בראשית רבה נ׳Bereshit Rabbah 50

Section 1א׳

וַיָּבֹאוּ שְׁנֵי הַמַּלְאָכִים סְדֹמָה בָּעֶרֶב וגו' (בראשית יט, א), (יחזקאל א, יד): וְהַחַיּוֹת רָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב כְּמַרְאֵה הַבָּזָק, אָמַר רַבִּי אַיְּבוּ רָצוֹת אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן, אֶלָּא רָצוֹא, רָצִין לַעֲשׂוֹת שְׁלִיחוּתָן. כְּמַרְאֵה הַבָּזָק, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי סִימוֹן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי בַּר פַּרְטָא, כָּזֶה שֶׁהוּא בּוֹזֵק גֶּפֶת בַּכִּירָה. רַבִּי חִיָּא בַּר אַבָּא אָמַר כְּרוּחָא לַזִּיקָא. רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי כַּזִּיקָא לַעֲנָנָא. נִפְטָרִים מֵאַבְרָהָם בְּשֵׁשׁ שָׁעוֹת וּבָאִין סְדוֹמָה בָּעֶרֶב, אֶלָּא מַלְאֲכֵי רַחֲמִים הָיוּ וְהָיוּ מַמְתִּינִים וּסְבוּרִים שֶׁמָּא יִמְצָא לָהֶם זְכוּת, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁלֹא מָצָא לָהֶם זְכוּת, וַיָּבֹאוּ שְׁנֵי הַמַּלְאָכִים סְדֹמָה בָּעֶרֶב.

“The two angels came to Sodom in the evening and Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom; Lot saw them, and rose to meet them, and he prostrated himself with his face to the ground” (Genesis 19:1). “The two angels came to Sodom in the evening…” – “the ḥayot were darting to [ratzo] and fro like the appearance of a flash” (Ezekiel 1:14). Rabbi Aivu said: Ratzot is not written here, but rather, ratzo – they had a desire to perform their mission. “Like the appearance of a flash [habazak]” – Rabbi Yehuda in the name of Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Levi bar Parta: Like one who scatters [bozek] olive pomace in an oven. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: [The ḥayot moved] as wind drives an [empty] wineskin. The Rabbis say: As wind drives the clouds. They [the angels] took their leave from Abraham at six hours and arrived in Sodom only in the evening? The explanation is that they were angels of mercy, and they were tarrying, in the belief that perhaps He might find some merit for them. When He did not find any merit for them – “the two angels came to Sodom in the evening.”

Section 2ב׳

וְהוּא בְאֶחָד וּמִי יְשִׁיבֶנּוּ וְנַפְשׁוֹ אִוְּתָה וַיָּעַשׂ (איוב כג, יג), תָּנָא אֵין מַלְאָךְ אֶחָד עוֹשֶׂה שְׁתֵּי שְׁלִיחוֹת, וְלֹא שְׁנֵי מַלְאָכִים עוֹשִׂים שְׁלִיחוּת אֶחָת, וְאַתְּ אֲמַרְתְּ שְׁנֵי, אֶלָּא מִיכָאֵל אָמַר בְּשׂוֹרָתוֹ וְנִסְתַּלֵּק, גַּבְרִיאֵל נִשְׁתַּלַּח לַהֲפֹךְ אֶת סְדוֹם, וּרְפָאֵל לְהַצִּיל אֶת לוֹט. (בראשית יט, א): וַיָּבֹאוּ שְׁנֵי הַמַּלְאָכִים סְדֹמָה, הָכָא אַתְּ אָמַר מַלְאָכִים וּלְהַלָּן (בראשית יח, ב): קוֹרֵא אוֹתָן אֲנָשִׁים, אֶלָּא לְהַלָּן שֶׁהָיְתָה שְׁכִינָה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן קְרָאָם אֲנָשִׁים, כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּסְתַּלְּקָה שְׁכִינָה מֵעַל גַּבֵּיהֶן לָבְשׁוּ מַלְאָכוּת. אָמַר רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי אַבְרָהָם שֶׁהָיָה כֹּחוֹ יָפֶה נִדְמוּ לוֹ בִּדְמוּת אֲנָשִׁים, אֲבָל לוֹט עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהָיָה כֹּחוֹ רַע נִדְמוּ לוֹ בִּדְמוּת מַלְאָכִים. אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא עַד שֶׁלֹא עָשׂוּ שְׁלִיחוּתָן קְרָאָן אֲנָשִׁים מִשֶּׁעָשׂוּ שְׁלִיחוּתָן מַלְאָכִים. אָמַר רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא לְאֶחָד שֶׁנָּטַל הֶגְמוֹנְיָא מִן הַמֶּלֶךְ, עַד שֶׁלֹא הִגִּיעַ לְבֵית אוֹרְיָין שֶׁלּוֹ הָיָה מְהַלֵּךְ כְּפַגָּן, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לְבֵית אוֹרְיָין שֶׁלּוֹ הָיָה מְהַלֵּךְ כְּקָאלְמִין, כָּךְ עַד שֶׁלֹא עָשׂוּ שְׁלִיחוּתָן קְרָאָן אֲנָשִׁים כֵּיוָן שֶׁעָשׂוּ שְׁלִיחוּתָן קְרָאָן מַלְאָכִים.

