It's a tough story, full of uncomfortable choices, and the rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah, that treasure trove of early commentary, don't shy away from wrestling with it.

Remember the scene? The angels arrive in Sodom disguised as men, and Lot, Abraham's nephew, insists they stay at his house for protection. But the men of the city surround the house, demanding Lot hand over his guests for their pleasure. That's when Lot makes a horrifying offer: his own daughters.

"Lot went out to them to the entrance, and he closed the door behind him," the verse tells us (Genesis 19:6). Then he pleads, "Please, my brethren, do not do evil" (Genesis 19:7). And then comes the truly awful part: "Here now, I have two daughters who have not been intimate with a man; I will now bring them out to you, and you may do to them as is fit in your eyes; only to these men do nothing, inasmuch as they came under the shelter of my roof" (Genesis 19:8).

The rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah (50) pick up on the unusual language Lot uses: "only to these [hael] men.” What's with that word, hael? It sounds almost like a curse. The rabbis see it as pointing to the "terrible acts" the men of Sodom intended. "Just to the men, do not do these terrible [hael] sins," one interpretation suggests.

But there’s another, more surprising, reading: "they are godly." The word El, as in hael, can mean godly or mighty. Could Lot have been hinting at the divine nature of his guests? Were they powerful beings not to be trifled with? It’s a fascinating thought.

And what about that phrase, "inasmuch as they came under the shelter of my roof"? Lot seems to be taking full credit for protecting the angels. But the rabbis offer a different perspective. Maybe it wasn't Lot's merit at all. Maybe, just maybe, it was the merit of Abraham, his righteous uncle, that was protecting everyone. As Genesis 19:29 suggests, Abraham is described as Lot’s sheltering roof, as it was his merit that protected him from harm.

There's even a suggestion that Lot's wife played a role. The rabbis say that she moved the angels to Lot's side of the house, implying she only agreed to host them in his part of the dwelling. She said to him: ‘If you want to receive them, receive them in your portion [of the house].’ This is why Lot said: “my roof” – mine, but not my wife’s. (Bereshit Rabbah 50). Was she reluctant to welcome these strangers? Did she sense something dangerous about them?

This passage from Bereshit Rabbah reminds us that even the most familiar stories in the Bible are full of hidden depths. It forces us to confront difficult questions about morality, hospitality, and the nature of divine protection. It invites us to look beyond the surface and consider the complex motivations of the characters involved. Who was really protecting whom in Sodom that night? And at what cost?