| What is Shabbat Shalom? 
Jews all over the world read a portion of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, in the synagogue every Shabbat morning. The cycle begins right after the Feast of Tabernacles and concludes the following year at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles. Traditionally, Jewish families discuss the Torah portion at their Shabbat Table, bringing new insights, each year, to the same inspirational words and stories that they have been reading for years. In this weekly column, Sondra Oster Baras, CFOIC Heartland's Israel Director, shares her personal reflections on the weekly Torah portion.
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Vayera (And He Appeared)
Genesis 18:1 - 22:24
This week we read the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Interestingly, though, we know very little of the nature of the evil that had become so entrenched in Sodom and that necessitated its destruction. The first we hear of Sodom is when Lot, Abraham's nephew chooses this area as his residence. Scripture then points out: "And the people of Sodom were evil and sinful before G-d, exceedingly." (Genesis 13:13). When G-d informs Abraham of His decision to destroy Sodom He says: "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very heavy." (Gen. 18:20). The third piece of information that we have about the evil that is in Sodom is the story of the angels who visit Lot in order to save him from the destruction. Dressed as human beings, they are welcomed by Lot and his family, but the men of the city converge upon the house and demand that Lot deliver the men to them "so that we may know them," an explicit reference to sexual relations. (Gen. 18:5).
From these scriptures, we can assume that the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah are many and varied. If G-d hears the cry of the city, we can assume that people are being hurt and wronged on a regular basis. We are told that the people are evil, an indication that their sins are an integral part of who they are. And the story with the angels tells us that the people of Sodom are not hospitable and that homosexual rape is common.
There is another source that refers to Sodom. In Ezekiel 16 verse 49, the prophet explains the sin of Sodom as their failure to help the poor.
The Midrash adds a number of elements to the Sodom story, recording examples of laws and incidents that illustrate the depravity of the place. It is not clear whether these midrash tales are based on ancient oral tradition or whether they were created to give examples of the sort of depravity that can be analyzed from the Bible itself. But they are illuminating just the same.
One tale tells of a girl who inquires as to the reason that her friend is ill. She discovers that her friend is starving. Responding in a generous, human way, the girl gives her starving friend some flour. When the city officials find out, they kill her, for generosity is a crime in Sodom. Other stories tell of laws against hosting guests and severe punishments that are meted out, both to the guests and to the hosts.
One midrash analyzes the verses in Genesis 13 as follows: the word "evil" refers to their evil behavior towards one another, the word "sinful" refers to their sexual depravity, the words "before G-d", refer to their idolatry and the word "exceedingly" refers to murder, one more sin they were enmeshed in.
The sum total of these verses and their midrashic explanations point to an exceedingly evil and depraved town, where the very norms of human behavior are distorted, where people suffer deeply and the most innocent expressions of good will are quashed. Interestingly, it is the changing of norms, in the form of laws that seems to set Sodom apart from anywhere else. For there are evil people everywhere. The challenge is to avoid evil people, condemn their ways and prevent them from succeeding. But when evil becomes the law of the land, there is no escape.
Shabbat Shalom from Samaria, Sondra Sondra Baras Director, Israel Office
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May 23 - June 2, 2011 Israel Tour
 With Pastor Gary Cristofaro,
First Assembly of God, Melbourne, FL
May 23rd - June 2nd, 2011
Eilat Extension
June 3rd- June 6th
Israel Host for the Tour: Sondra Oster Baras, Director,
CFOIC Heartland - Israel
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| The Choosing of a Chosen People A 5 part series on Genesis by Sondra Oster Baras 
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