Lot's Hospitality and Hyperbole

The Torah in Parashat Vayera tells of the experiences of the angels in Sedom after being invited into Lot’s house.  The city’s residents surrounded Lot’s home and demanded that he send out the two visitors.  Lot refused, whereupon the people of Sedom said, “Go away; this person came and is giving judgment!  We will now hurt you more than them!” (19:9).

            The phrase “ha-echad ba la-gur va-yishpot shafot” (“this person came and is giving judgment”) is a difficult one, both in terms of syntax and with regard to it contextual meaning.  The commentators generally explain this phrase as referring to Lot, a newcomer in Sedom, whom the townspeople now accuse of judging them.  It is not entirely clear, however, why they accused him of rendering judgment during this incident.  This sentence was said in response to Lot’s refusal to hand over the guests, when he said, “Please, my brothers, do not cause harm.  Look, I have here two daughters who have not slept with a man; I will bring them out to you and you can do to them as you please, but do not do anything to these men, once they have entered under the protection of my roof.”  Lot’s words do not, on the surface, appear to be casting any judgment.  He merely pleaded with the people not to hurt his guests, going so far as to offer them his two young daughters in their place.  Why did the mob respond by accusing Lot of “judging”?

            Rabbi Menachem Leibtag suggested a novel explanation of this verse by reinterpreting Lot’s remarks to the people of Sedom.  It is clearly startling to read that Lot offered his daughters as prostitutes for the sake of protecting two strangers, a point noted by the Midrash Tanchuma in its comments to this verse: “Normally, a person allows himself to be killed for his daughters and his wife…and this one [Lot] gives over his daughters to be abused.”  The Midrash observes the astonishing gravity of Lot’s offer, and proceeds to comment that the later episode of Lot’s intoxication and relations with his daughters came as a kind of punishment for offering them as prostitutes.   Others, however, reinterpreted this verse such that it does not actually refer to an offer of prostitution.  Derashot Ibn Shuib (cited in Torah Sheleima to this verse, note 44), citing Rabbenu Chananel, explained that Lot was offering all his possessions and property to the people for the sake of his guests, and he euphemistically expressed this offer through a reference to his daughters.

But Rabbi Leibtag suggested a different theory, one which also explains the response of the people of Sedom.  Perhaps Lot was not actually offering anything in exchange for his guests’ protection, but was rather expressing the vehemence of his commitment to their safety.  He was, in essence, saying, “I would sooner give you my two young daughters than hand over my guests who have sought lodging in my house.”  In other words, Lot was lecturing to the residents of Sedom.  He wanted to impress upon the people the notion of hospitality and dedication to guests in need of lodging.  And he utilized the graphic, hyperbolic example of handing over his daughters in order to emphasize how strongly he felt about the need to care for guests.

This novel reading easily explains the response of the people, angrily chiding Lot for judging them.  He was, in fact, moralizing, and in an especially strong and emphatic way which aroused their ire.  After his brief “lecture” about the importance of caring for guests, the Sedomites retorted by cynically asking, “Who’s this fellow who just moved in and is already preaching to us?” Lot had indeed preached to them about the topic of treating guests, and they were enraged, ready to proceed to harm not only the guests, but Lot, as well.