The righteous lot lived in the city. How the Bible affects ch IV

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Hello, dear Rabbi Ovadia Klimovsky! Peace to you and Gd's guidance !!! Recently I read from the Torah a story about the daughters of Lot, and of course many questions arise. For example, an act done with a father is not worthy of encouragement, but condemnation.

The comment of the wise men is surprising: “Said r. Hiya bar Avin, said r. Yehoshua ben Karha: “Let man always hasten to fulfill the commandment. So, for example, because of one night, on which the elder outstripped the younger, the offspring of the older (ie Ruth) were honored to lay the foundation for the royal family four generations earlier than the younger (Naama - the wife of Shlomo. "

Why do the wise men not only not condemn the act of Lot's daughters here, but also consider it to them as a commandment? And as far as I understand, the sages sometimes disagree, there are significant differences. But what about the non-wise, who should listen to the words of their elders? This is not true. After all, there MUST BE a single measure of what to start from !!! Otherwise, the people will act as they think is right. How to know which opinion of the sages is correct and which is not? Thank you in advance for your reply.

Rav Ovadia Klimovsky answers

Hello dear Eugene! Thank you very much for your good wishes and an interesting question, which we will divide into two parts for convenience.

1. About the daughters of Lot. First of all, let's decide from what point of view we are going to view their act. If from the point of view of the relativistic "universal" morality, then there is no question at all - did they harm anyone?

But if you look from the point of view of the Torah, then you should check two aspects: what exactly was done (at the same time, any commandment was fulfilled or some prohibition was violated) and - which is always very important, and especially in light of your question - what is motivation for the action.

So the first thing. Rabenu Behayei writes that in those days there was no prohibition on the relationship between a daughter and a father. Therefore, formally, Lot's daughters did not violate anything. And they clearly explained their intentions - both believed that no one else in the world was left with their father, and therefore it was their duty to preserve the human race.

However, there are other statements by the sages about this story, less positive. For example, several collections of Midrash, speaking about the events in the desert at the end of the stay of the people of Israel there, quote the words of the sages about the eldest daughter: "She started this debauchery." (By this the sages explain the more strict attitude of the Creator towards Moab than towards Ammon). In addition, according to legend, the reason that soon after this incident Abraham left these places, leaving for the south, was the desire to retire from the shame that Lot and his daughters brought on the family. From this we can conclude that already in those days the descendants of Noach voluntarily abandoned incestuous relationships, and therefore the act of Lot's daughters did not do them honor among the peoples.

But here it is necessary to explain why the sages call it debauchery, if the girls were guided by altruistic considerations, as mentioned in the gmara you cited. Perhaps in this case there is no dispute between the sages. The fact is that our intentions when performing various actions are far from always unambiguous. Often we ourselves are not aware of some motives. Perhaps something similar is discussed in our history: of course, the main intention of Lot's daughters was to save the world. Otherwise, it would be impossible to put their act as an example to anyone. But the sages also revealed to us the deeper layers of consciousness of Lot's daughters - at the same time they were going to enjoy what they had done, and this is already wrong, because in an ordinary situation such an attitude is unacceptable. Therefore, the eldest daughter, who did not even try to "rebuild" from the forbidden pleasure, deserved such an unflattering response in other midrash.

2. Now about the disagreements of the sages. This is a very delicate topic, but in short, our approach can be formulated as follows: “The Almighty does not tyrannize his creations” (Avoda Zara 3a), that is, he does not demand the impossible from them. If we have a duty to obey the sages, this means that there is necessarily a rule in the Torah that determines who to listen to in case of disagreement.

And we find this rule where the Torah talks about legal proceedings. In particular, she writes: "... bow for the majority" (Shemot 23: 2). When the Sanhedrin functioned without hindrance, all questions of the Law were decided in this way - by voting. Of course, after a detailed comprehensive discussion, without politics and pressure, authority ohm ... Until a decision is made, everyone is free to do what his teachers of the Law say, if they, of course, have the right to be called such.

This is in addition to the fact that there are initially different ways of serving the Almighty, equally legitimate and recognized by all. After all, let us note in the end, and the disagreements of the sages, as a rule, only demonstrate the depth and many-sidedness of the Torah (as the sages said: the Torah has 70 "faces", faces). Each sage, in accordance with the make-up of his soul, can see a special facet in the Torah, and the words of both disputants (even if in practice their opinions are mutually exclusive) can equally reflect the light of the multifaceted crystal of Divine wisdom.

The whole dispute often boils down to just which opinion should serve as a practical guide here in the material world. This is established using the above rules.

