blogs/rabbi-huberman

In a modern world that too often locks the door against the outsider, this week's Torah portion shouts to us from the mountaintops: "Open your hearts to the stranger."

There are actually two occasions in the Torah on which God destroys civilizations.

One occurs during the time of Noah; and the other four hundred years later, during the days of Abraham, when God incinerates the town of Sodom.

Many Biblical scholars have posited theories regarding why God destroyed the "sinful" town of Sodom. Surprisingly, it had little to do with sexual impropriety.

Here's what concerned our ancient rabbis.

The Torah tells us in this week's reading, Vayera, that angels disguised as men appear to Abraham as he recovers from his circumcision. One angel predicts that Abraham and Sarah will produce a son, Isaac.

The couple provides them with food, drink, and shelter before they continue on their way.

The angels then journey to Sodom, and are invited by Abraham's nephew Lot to enjoy a hot meal and lodging.

As word spreads through the town that "outsiders" plan to spend the night, the men of the community, young and old, gather outside Lot's home and demand that the visitors be released into the streets so that "we may be 'intimate' with them." (Genesis 19:5)

It is from this intimidation -- really, this threat of gang rape -- that the word sodom assumed sexual connotations.

Nevertheless our tradition strenuously teaches that this was not Sodom's capital sin. Rather, Sodom was destroyed by God because of its inhospitality to the outsider.

It was for this reason that the town and its residents deserved to be wiped off the face of the earth.

Our tradition teaches that the rich town of