“He acts through one, and who can respond to Him? His soul desires and He performs” (Job 23:13) – it is taught: One angel does not perform two missions, and two angels do not perform one mission. Yet you say: “[The] two [angels came to Sodom]”? The explanation is that Mikhael gave his tidings and departed, Gavriel was dispatched to overturn Sodom, and Refael, to rescue Lot. “The two angels came to Sodom” – here it says “angels,” but elsewhere, it characterizes them as “people” (Genesis 18:2). The explanation is that there, when the Divine Presence was over them, they were characterized as “people.” Once the Divine Presence departed from over them, they assumed the manifestation of angels. Rabbi Tanḥuma said that Rabbi Levi said: To Abraham, whose power was great, they appeared in the image of men; to Lot, whose strength was inferior, they appeared in the image of angels. Rabbi Ḥanina said: Before they performed their mission, they are characterized as people; after performing their mission, as angels. Rabbi Tanḥuma said: This is analogous to one who assumed a position of local government from the king. Until he reached his seat of authority, he walked about as a commoner. Once he reached the seat of his authority, he walked about as a nobleman. So, until they performed their mission, they are characterized as people, after performing their mission, they are characterized as angels.

Section 3ג׳

סְדֹמָה, תָּנֵי מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה כָּל דָּבָר שֶׁצָּרִיךְ למ"ד בִּתְחִלָּתוֹ תֵּן לָהּ הֵ"א בְּסוֹפוֹ, סְדֹמָה, שְׂעִירָה, מִצְרָיְמָה, חָרָנָה. אֲתִיבוּן וְהָכְתִיב (תהלים ט, יח): יָשׁוּבוּ רְשָׁעִים לִשְׁאוֹלָה, רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר זַבְדָא אָמַר לַבֵּיטִי הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה שֶׁבַּשְּׁאוֹל. בָּעֶרֶב, בָּא עַרְבָּהּ שֶׁל סְדוֹם וְשָׁקְעָה שִׁמְשָׁהּ וְנֶחְתַּם גְּזַר דִּינָהּ. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי אֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא דָּן אֶת אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא בַּלַּיְלָה בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהֵן יְשֵׁנִים, וְאֵינוֹ דָּן אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא בַּיּוֹם בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהֵם עֲסוּקִים בְּמִצְווֹת, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים ט, ט): וְהוּא יִשְׁפֹּט תֵּבֵל בְּצֶדֶק. וְלוֹט ישֵׁב, יָשַׁב כְּתִיב, אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם מִנּוּהוּ אַרְכִי דַיָּנִים. חֲמִשָּׁה רָאשֵׁי דַיָּנִים הָיוּ בִסְדוֹם, קֵץ שֶׁקֶר, וְרַב שֶׁקֶר, רַב מַסְטֵידִין, רַב נָבָל, וּקְלַא פַנְדֵּר. לוֹט הָיָה אַרְכִי הַדַּיָּנִים שֶׁבְּכֻלָּן, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהָיָה אוֹמֵר לָהֶם דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם עֲרֵבִים לָהֶם הֵן אוֹמְרִים לוֹ (בראשית יט, ט): גֶּשׁ הָלְאָה, סַק לְעֵיל, וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁהָיָה אוֹמֵר לָהֶם דְּבָרִים שֶׁאֵין עֲרֵבִים לָהֶם הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים לוֹ (בראשית יט, ט): הָאֶחָד בָּא לָגוּר וַיִּשְׁפֹּט שָׁפוֹט.

“To Sodom [sedoma]” – it is taught in the name of Rabbi Neḥemya: Every word that requires a lamed at the beginning, give it a heh at the end: Sedoma, Se’ira, Mitzraima, Ḥarana. But is it not written: “The wicked will return to the netherworld [lishola]”? (Psalms 9:18). Rabbi Abba bar Zavda said: It means to the lowest depths in the netherworld. “In the evening [ba’erev]” – the evening of Sodom arrived [ba arba]; its sun had set, and its sentence was sealed. Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He judges the nations of the world only at night, when they are sleeping, and judges Israel only during the day, when they are engaged in mitzvot. That is what is written: “He will judge the world in righteousness. [He will administer fair judgment to the nations]” (Psalms 9:9). “And Lot was sitting [yoshev]” – yashav is written. It was on that day that they appointed him the chief justice. There were five major judges in Sodom: Ketz Sheker, Rav Sheker, Rav Masteidin, Rav Naval, and Klepander. Lot was the chief justice of them all. When he would tell them things that were agreeable to them, they would say to him: “Gesh hala” (Genesis 19:9) – rise to the top. But when he would tell them things that were disagreeable to them, they would say to him: “This one came to sojourn, and he sits in judgment?” (Genesis 19:9).