The Cup of Wrath Prepared for Sodom Before Creation

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayera 18:1

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

[(Genesis 19:24:) AND THE LORD RAINED DOWN.] This is what Scripture says (Psalms 11:6): "He will rain down upon the wicked snares, fire and brimstone and a scorching wind, the portion of their cup." This portion was already prepared before the world was created, as it is said: "the portion of their cup." What is the meaning of "the portion of their cup"? (Psalms 75:9:) "For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, and the wine foams; it is full of mixture, and He pours out from this, etc." "For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, etc." Lest you say that it is lacking, the verse teaches, "full of mixture." Lest you say that they did not drink from it, the verse teaches, "and He pours out from this." "Indeed, all the wicked of the earth shall drain its dregs and drink them" (ibid.). Therefore it is said, "the portion of their cup": from that very cup they drank, as it is said, "the portion of their cup."

Themes

Divine JudgmentDavidPsalmsAngerCreation

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Midrash AggadahWhy the Murmurers at Taberah Sought a Pretext Against GodThe people walked three days from the mountain of the Lord, and on the road their hearts soured. Scripture calls them k'mit'onenim, "as murmurers", and the MaggMidrash Tanchuma Buber, EmorMountains and the Deep - The Righteous and the Wicked in TanchumaWhen the verse turns to the newborn beast, "A bull or a sheep or a goat, when it is born", the sages of Tanchuma hear behind it a deeper word: "Your righteousneMidrash Tanchuma Buber, Re'ehSnow of Gehinnom and the Twofold Garments of IsraelHezekiah measured the sentence of the wicked in Gehinnom: twelve months, half in fire and half in frost. First the Holy One sends a burning itch upon them, and Sefer HaBahirRabbi Yanai on the Eternity of CreationThis very question is tackled in Sefer HaBahir, one of the earliest and most important texts of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. The Bahir, meaning "brightness" or "Midrash TehillimDavid's Relentless Drive to Fulfill God's WillThat feeling, that drive, it's woven deep into our stories. to Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings that unpacks the book of Psalms, Tehillim inMidrash TehillimDavid Felt Like a Stranger Longing for God's CommandmentsKing David did. And his feelings echo across the millennia to us. (Psalm 119:19) says, "I am a stranger in the land; do not hide your commandments from me." It’