2021/5782
After the Melachim visit Abraham, giving him Brachot and the news that he will have a child, it is told to him that the city of Sedom, where his nephew Lot lives, is going to be destroyed. The Pasuk before Hashem tells Avraham states: “VeHashem Amar HaMechaseh Ani MeAvraham Asher Ani Oseh,” “Now Hashem had said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’” (Genesis 18:17). Does Hashem really need to let Avraham Avinu know this? Hashem runs the universe! Avraham doesn’t know everything that happens! But Hashem answers by saying that Avraham is going to become a great nation because I (Hashem) singled him out and he’s going to spread to his children the importance of following in the way of Hashem by doing what is right. Why is this point relevant? How does this insight shed light on why Hashem tells Avraham Avinu that He is going to destroy Sedom?
This question is raised by Rashi (18:18) in his commentary on this Pasuk. He explains that since Avraham is so important Hashem could not possibly keep secrets from him. The Rashbam comments on this saying that Avraham Avinu is so great that he is going to inherit this land and these people, so Hashem feels that He must tell him when something of his is being destroyed. These explanations make sense because the Pasuk presents Avraham Avinu’s greatness. However, there is a deeper lesson we can learn from this pasuk.
The Radak says that the reason Avraham and his children are mentioned here is because, when Avraham is blessed with a child, he is not merely going to tell him to follow Hashem but, he will tell them the punishments and reward for doing so. Therefore, as the ultimate example to give his kids, Hashem destroys Sedom and Amora, punishing them for their wrongdoings. The Ohr HaChaim says that Avraham’s job is to be a Bracha to the world. When AvrahamAvinu advocates for Sedom, what is he feeling? Possibly bold because he is confronting Hashem and advocating on their behalf: “Maybe there are fifty Tzadikim,” no. “Perhaps there are forty,” no. He keeps going and going, finally reaching ten, but there are not even ten. Imagine working so hard on something for so long only for it to fall apart. Avraham Avinu feels frustrated, disappointed, let down, as if Sedom’s failure was his fault. What was the point of Hashem rejecting his plea? Avraham now has a lesson for his future generations: one of the most powerful moments of his life was when he begged Hashem to save this city, but there were not even ten Tzadikim. We see that the ten could have changed Sedom’s fate from destruction to salvation, but there were insufficient good people. Hence Avraham Avinu will pass on to his future generations the importance of a Minyan - ten people make a huge difference!
This lesson is why Hashem needed to tell Avraham about Sedom’s destruction, and let him argue to save it: for him to realize that even if you are few , you can make a huge difference in the world. This idea expresses the essence of Am Yisrael. We are those descendants of Avraham and it is our job to be those few that change the world. We don’t need to be a huge number to make a big difference. With Hashem’s help, we can continue to be those few who demonstrate His ways to the rest of the world.