Hevruta Fishbowl @ SketchPad

(1) And the two messengers came into Sedom at evening, when Lot was sitting in the gate of Sedom. And Lot saw, and he rose to greet them and bowed, with his face to the ground. (2) And he said, “Oh, please, my lords, turn aside to your servant’s house to spend the night, and bathe your feet, and you can set off early on your way.” And they said, “No. We will spend the night in the square.” (3) And he pressed them hard, and they turned aside to him and came into his house, and he prepared them a feast and baked flatbread, and they ate. (4) They had not yet lain down when the men of the city, the men of Sedom, surrounded the house, from lads to elders, every last man of them. (5) And they called out to Lot and said, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, and we will know them!” (6) And Lot went out to them at the entrance, and the door closed behind him. (7) And he said, “Please, my brothers, do no harm.” (8) Look, I have two daughters who have known no man; let me bring them out to you and do to them as you please. Only to these men, don’t do a thing, for after all, they came under the shadow of my roof. (9) And they said, “Come close to over there”, and they said, “Some guy comes as an alien and makes himself a judge! Now, we’ll harm you worse them them!” And they pressed hard against the man Lot and approached to break down the door. (10) And the men reached out their hands and drew Lot to them into the house and closed the door. (11) And the men at the entrance of the house they struck with blinding light, from the smallest to the biggest, and they could not find the entrance.”

(2) ... The people of Sodom became haughty in front of the Place only due to the goodness He showered upon them, as it says : "A land from which bread had issued forth — its place was overturned, as if (consumed by) fire. A place of sapphire were its stones, and dusts of gold were there. (And now it is) a path unknown (i.e., unfrequented) by brigands, and unseen by the falcon's eye, untrodden by the haughty (beasts) and not crossed by the lion (Job 28:5-8). The people of Sodom [said]: "Since food comes out of our land, and silver and gold, and precious stones and pearls [all come] from our land, we have no need that other people will come to us to diminish [our valuables]. Let us rise and prevent the wayfarers to enter our cities [banot]!" The Holy One of Blessing said to them: "I gave goodness to you, and you seek to forget the wayfarers from your cities?! I will forget the wayfarers in your midst [beinechem] and I will forget you from the world!"

(3) The generation of the Flood has no share in the World to Come, nor will it stand in judgment, as it is says, (Genesis 6:3) "My spirit shall not abide [yadon] in man forever," neither judgment [din] not spirit. The generation of Division has no share in the World to Come, as it is says, (Genesis 11:8) "So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth." "So the Lord scattered them," in this world; (Genesis 11:9) "and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad" in the World to Come. The people of Sodom have no share in the World to Come, as it says, (Genesis 13:13) "Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against the Lord exceedingly." "Wicked" in this world, "and sinners" in the World to Come. But they will stand in judgment. Rabbi Nechemiah says , neither will stand in judgment, as it says, (Psalms 1:5) "Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous." "Therefore the wicked shall not stand in judgment," this is the generation of the Flood; "nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous," this is the people of Sodom. [The Sages] said to him, they will not stand in the congregation of the righteous, but they will stand in the congregation of the wicked. The spies have no share in the World to Come, as it says, (Numbers 14:37) "Even those men that did bring up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before the Lord." "Died," in this world; "in the plague," in the World to Come. The generation of the wilderness has no share in the World to Come and will not stand in judgment, as it is written, (Numbers 14:35) "In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die," according to Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Eliezer says, about them [the verse] says, (Psalms 50:5) "Gather My saints together unto Me; Those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice." The congregation of Korah will not ascend in the future, as it says, (Numbers 16:33) "and the earth closed upon them," in this world; "and they perished from among the assembly," in the World to Come, according to Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Eliezer says, about them [the verse] says, (I Samuel 2:6) "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up." The Ten Tribes will not return in the future, as it says, (Deuteronomy 29:27) "[God] will cast them into another land, as it is this day." Just as this day goes and does not return, so too, they will go and will not return, according to Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Eliezer says, just as the day grows dark and [then] grows light; so too, the Ten Tribes, for whom it grew dark, in the future it will thus grow light for them.

(10) There are four temperaments among men: the one who says "what is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours" -- that's an [average] temperament. And there are some who say that is the temperament of Sodom. [A second type is one who says] "what is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine" -- [that's an] am ha'arets (uneducated person). [A third type is one who says] "what is mine is yours, and what is yours is yours" -- [that's a] pious person. [A final type is one who says] "what is yours is mine, and what is mine is mine" -- [that's a] wicked person.