“He hesitated and the men grasped his hand, and the hand of his wife, and the hand of his two daughters; out of the compassion of the Lord for him, they took him out, and placed him outside the city” (Genesis 19:16). “It was as they took them out, he said: Flee for your life; do not look behind and do not stay in the entire plain; flee to the mountain, lest you be destroyed” (Genesis 19:17). “He hesitated [vayitmama]” (Genesis 19:16) – [he expressed] wonderment [timahon] after wonderment;50This is expounded from the fact that it says vayitmama and not vayitma. he said: ‘What a great a loss of silver, gold, gems, and jewels.’
That is what is written: “Wealth is accrued for its owner to his detriment” (Ecclesiastes 5:12)51Lot’s great wealth caused him to hesitate to leave the city, thus endangering his life. – Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: This refers to Lot. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: It refers to Koraḥ.52See Numbers 16. Koraḥ’s wealth led him to become haughty and to challenge Moses, which led to his downfall. Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: This is Navot.53See I Kings 21.
Navot’s refusal to part with his inherited property led to his death. Rabbi Levi said: This is Haman.54His wealth led him to haughtiness and, ultimately, death. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This is the tribe of Reuben and Gad.55See Numbers 32. Their great cattle holdings caused them to choose a remote, outlying area as their territory, and they ended up being exiled before the other tribes.
The Rabbis said: This is Job, who was wealthy, became poor,56His wealth was lost as an atonement for his sins. and was restored to what he had been. “The men grasped his hand, and the hand of his wife and the hand of his two daughters…” (Genesis 19:16) – who was this? It was Refael. They raised an objection: Is it not written: “They took him out, and they placed him outside the city” (Genesis 19:16), and it is written: “It was as they took them out”? (Genesis 19:17).57These are all stated in the plural.
How can you say that the verse speaks of one angel? He said to them: Read what is written thereafter: “They said: Flee for your life” is not written, but rather, “he said: Flee for your life.” “Flee to the mountain, lest you be destroyed” – [“to the mountain” means] by the merit of Abraham,58The angels told Lot to flee to Abraham, whose merit would protect him. who is called a mountain: “Leaping on the mountains” (Song of Songs 2:8),59In this verse and the next, the mountains are a metaphor for Israel’s three patriarchs. and it says: “Hear, mountains…” (Micah 6:2).
“Lot said to them: Please, no, my lords” (Genesis 19:18). “Please, behold, your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have increased your kindness that you have done with me to save my life, but I will not be able to flee to the mountain, lest the evil overtake me, and I will die” (Genesis 19:19). “Lot said to them: Please, no, my lords. Please, behold, your servant has found favor in your eyes…” – Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina:60In explaining why Lot refused to go to the mountain, which was a metaphor for Abraham.
Two people expressed the same idea – Lot and the woman from Tzarefat. The woman from Tzarefat said [to Elijah]: ‘Until you came to me, the Holy One blessed be He would see my deeds and the deeds of the residents of my city. My deeds were greater than those of the residents of my city, and I was considered a righteous woman in their midst. Now that you have come to me, [and my good deeds are nothing compared to yours]: “Did you come to me to evoke my sin and to kill my son?”’ (I Kings 17:18).
Lot said [as well]: ‘Before I go to Abraham, the Holy One blessed be He would see my deeds and the deeds of the residents of my city, and I was considered a righteous man in their midst. Now, if I would go to Abraham, whose good actions are greater than my own, I would not be able to survive in his environs.’ “But I will not be able” – Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Levi: From where do we learn: Just as a bad locale61Where the weather and other conditions are not comfortable. is challenging, so a good locale can be challenging?
It is from here: “But I will not be able to flee to the mountain, lest [the evil] overtake me.” Sodom is located in the valley, and that is why he says: “But I will not be able to flee to the mountain.” He was living in the valley and they said to him: ‘Go to the mountain,’62Where the air is better than in the valley. and yet this is what he said. This teaches that even when going from a bad locale to a good locale, the good locale can be challenging.63Even though mountain air is healthier and more pleasant, the change from the atmosphere to which one is accustomed can endanger one’s health.
“Here now, this city is near to flee there, and it is small; please, I will escape there. Is it not small, and my life will be saved” (Genesis 19:20). “He said to him: Behold, I have shown you favor for this matter as well, not to overturn the city of which you spoke” (Genesis 19:21). “Here now, this city is near to flee there…He said to him: Behold, I have shown you favor for this matter as well” – Rabbi Ḥalafta of Caesarea said: [God said:] ‘If Lot, because he [merely] hosted the angel, was shown favor by him, shall I not show you [Israel] favor because of you and because of your ancestors’ – “the Lord will show you favor” (Numbers 6:26).