One of these passages is verses 30-38 of chapter 19 of Genesis, which tells about Lot and his daughters. This place is downright a challenge for many and, unfortunately, there are people who say, citing these verses as an example: "Here is YOUR Bible: one debauchery!"

Lot, his wife and daughters are taken out of Sodom, after which Sodom and Gomorrah feel the wrath of the Lord and perish. The wife of Lot, who turns to Sodom, turns into a pillar of salt, despite the fact that it was said: “... save your soul; do not look back and do not stop anywhere in the vicinity of this one ”(Gen. 19:17).

Lot and his daughters live in a cave (Gen. 19:30) and something happens. The eldest daughter says to the youngest “... so, let us give our father wine and sleep with him ...” (Gen. 19:32).

It would seem a sin, incest, as they often talk about it completely thoughtlessly. However, if we look at further events, we will see that the children of Lot's daughters formed the nations of Moab and Ammon, who now and then fought with the children of Israel. At the same time, however, Ruth the Moabite was David's great-grandmother, that is, Lot's daughters also participated in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Mt 1: 5). Thus, we see that there was some lasting meaning in the actions of Lot's daughters.

And again you need to turn to Scripture... “And the elder said to the younger: our father is old, and there is no man on earth who would come to us according to the custom of all the earth” (Genesis 19: 31). Very short, isn't it? Scripture does not say that the sisters were driven by lust, perversion. Far from it, the sisters talk about the custom of the whole earth. Obviously, this means the sacred duty of a woman to give birth. At the same time, the sisters come to the conclusion that a) they have a duty to give birth; b) there is no one to be their husband; c) there is a father who is old. That is, it is only conceivable to give birth to a child from the father, and then only for a short time, since he is old and it is not known whether he will be alive tomorrow. This is the sisters' dilemma. And for them duty is not an empty word, they saw with their own eyes what the sin of non-fulfillment of duty is and what it leads to. What did they know? They knew that their father had left Ur of the Chaldees, because there Babylon, debauchery, horror, they saw that where they lived, there was also debauchery and horror. Death and doom are everywhere. At the same time, the Lord saves them. It means that the Lord has a great deal of pleasure in them, it means that they have this mission to continue life on earth.

Lot's daughters were religious and morality was not an empty phrase for them. And they did what they did, not for themselves, and not to satisfy their desires, and it was bitter to make such a decision, and the elder sister then behaved like an older sister, she had boldness, had determination.

Lot, in this case, did not know what had happened, for he was drunk. And chapter 19 talks about it twice. When Scripture repeats it twice, it is very important. It is written twice: I did not know, I did not know.

One might speculate that the act of intoxication itself is not very positive. However, for example, John Chrysostom says: "and that this happened not simply and not without reason, but the excessive sorrow of the soul, through the use of wine, brought him to complete insensibility."

And it is no coincidence that the same John Chrysostom says: “So, let no one dare to condemn the righteous man or his daughters. And wouldn't it be extreme folly and foolishness - those whom the divine Scripture frees from all condemnation, and even offers such justification for them, to condemn us, burdened with the immeasurable weight of sins, without listening to the words of St. Paul, who says: "God justify, who condemn" (Rom. 8: 33-34)? "

Summing up what has been said, it must be remembered that Lot and his daughters found themselves in a situation that is not ordinary, ordinary. Not everyone, probably, will be able to overcome such difficult situations. They nevertheless overcame; it is not for us to say that in a difficult situation they behaved incorrectly, and we would have done better. If there were no Lot's daughters, their children, would there be David, would there be Jesus Christ?

Lot (in the Bible)

When Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom, two angels came to him, wanting to check whether what was said about him was really happening in Sodom. Lot invited the angels to his house, but they said they would sleep outside. Lot begged them strongly and finally begged them. He made them a treat and baked unleavened bread. However, before they had time to go to bed, the inhabitants of the whole city came to his house with the demand to bring guests to them, so that the Sodomites "would know them." Lot went out to the Sodomites with a refusal, offering in return for his two virgin daughters, so that they do with them as they please. The residents of the city did not like this and they began to show aggression towards Lot himself. Then the angels blinded the Sodomites, and Lot and his relatives were ordered to leave the city, since it would be destroyed. It seemed to the sons-in-law who took Lot's daughters for themselves that this was a joke, and only Lot, his wife and two daughters came out of Sodom. The angels ordered them to run up the mountain, not stopping anywhere or turning around to save the soul. But Lot declared that he would not be able to escape to the mountain and would hide in the city of Sigor, to which God agreed and left Sigor intact. On the way away, Lot's wife violated the instructions and turned around, resulting in a pillar of salt.

