Lot, and his Daughters' Plight

The Ramban shares a very sad comment about Lot, one that certainly causes pause. 

Lot is asked for his male guests so that they can be sodomized by the public, young and old. Lot says, "Why do you want them, when you can have my two younger virgin daughters?!" 

In of that, we see a shocking statement, a total lack of fidelity, and even basic decency, or humanity. We expect a father to respect his daughters and not hawk them for personal gain; perhaps it even shows how depraved Lot's view of God was, that he had messengers sent by God and he felt that the best way of advancing kindness in the world was sacrificing his daughters so that he could host the guests in his house for the night. 

That notwithstanding, the Ramban shares, "One can see from his Lot what his true intentions were. Lot apparently saw no apparent blemish in keeping his daughters for himself. Hashem thus said, if you feel you can give away your daughters, you will suffer the shame of them sleeping with you."

This is truly a very shocking statement, tit for tat, but on a level almost unequaled in the Torah. Why should the daughters be culpable? One could argue that the names they gave their children, Moav, or "from my father," and Amon, "of my nation," were indicative of their disreputable intent. At the same time, to be remembered for all time with such opprobrium seems to be disproportionate with their overall good intent. After all, Hashem had promised the world would not be destroyed through water, but not by fire. Similarly, with Yaakov Avinu, the sages teach that his attempt to hide Dinah from Eisav led to Dina being raped by Shechem; he, Yaakov, could have given her to Eisav and thereby brought him closer to Hashem; in that story, too, fault is found with Leah in the form of the statement that she precipitated what happened to her by going out to compare herself to the non-Jewish women of the land. 

I do not think I provided any answers, but rather, hopefully, more food for thought. The Ramban's statement is very damning towards Lot, especially seeing that he wasn't considered on such a high level; thus, Hashem's comportment with Yaakov, and our other forefathers could be considered much more comprehensible than the exacting way in which Lot, but more significantly, his daughters are treated.    

Comments

  1. kaballah99November 12, 2022 at 10:51 AM

    b"h

    lot is a total enigma to me. on the one hand when Hashem said lech lecha to avram, lot clung himself, and went with arvam. to me this shows that lot had an element of holiness within him.

    however, lot also had an element of unholiness within him, and that is why avram separated himself from lot as soon as he could.

    and given a choice to go to the right or the left, where did lot go? to the most evil place possible, sodom.

    however, holiness always wins out over unholiness. how unholy is it that lot was willing to give over his daughters to the people of sodom? and isn't it even more unholy that through his two daughters he committed incest, and fathered annon and moav.

    however, the birth of moav led to an incredible holy ruth, who is the matriarch of david hamelech with boaz.

    and had not tamar sat by the side of the road dressed as a harlot to lure yehuda into the act of yibum, that he or shelah should have done, how would boaz ever come to marry ruth?

    we human beings cannot in anyway comprehend the actions of Hashem. as isaiah states - my thoughts are not your thoughts. your ways are not my ways.

    kol hakavod to lot for without his depravity we would not be able to experience the final geulah and melech Moshiach. please Hashem let it happen in our time.

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