Vayera ~ What is a sodomite?

(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.”

(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.

(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!"

There were four judges in Sodom and they were named for their actions: Shakrai, meaning liar, and Shakrurai, habitual liar, Zayfai, forger, and Matzlei Dina, perverter of justice. These were the judgments that they rendered: In a case of one who strikes the wife of another and causes her to miscarry, they would say to the woman’s husband: Give the woman to the one who struck her, so that she will be impregnated for you again. In a case of one who severed the ear of another’s donkey, they would say to the owner of the donkey: Give the donkey to the one who caused the damage, until the ear grows back. In a case of one who wounds another, they would say to the injured party: Give the one who wounded you a fee, as he let your blood. And they instituted an ordinance: One who crossed the river on a ferry gives four dinars, and one who crossed the river in the water gives eight dinars. One time a certain launderer came and arrived there. The people of Sodom said to him: Give four dinars as payment for the ferry. He said to them: I crossed in the water. They said to him: If so, give eight dinars, as you crossed in the water. He did not give the payment, and they struck him and wounded him. He came before the judge to seek compensation. The judge said to him: Give your assailant a fee, as he let your blood, and eight dinars, as you crossed the river in the water.

There was a young woman [rivitah] who would take bread out to the poor people in a pitcher so the people of Sodom would not see it. The matter was revealed, and they smeared her with honey and positioned her on the wall of the city, and the hornets came and consumed her. And that is the meaning of that which is written: “And the Lord said: Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great [rabba]” (Genesis 18:20). And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Rabba is an allusion to the matter of the young woman [riva] who was killed for her act of kindness. It is due to that sin that the fate of the people of Sodom was sealed.

(10) And thus do you find with the men of Sodom, that they rebelled only out of satiety, it being written of them (Job 28:5) "a land from which bread came forth, and whose place was overturned as with fire." The men of Sodom said: "We have food; we have silver and gold. Let us arise and banish the law of hospitality from our midst" — to which the L-rd responded: "With the good that I have bestowed upon you, you want to banish the law of hospitality from your midst? I shall banish you from the world!" What is written of them? (Ibid. 4) "A stream (of fire and brimstone) burst forth from its source (upon Sodom), who (i.e., the people of Sodom) caused the (code of the) wayfarer to be forgotten." (Ibid. 12:5-6) "The torch of (the) shame (of Gehinnom awaits) him who is at ease in (his) thoughts, (saying: "I shall be at peace,") (and that he is) prepared (to join the ranks of) those whose foot slips. The tents of robbers are at peace, and those who anger G-d dwell secure, (and with all) that G-d has brought (to the evildoer, the 'hour' plays into) his hand." And this is the intent of (Ezekiel 16:48-50) "Behold, this was the sin of Sodom your sister. She and her daughter had pride, surfeit of bread and peaceful serenity; but she did not strengthen the land of the poor and the needy. And they grew presumptuous and committed abomination before Me, and I removed them (from the world) when I saw (their ways)."

Evil - The explanation of Rashi: with their bodies, and this is the opinion of Rabbi Yitzchak in Sanhedrin 109, and he brings proof from "and how will I do this great evil". And 'evil' implies something done by one person to another, as we read above in the portion Noach; and 'evil' implies damages and injury done with someone's body. And this is the explanation through the words of Joseph that he would not do this great evil to his master, since the jealousy of one's wife is the fury of a husband (see Proverbs 6:34). And this explains that "evil with their bodies" means that they were committing adultery with the wives of their fellow Sodomites, and so on, which is doing damage between one each other.

Its cry - "za'akah" and "tza'akah" are [words that denote crying out] regarding difficulty and oppression, and they mean that a person cries out to another person, just as "cried out to the king" (see II Kings 6:26). But "shive'a" is [used] for crying out to God alone...

(13) There are four kinds [of] givers of tzedakah (charity). [One who] wishes to give, but does not [wish for] others to give -- he has an evil eye with respect to others; [one who] wishes for others to give, and he [himself] does not give -- he has an evil eye with respect to himself; [one who] gives and [wishes that] others will give -- [that's a] chasid (righteous person); [one who] does not give and does not [wish that] others will give -- [that's a] rasha (wicked person).