We all know the story: God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness. But Abraham, ever the righteous advocate, steps in. He challenges God, asking, "Far be it from You to do something like this, to kill the righteous with the wicked! Shall the Judge of all the earth not practice justice?" (Genesis 18:25). It's a bold move, questioning divine judgment itself.
The rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient interpreters of scripture, unpack Abraham’s words with incredible depth. "Ḥalila from You," Abraham says, using a Hebrew term that Rabbi Yudan explains means "profane for You," or "foreign to You." It would be unthinkable for God to act unjustly. Rabbi Aḥa even suggests that repeating "ḥalila ḥalila" implies a ḥilul, a profaning of God's name. People might lose faith if they perceive injustice.
Rabbi Abba points out that Abraham isn't just concerned with the present situation; he's worried about the precedent it sets. It's not just “from doing this thing,” but “to do something like this” – neither this, nor anything similar, nor anything lesser! Even allowing the righteous to suffer alongside the wicked seems unfair.
Interestingly, Rabbi Levi draws a parallel between Abraham and Job. Both question God's justice. Job cries out, "One matter, therefore, I say: The faultless and the wicked He destroys" (Job 9:22). But here’s the twist: Abraham is rewarded for his challenge, while Job is punished. Why? The Midrash explains that Abraham spoke from a place of mature, well-reasoned thought, "like a ripe fruit." Job, on the other hand, spoke from raw emotion, "like an unripe fruit."
Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba suggests a deeper interplay, a divine counter-argument woven into the verse itself. Abraham pleads, "Far be it from You to kill the righteous with the wicked." And the Holy One, Blessed be He, responds, in essence, "And the righteous will be as the wicked… if they were truly righteous." Are these people really as righteous as Abraham thinks? Are they perhaps "righteous men of inferior quality," as Rabbi Yoḥanan puts it, using the term nivlei – like dates that fall from the tree before they ripen, rotten on the inside? Were the people of Sodom and Gomorrah really as righteous as Abraham seemed to think?
Abraham, however, persists. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi suggests that Abraham offers to incorporate his own righteousness into the tally, hoping to reach the required number of righteous individuals needed to save the cities. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon takes it further, suggesting Abraham asks God to incorporate Himself!
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon offers another powerful analogy: With a mortal king, one can appeal to a higher authority. But who can restrain God? This is what Abraham meant when he said: “Shall the Judge of all the earth not practice justice?”
Rav Ada adds a layer of complexity, reminding us of God's oath not to bring another flood. Is God trying to circumvent the oath by using fire instead of water?
Finally, Rabbi Levi gets to the heart of the matter: “If You wish to have a world, there can be no strict justice, and if You wish to have strict justice, there can be no world." It's a profound statement. Absolute, unwavering justice might be too harsh for humanity to bear. Some concession, some degree of mercy, is necessary for the world to endure.
God responds, acknowledging Abraham's unique role: “You love righteousness [tzedek] and abhor wickedness… because of this, God your God, has anointed you over your counterparts with the oil of joy.” Abraham is set apart. From Noah to Abraham, ten generations passed, and God only spoke to Abraham, “Go you” (Genesis 12:1).
So, what does this all mean? The story in Bereshit Rabbah isn't just about Sodom and Gomorrah. It’s about the ongoing tension between justice and mercy, between divine judgment and human compassion. It reminds us that questioning, even challenging, God can be a form of profound devotion, especially when it comes from a place of genuine concern for the well-being of others. And maybe, just maybe, it suggests that a world built solely on strict justice is a world that cannot ultimately survive.
