The Cruel Laws and Beds of Sodom That Cried Out to Heaven

The men of Sodom have no share in the world to come, but they do stand in judgment, as it is said, "wicked and sinners" wicked in this world, and sinners in the world to come. Rabbi Nechemiah says: Neither these nor those stand in judgment, as it is said, "therefore the wicked shall not stand in judgment" (Psalms 1:5) this refers to the generation of the Flood "nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous" these are the men of Sodom. They said to him: They do not stand in the assembly of the righteous, but they do stand in the assembly of the wicked. Rabbi Yehuda says: "Wicked" with their bodies, and "sinners" with their money. "Wicked" with their bodies, as it is written, "and how can I do this great wickedness?" (Genesis 39:9). "Sinners" with their money, as it is written, "and it be a sin in you" (Deuteronomy 15:9). "Against the LORD" this is blasphemy of the Name. "Exceedingly" that they intend and sin deliberately. In a baraita it was taught: "Wicked" with their money, as it is written, "and your eye be evil against your needy brother" (Deuteronomy 15:9); "sinners" with their bodies, as it is written, "and I would sin against God" (Genesis 39:9); "against the LORD" this is blasphemy of the Name; "exceedingly" this is the shedding of blood, as it is said, "and Manasseh shed very much innocent blood" (2 Kings 21:16). Our Rabbis taught: The men of Sodom became arrogant only because of the goodness that the Holy One, blessed be He, lavished on them. For it is written, "a land out of which comes bread, and beneath it is turned up as it were fire; its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold; a path no bird of prey knows" (Job 28:5-7). They said: Since bread comes out of our land, and gold-dust belongs to it, why do we need wayfarers, who come only to deplete us? Come, let us cause the law of the traveler's foot to be forgotten from our land, as it is said, "he breaks open a watercourse far from the inhabitant, places forgotten by the foot" (Job 28:4). They said: Whoever has one ox shall herd for one day; whoever has none shall herd for two days. A certain orphan, son of a widow, who had no ox, was given oxen to herd. He went, took them, and killed them. He said to them: Whoever had an ox, let him take one hide; whoever had none, let him take two. They said to him: What is this? He said to them: Let the custom be as the custom: just as one who has an ox takes one hide and one who has none takes two, so for the killed oxen. Whoever crossed by the ferry paid one zuz; whoever crossed through the water paid two. A certain fuller came there once. They said to him: Give one zuz [for the ferry]. He said: I crossed through the water. They said: Then give two. He refused. They beat him. He came before the judge. The judge said: Pay them the fee for the bloodletting they did to you, and give two zuz for crossing through the water. Four judges were in Sodom: Liar, Awful-Liar, Forger, and Justice-Perverter. One who struck another man's wife and caused her to miscarry they would say to the husband, "Give her to him until she becomes pregnant for you again." One who cut off the ear of another's donkey they would say, "Give it to him until the ear grows back." One who wounded another they would say to the wounded man, "Pay him the fee for the bloodletting he did to you." Eliezer, Abraham's servant, happened to be there. They wounded him, and he came before the judge. The judge said, "Pay him the fee for the bloodletting he did you." Eliezer took a stone and wounded the judge, and said, "The fee that comes due to me from you, give it to that man, and let my own zuz stay where it is." They had a custom at a wedding feast. Eliezer came and sat at the very end of everyone. They said to him, "Who invited you here?" He said to the man beside him, "You did." That man took his cloak and fled. Eliezer sat beside the next, and said the same, until they all left, and he ate the whole feast. They had a bed on which they would lay travelers: if a man was too long, they would cut him down; if too short, they would stretch him. Eliezer happened there. They said, "Rise, lie on the bed." He said, "I made a vow from the day my mother Sarah died not to lie on a bed." When a poor man came among them, each one would give him a dinar with his name written on it, but no one would bring him bread, and when he died each one came and took back his own. There was a certain young woman who used to bring bread out to a poor man in her pitcher. After three days he had not died. They came and learned the matter, and they smeared her with honey and set her on the city wall, and hornets came and ate her. As it is said, "the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah, because it is great" (Genesis 18:20). Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: on account of the young woman [riva]. And this is what is written, "I will go down now and see whether they have done according to its outcry" the outcry of this young woman.