The Two Destructions of Sodom: Hashchasa and Hafeicha

The shiur opens with a fundamental question from Rashi (רש"י): three angels came to Avrohom—one to heal him, one to inform Sarah about Yitzchok's birth, and one to destroy Sodom. But why did the third angel need to visit Avrohom at all? The angel's mission was Sodom, not Avrohom's tent. Rashi states the principle that one angel cannot perform two missions ("ein malach echad oseh shtei shlichos"), and inversely, two angels are not sent for one task. Yet the pesukim seem to contradict this: "vayechaziku ha'anashim b'yado"—the angels held his hand (plural)—and later "mashchisim anachnu" (we are destroying), yet finally "ki lo uchal" (I cannot do) is singular. Rashi explains that the angels were punished for arrogance in saying "mashchisim anachnu" and had to admit "ki lo uchal." But the shiur presses further: how could both angels say "we are destroying" when only one was assigned that task? One angel was lying—impossible for a malach. The resolution lies in recognizing that there were two distinct destructions of Sodom. The first was the hashchasa: Hashem (ה׳) rained down fire and sulfur ("Hashem himtir al Sodom v'Amora gofris v'eish me'eis Hashem min hashamayim"). This was an act of Hashem Himself, Hashem Hu u'Beis Dino—Hashem and His court, which includes the angels as members of the beis din. Rashi teaches that whenever the name Hashem appears, it means Hu u'Beis Dino. The angels were sent down as investigating members of the court to see whether Sodom deserved destruction ("erida na v'er'eh"). In this capacity, both angels were principals—members of the beis din—and therefore both could truthfully say "mashchisim anachnu." They were both involved in the judicial process that led to the hashchasa. The hashchasa occurred at alos hashachar (dawn), as Rashi states explicitly.