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Why would Avrohom challenge God's plan to destroy Sodom when the Rambam (רמב"ם) teaches that a city with more evil than good must be destroyed? Bris milah transformed humanity's relationship with God from martial law to a covenant granting rights. Before bris milah, God could destroy rebellious populations without due process; after, Jews can demand justice—Avrohom's argument epitomizes this shift, establishing that covenant creates entitlement to exist and to Mishpat.
The shiur explores the transformative impact of bris milah on humanity's relationship with God, particularly regarding justice and human rights. Rabbi Zweig begins by addressing a puzzling Rashi (רש"י): when God visits Avrohom after his bris milah, Avrohom wanted to stand but God told him to remain seated, explaining this would be a sign that God will stand when judges sit. The difficulty is that this context—a bikur cholim visit to a sick person—seems entirely unrelated to judicial proceedings. The shiur then examines Avrohom's confrontation with God over Sodom. Avrohom challenges God intensely, accusing Him of potential injustice: "Will You destroy the righteous with the wicked? Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?" The question arises: how could Avrohom suspect God of planning to kill innocent people alongside the guilty? More fundamentally, the Rambam (רמב"ם) in Hilchos Teshuvah explicitly states that when a city has more evil than good, God destroys it—this is precisely what God planned for Sodom. The Rambam brings Sodom itself as proof of this principle. How then could Avrohom accuse God of injustice when God was following the very law the Rambam describes?
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Vayeira 18:1-33
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Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
How could Avrohom keep the entire Torah before it was given, including rabbinical laws? The key insight is that mitzvos represent eternal spiritual realities, not just historical commemorations, so Avrohom could access these truths through his genuine search. His entire 172-year journey—even his early idolatry—retroactively became service of God once he reached ultimate truth.
