated: “The Lord is vengeful and Master of fury” (Nahum 1:2).
Rabbi Yonatan said: A mortal human being, zealotry overcomes him, but the Holy One blessed be He overcomes zealotry, as it is stated: “The Lord is Master of zealousness and vengeful” (Nahum 1:2). Rabbi Simlai asked Rabbi Yonatan: What is it that is written: “Some are punished [nispe] without justice”? (Proverbs 13:23). He said to him: It means without the judgment of his place of residence. There was an incident involving someone who was sent to collect taxes from the residents of Tiberias and the residents of Tzippori.
While he was collecting in Tiberias, he saw someone from Tzippori. He arose and took hold of him. He said to him: ‘I am from Tzippori.’ He said to him: ‘I have written orders regarding Tzippori, to collect from it [as well].’
By the time he had finished collecting from the people of Tiberias, a reprieve was issued for Tzippori. It turns out that this man was punished without the judgment of his place.40If he had remained in Tzippori he would not have had to pay the tax. It emerges, then, that his payment was not in accordance with the judgment intended for his place. Rabbi Levi said: This41The phenomenon that sometimes the righteous perish along with the wicked. is analogous to a she-bear that used to maul beasts.
It could not find a beast to maul, so it mauled its own offspring. Rabbi Simon said: It is analogous to a scythe that is cutting thorns, but it was not sufficient for it, [so it cut] a rose bush, and it was not sufficient for it.42The scythe cuts indiscriminately every growth that is in the path of its blade. If there are roses among the thorns, they, too, are cut.