(1) The two angels arrived in Sodom in the evening, as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to greet them and, bowing low with his face to the ground, (2) he said, “Please, my lords, turn aside to your servant’s house to spend the night, and bathe your feet; then you may be on your way early.” But they said, “No, we will spend the night in the square.” (3) But he urged them strongly, so they turned his way and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
Lot told them not to go walking through the streets and markets as one who flagrantly breaks the law of the land. However he did tell them to turn to his house. The Medrash explains that he found a quiet way through the dark so that no-one would see the guests. He then told them afterwards they should sleep and wash their feet in order to be ready to go with the dust of their feet, and they should only wash when they go. This was in order to make them feel that they were still journeying (and give them a sense of unease and discomfort and desire to leave). The intent of Lot was to hide their presence from the people of the city, or if they did see them to think that they hadn't come from far away. It was for this reason that he told them to go on their way early in the morning.
The angels declined and said that they prefered to sleep in the street so as not to break the laws of the country.
SOURCE 1
(טו) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר מָנ֖וֹחַ אֶל־מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֑ה נַעְצְרָה־נָּ֣א אוֹתָ֔ךְ וְנַעֲשֶׂ֥ה לְפָנֶ֖יךָ גְּדִ֥י עִזִּֽים׃ (טז) וַיֹּאמֶר֩ מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מָנ֗וֹחַ אִם־תַּעְצְרֵ֙נִי֙ לֹא־אֹכַ֣ל בְּלַחְמֶ֔ךָ וְאִם־תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה עֹלָ֔ה לַיהוָ֖ה תַּעֲלֶ֑נָּה כִּ֚י לֹא־יָדַ֣ע מָנ֔וֹחַ כִּֽי־מַלְאַ֥ךְ יְהוָ֖ה הֽוּא׃ (יז) וַיֹּ֧אמֶר מָנ֛וֹחַ אֶל־מַלְאַ֥ךְ יְהוָ֖ה מִ֣י שְׁמֶ֑ךָ כִּֽי־יָבֹ֥א דבריך [דְבָרְךָ֖] וְכִבַּדְנֽוּךָ׃
(2) ומצות אפה AND HE BAKED UNLEAVENED BREAD —It was Passover (Genesis Rabbah 48:12).
Avraham was incredibly spiritual and great man, and this can be seen through the words of our sages (Sanhedrin 93A) who state: The righteous are greater than the angels themselves. It is for this reason that the angels came to Abraham in the guise of men, to show that their strength was small in relation to Abraham. He would speak to them like a man would speak to his friend. They didn't refuse to eat his food (as they did to Lot), because they didn't have the power to refuse such a great man.
When the angels saved Lot, they appeared in the guise of angels, and nonetheless Lot merited to see such exalted beings, and the reason he could see them was to give Lot the merit of being kind to them, (as we will explain later on).
Lot, who had grown up in the house of Abraham, and saw angels regularly there (even Hagar saw them in her master's house). Therefore when he saw them he bowed down to them from the awe and fear of the angels.
Nonetheless he thought that they were a type of exalted prophet/man of G-d, in the same way as Manoach expressed the angel as being a "man of G-d".
Even though the angel that visited Manoach (the father of Samson) didn't want to eat, the angels ate, because the Almighty wanted to give Lot the merit which would allow him to be saved from Sedom. These angels were angels of mercy according to the Medrash. It was for this reason that they ate with him once they had seen that he had put in effort for them.
Chazal also say that the wife of Lot did not want to keep them in her house. The angels therefore stayed in his house, and this is evidenced through the words " you have come under the shadow of my roof"...
"He made for them a meal and he baked the Matzot". This was not like Abraham whose wife was righteous. He therefore asked Sarah to bake the Matzos.
I have already explained in the book of Judges the difference between the people of the Giva'h and the people of Sedom. The people of Giva'h didn't have a rule or mores that peoople shouldn't pass through their land. They didn't invite guests into their houses was because they were stingy. The reason that they wished to have relations with that guest was only because of their desires.
However, the people of Sedom established this as a law and precident that if anyone had pity on a poor person, or open his door to him would be punished. The guest who would break these rules would be afflicted in order to stop immigrants from walking through their land.
In this way, their sin was cerebral, because they legistlated these abhorrent laws and accepted upon themselves and their children as righteous and correct laws, until they all were all culpable in this. Such a sin can never be cured.
מנער ועד זקן, שלא נשאר איש בעיר שלא השתתף בנבלה ההיא, כמ"ש כל העם מקצה, בענין שלא נמצא אף צדיק א' שיהיה צדיק עכ"פ בערך אנשי סדום:
"From young to old" - there was not one person in the city that didn't take part in this abomination, as the verse testifies "All the people"
"They called out to Lot, and they said to him" - the double language of calling and saying is repetitive, however it tells us how tricky these wicked people were.
At first they didn't get angry with Lot saying to him:Why have you invited guests into your houses". Instead they called out (Vayikra being a language of calling out in love as we see in Leviticus 1) as well as calling him by his name. This was all to lull Lot into a sense of security so he would do as they said, and that he wouldn't be frightened of them.
THAT WE MAY KNOW THEM. Their intention [in their immoral actions] was to stop guests from [coming] among them, like the rabbis say, for they thought that because the goodness of their land which was "like the garden of Hashem" many would come there [to settle and share their wealth] and they hated charity. However, Lot [was allowed to live there] for he came with wealth and money. Also: they accepted him out of honor for Avram (his uncle). The Torah testifies that their intent was selfishness [not perversity] as it says, "Behold this was the iniquity of Sodom your sister: pride, abundance of bread, and careless ease were hers and her daughters', and she did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." And that which the Torah say [about Sodom] "wicked and sinful towards Hashem, exceedingly" is because they angered and rebelled [against G-D] with regard to their tranquility., and with regard to paining the poor. this is what it says: "And they became haughty and did abomination before Me, and I removed them when I saw"(Ezekiel 16:50). In the opinion of the rabbis (Sanhedrin 109a) they had all kinds of evil character traits but their judgement was sealed off because of that offense, because they didnt strengthen the hand of the poor and needy- for they were constant in that sin more than all the others. Also, all the nations show charity to their neighbors and to their poor; there was no one among them that was equal in cruelty to Sodom. You should know that the judgment of Sodom was because of the lofty level of Israel because Sodom is included in the heritage of Hashem, and doesnt tolerate people that do abominations. And just as this land would throw out the entire [Canaanite] nation because of their abominations it precede by throwing out this people (Sodom), for they were more evil than all [the Canaanite nations], toward Heaven (G-d) and toward humans. Heaven and earth became empty for them, and land destroyed without remedy, forever, for they became haughty on account of prosperity, and Hashem saw fit that it would be "a sign for rebellious people" for Israel who were destined to take possession of Israel- as he warned them: "[the later generations will say... when they will see the plagues of that Land,] sulfur and salt a conflagration of the entire land .. like the upheaval of Sodom and Amorrah, Admah and Tzvoim which G-d overturned in His anger and in His wrath" there are among the nations (outside Israel) who are very wicked and sinful and yet G-d didnt perpetuate such destruction against them. However, it was because of the high level of this land that all this occurred, for the Palace of G-d is there. Ill explain this further in Acharei Mot if He Who brings death and brings life will grant ne life.
(מכילתא)