“Far be it from You to do something like this, to kill the righteous with the wicked, and the righteous will be as the wicked. Far be it from You; shall the Judge of all the earth not practice justice?” (Genesis 18:25). “Far be it [ḥalila] from You” – Rabbi Yudan said: It is profane for You,43Ḥalila is related to ḥol, meaning that which is unholy. it is foreign to You. Rabbi Aḥa said: Ḥalila ḥalila, twice – this entails profaning [ḥilul] the name of Heaven.44People will say that Your ways are unjust. Rabbi Abba said: “From doing this thing” is not written here, but rather, “to do something like this” – neither it, nor something similar to it, nor something lesser than it.45Even allowing the righteous to suffer a bitter fate other than death on account of the wicked seems unjust. Rabbi Levi said: Two people said the same thing, Abraham and Job. Abraham said: “Far be it from You to do something like this, to kill the righteous with the wicked.” Job said: “One matter, therefore, I say: The faultless and the wicked He destroys” (Job 9:22). Abraham received a reward for it, yet Job was punished for it. Abraham said it as a mature thought;46Literally, like a ripe fruit. Abraham’s argument was the result of well thought-out reasoning. Job said it as an immature thought47Literally, like an unripe fruit. Job spoke from emotion, without carefully contemplating his thoughts. – “One matter, therefore, I say: The faultless and the wicked He destroys.” Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: There is an intermingling of arguments48Abraham’s argument and God’s counter-argument are intermingled in this verse. here. Abraham said: “Far be it from You to do something like this, to kill the righteous with the wicked.” The Holy One blessed be He said: “And the righteous will be as the wicked.” [You think:] Let Him suspend punishment for the wicked in the merit of the righteous? If only they were [truly] righteous. But these are nothing other than righteous men of inferior quality,49The midrash uses the term nivlei – which means dates that fall off the tree before they ripen. They only pretended to be righteous, but inside they were rotten. Therefore they could not supply any merit to save the wicked. as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: In all instances of the words righteous men [tzadikim] which were stated regarding Sodom, tzadikim is written without a yod.50This is an indication that their righteousness was inferior. This is the opinion of Rabbi Yoḥanan [elsewhere as well], as Rabbi Yoḥanan said [regarding the Givonites]: “Our elders [zekenenu] and all the inhabitants of our land” (Joshua 9:11) – zekenenu is written without a yod, indicating sinful elders, shameful elders. “Perhaps there are fifty righteous men in the city; would You destroy it and not spare the place for the fifty righteous men that are in it?” (Genesis 18:24) Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Abraham said:51God had said He would not destroy the five cities (Sodom, Gomorrah, Adma, Tzevoim, Tzoar – see Genesis 14:2) if He found fifty righteous men there, ten for each city. The Midrash explains how Abraham’s plea went from fifty to forty-five (see Genesis 18:28). ‘Incorporate my righteous deeds and let them be included in the tally of fifty.’52If there are only nine people in each city, forty-five in all, let my righteousness take the place of the tenth man of each place. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: [Abraham said:] ‘Are You not the righteous One of the world? Incorporate Yourself with them so they reach the tally of fifty.’ Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: This is what Abraham said to Him: ‘With a mortal king, one can suspend his ruling by means of an appeal from commander to prefect, from prefect to governor. But You, because you have no one who can be used to suspend judgment for an appeal, will You not perform justice?’53This is what Abraham meant when he said: “Shall the Judge of all the earth not practice justice?” Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: [Abraham said:] ‘When You sought to impose judgment on Your world,54By creating the Roman empire, which ruled over virtually all the world. You delivered it into the hand of two people: Remus and Romulus,55The legendary founders of Rome. so that if one of them sought to perform an action the other could prevent him from doing so.56In the Roman system of government, there was always a senior official who could restrain the absolute power of the ruler. But You, because You have no one to prevent You from doing anything, will You not perform justice?’ Rav Ada said: [Abraham said:] ‘You took an oath that You would not bring a flood to the world. Are You seeking to evade Your oath? [Do You argue that You swore that] You would not bring a flood of water, but You may bring a flood of fire? If so, You have not fulfilled your oath.’ Rabbi Levi said: [Abraham said:] ‘“Shall the Judge of all the earth not practice justice?” If You wish to have a world, there can be no strict justice, and if You wish to have strict justice, there can be no world. You seek to hold the rope from both ends; You wish to have the world and You wish to have strict justice. If You do not concede somewhat, the world will be unable to endure.’ The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Abraham, “You love righteousness [tzedek] and abhor wickedness” (Psalms 45:8) – you love to vindicate [letzadek] My creations. “And abhor wickedness” – you refuse to condemn them. “Because of this, God your God, has anointed you over your counterparts with the oil of joy” (Psalms 45:8). What is “over your counterparts”? From Noah until you there were ten generations, and from among all of them, I did not speak with any of them except for you: “God said to Abram: Go you”’ (Genesis 12:1).
