אנשי סדום אין להם חלק לעולם הבא ואינן חיין לעולם הבא שנ' ואנשי סדום רעים וחטאים בעולם הזה לי"י מאד בעולם הבא דבר אחר רעים איש על חבירו וחטאים בגילוי עריות לי"י בעבודה זרה מאד בשפיכות דמים
The people of Sodom have no portion in the world to come and do not live in the world to come, as it is written: “And the people of Sodom are evil and sinful" - in this world; "before God exceedingly" - in the the world to come [meaning they will not be "before God' in the world to come.]. Another interpretation: "Evil" - each man to his fellow [in matters of justice]; "and sinful" - by sexual transgression; "before God" - with idolatry; "exceedingly" - and murder. [Translation by Rabbi Steven Greenberg]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. The prophets and most Bible commentators say that Sodom was punished for its cruelty to strangers and disregard of the poor. How does this interpretation differ?
2. The three archetypal sins for the rabbis are idolatry, murder and uncovering nakedness, which is a catchall for all sexual violations. This text does not specify same-sex relations between men though it could have given the end of the story. Can you think of reasons why?
Time Period: Rabbinic (Maccabees through the Talmud)