Leaving Sigor, Lot settled in a cave under the mountain with his daughters. The daughters, left without husbands, decided to get their father drunk and sleep with him in order to give birth to descendants from him and restore their tribe. First, the eldest did this, the next day the youngest; both got pregnant by their father. The eldest gave birth to Moab, the ancestor of the Moabites, and the youngest gave birth to Ben-Ammi, the ancestor of the Ammonites.

In the Qur'an

Notes

Literature

// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.

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See what "Lot (in the Bible)" is in other dictionaries:

Abraham's nephew, with whom he shared all the joys and hardships of a wanderer's life. Subsequently, having become rich, L. separated from his uncle, settled in the city of Sodom, known for his depravity, and was taken prisoner by the Mesopotamian kings, who made a raid ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

1. LOT, but; m. [Dutch lood] Navigation device for measuring the depth of the sea from the ship. Manual l. Mechanical l. Throw l. (measure the depth of something l.). 2. LOT, but; m. [German. Lot] An ancient Russian weight measure equal to 12.8 grams (used before ... encyclopedic Dictionary

LOT, in the Bible the nephew of Abraham, (see ABRAHAM) moved with him to Canaan from Mesopotamia. After disputes over land began to arise between the shepherds of Abraham and Lot, he settled in Sodom (Genesis 13: 5-12). During the campaign of King Elam ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Righteous Lot. Book. Outdated. The only virtuous person in a bad society. / i\u003e Expression from the Bible. BMS 1998, 350 ... A large dictionary of Russian sayings

The hero of the biblical etiology. legends. In the book of Genesis L., a native of Ur of the Chaldees, the nephew of the patriarch Abraham, at first was under his patriarchal authority, then separated and was engaged in cattle breeding in the region of Sodom. According to legend, only L., his ... ... Soviet Historical EncyclopediaWikipedia

- "Lot with Daughters", painting by H. Goltzius Incest (Latin incestus criminal, sinful) incest, sexual intercourse between blood relatives (parents and children, brothers and sisters). Contents 1 History of the concept ... Wikipedia

During which Lot's wife became a pillar of salt, and Lot's seduction by his daughters.

Lot's history.

Lot, like his father Aran, was born and raised in Ur of the Chaldees in Sumeria on the Euphrates River, in lower Mesopotamia, about four thousand years ago. Lot's father died early. Lot's grandfather, Farrah, took the whole family and went

... from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan; but when they reached Harran, they stopped there (Genesis chapter 11).

During their wanderings, both Lot and Abraham acquired a significant number of livestock. Both families lacked grazing land, leading to constant conflicts between the shepherds of Lot and Abraham. Then Abraham invited Lot to disperse and settle in different places so that there would be no conflicts between them.

Lot went to live in the Jordan Plain, which, in those days, was beautiful and irrigated with water. He settled near Sodom. Abraham began to live in the land of Canaan. The verdant Jordan Plain was located between five cities. The rulers of these cities fought internecine wars. During one of these conflicts, Lot was captured and his property plundered.

When Abraham found out what had happened to his nephew, he armed a rescue team of 318 slaves. Abraham attacked the enemy at night and saved Lot and all his property. Lot again settled in Sodom.

Sodom and Gomorrah were soon destroyed by the wrath of the Lord. How and why this happened can be read in the article. Lot was the only righteous man in Sodom, and therefore the Lord gave him time to leave the city with his family - his wife and two daughters.

Lot's wife.

Lot's wife's name is not mentioned in the Bible. Leaving, or rather the flight from Sodom, was the hardest thing for Lot's wife. The whole previous day was filled with troubles and worries, and now, at night, she has to leave everything and run in an unknown direction. She is no longer young, and such events for her are associated not only with psychological stress, it is also not easy for her physically.

The Lord, having shown Lot and his family the way to salvation, forbade them to look back. Lot's wife is thinking about whether she can start all over again ... She hesitates and looks around. Looking around, she turns into a pillar of salt. And today you can see this pillar on the shores of the Dead Sea.

Why did the Lord turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt? Many believe that this is a punishment for curiosity, however, this is hardly true. Most likely, the heart and soul of Lot's wife remained in Sodom, and she should have perished, like everyone else. God requires a firm renunciation of sin.

IN , in the Gospel of Luke we find a Christian interpretation of the story of Lot's wife:

Just as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed all;

so it will be on the day the Son of man appears.

On that day, whoever is on the roof, and his things are in the house, do not go down to take them; and whoever will be in the field, also do not look back.

Remember Lot's wife.

Thus, Lot's wife died, because she cared more about the material than about the salvation of the soul.

The city of Sigor, where Lot lived.

Lot and his two daughters went to one of the cities in the valley, which the Lord had spared. It was the city of Sigor. The name of the city of Sigor is translated as “small”, “insignificant”. Segor is also known as Zoar or Bella. There are still disputes about where the city of Sigor was located - in the north or south of Dead sea... Sigor is the only city in the Sodom five-city that was spared by God. Lot settled in Sigor, but soon left.

Lot and his daughters.

The story of Lot and his daughters is recorded at Genesis 19: 30-38. Lot, afraid to live in Sigor, lived in a cave in the mountains with his daughters. Lot's daughters, believing that there were no more men left, gave their father a drink and entered into a relationship with him in order to prolong the family line. Both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father.

The eldest had a son Moab (the name means "from the father"). The youngest also had a son, Ben-Ami (translated as "the son of my people"). Moab became the progenitor of the Moabites, and Ben-Ami became the progenitor of the Ammonites.

The story of Lot's daughters reflects the idea of israel's superiority over the Moabites and Ammonites, since these peoples appeared as a result of a sinful incestuous relationship. The tribes of the Moabites and Ammonites became the basis of the ancient Arab people.

The alleged incest between Lot and his daughters continues to raise many questions, disputes and theories today as to what the daughters' real motives were and who was really to blame for what happened. And was anyone to blame? Incestuous marriages are not uncommon among biblical patriarchs. Abraham married his half-sister Sarah; Abraham's brother, Nahor, married Milka's niece; Isaac married his relative Rebekah and many more examples. On the other hand, the book has an entire chapter devoted to this topic (chapter 18), where it says:

No one should approach any relative in the flesh in order to reveal nakedness.

Many researchers justify incestuous marriages by the fact that the Levitical laws appeared later, and they were created by the patriarchs of the nation, including the righteous Lot (together with Abraham, Jacob, Judas, Moses, David). Levitical laws, including against incest, were created with the aim of separating the lifestyle of Judah from the lifestyle of the people of Canaan, despite all the incestuous manifestations that the patriarchs had in the past. Levitical laws are a new step in the development of society, part of the progressive ideas of mankind on the way to modern civilization.

Reflection of history in painting.

The story of Lot and his daughters formed the basis of many paintings. Paintings of this subject usually depict Lot and his daughters in a mountain refuge. Often in the background you can see a small figurine of Lot's wife, and a burning city in the distance.

Lot's character in different religions.

In Judaism.

The figure of Lot in Judaism is controversial. He is considered a righteous man whose righteousness is constantly challenged. It is believed that in his life Lot deviated from the truths of the Jewish path, and therefore his descendants did not become part of the Jewish people. Lot is mentioned in the Torah,

In Christianity

In the New Testament we find a compassionate attitude towards Lot. In the second Epistle of Peter, Lot is called a righteous man, weary of living among violently depraved people.

Islamic view

Loot in the Qur'an is considered the messenger of God and the prophet of God. His story is almost in tune with the biblical. In the Islamic tradition, Lut lived in Ur and was the nephew of Ibrahim (Abraham). He migrated with Ibrahim to Canaan and was appointed a prophet in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He was ordered by Allah to go to the land of Sodom and Gomorrah to preach monotheism and stop the lustful and cruel deeds of the local residents. Luth's sermons were ignored, leading to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Loot left the city, his wife looked back and died.

Lot and his daughters live in a cave (Gen. 19:30) and something happens. The eldest daughter says to the youngest “... so, let us give our father wine and sleep with him ...” (Gen. 19:32).

And again you need to turn to Scripture. “And the elder said to the younger: our father is old, and there is no man on earth who would come to us according to the custom of all the earth” (Genesis 19: 31). Very short, isn't it? Scripture does not say that the sisters were driven by lust, perversion. Far from it, the sisters talk about the custom of the whole earth. Obviously, this is understood as the sacred duty of a woman to give birth. At the same time, the sisters come to the conclusion that a) they have a duty to give birth; b) there is no one to be their husband; c) there is a father who is old. That is, it is only conceivable to give birth to a child from the father, and then only for a short time, since he is old and it is not known whether he will be alive tomorrow. This is the sister's dilemma. And for them duty is not an empty word, they saw with their own eyes what the sin of non-fulfillment of duty is and what it leads to. What did they know? They knew that their father had left Ur of the Chaldees, since there is Babylon, debauchery, horror, they saw that where they lived, there was also debauchery and horror. Death and doom are everywhere. At the same time, the Lord saves them. It means that the Lord has a great deal of pleasure in them, it means that they have this mission to continue life on earth.