Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 19/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 19

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Overview

This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.

Lot and Rut

There are close parallels between the story of Avraham and Lot, and that of Rut. On the most basic level, Ruth is a descendant of Lot (through Moav), and is a spiritual descendant of Avraham, as a righteous convert.  

Tools

• See the Tanakh Lab¹ that one of the chapters with the most linguistic overlap with the Book of Rut is Bereshit 19, the story of Lot. To analyze the parallels, see here. 

Articles and Lectures

• For an analysis of the connections between Lot, Yehuda, and Rut, see Rebuilding a Future When Our World Comes Crashing Down by Ezra Sivan, who explores the parallels between the responses to catastrophe in these three interconnected stories. He notes that the narrative arc of each story is similar, beginning with descent and calamity and ending with a child born from an unconventional redeemer² through a process that involves a bed trick and lack of knowledge or recognition.  The characters’ moral stature moves in an upward trajectory through the three stories, beginning with the most morally questionable (Lot and his daughters) and culminating in the most noble (Rut, Naomi, and Boaz).     
• See Naomi, Tamar, and Lot’s Daughters: Continuity at All Costs by Dr. Yael Ziegler for analysis of the ways in which these Biblical stories depict extraordinary attempts at maintaining continuity after tragedy. Dr. Ziegler notes that, in all three cases, the calamity is precipitated by a separation between brothers.  In the case of Megillat Rut, unlike the other two, continuity is ultimately ensured not by the person who made the choice to separate, but by a protagonist (Boaz) who never separated from his people.
• See הקדמה למגילת רות, a lecture by Dr. Yael Ziegler in which she suggests that the Midrash’s critical reading of Elimelech and his behavior stems from the parallels between his story and that of Lot in Sedom. Elimelech chooses to go to Moav in time of famine despite the fact that  Moav does not have a natural water source. This implies that he has wealth which he seeks to protect, rather than needing to find water and food.  Moreover, like Lot, he chooses a place known in the Torah to be home to a cruel culture. As such, his values appear to reflect those of Lot and Sedom, rather than those of Avraham.

Avraham and Lot

The story of Lot’s interaction with the angels who visit him in Bereshit 19 contains parallels and contrasts to Avraham’s interaction with them in Bereshit 18.³

Tools

Tanakh Lab indicates that Bereshit 18 is the second most linguistically similar chapter to Bereshit 19.  See here to compare the two texts.

Primary Sources

• Several sources compare the hospitality of Lot and Avraham – Contrast Lekach TovLekach Tov and Seikhel TovSeikhel Tov on Bereshit 19:3 who view Lot's hospitality as being on a lower level that that of Avraham, with ChizkuniBereshit 19:2About R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach and ShadalBereshit 19:3About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto who suggest that differing circumstances can account for the differing actions. See also Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 25.
• Others focus on the different spiritual levels of the  two – see Bereshit Rabbah 19:3, Rashi Bereshit 19:1Bereshit 19:1About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki.

Articles

• See R. Raymond Harari's article, Avraham's Nephew Lot: A Biblical Portrait, for a comparison of the two figures. R. Harari concludes that though Lot did not outright reject Avraham's values, he made them subservient to his own materialistic goals. Ultimately his inability to fully commit to Avraham's vision led to his defeat.
• Rav Elchanan Samet's article, בין אברהם ללוט, further compares the stories. He notes that whereas Avraham is the antithesis of the people of Sedom, Lot's relationship to the morals of Sedom is more complicated.  Though he chooses to dwell among them and adopts some of their ways, he also has certain values learned from Avraham.  The events of Chapter 19 serve to examine his actions to see with which side he is more loyal and whether he deserves salvation. 

Sedom and Egypt

There are numerous parallels between the stories of the destruction of Sedom and of divine retribution against Egypt at the time of the Exodus.

Articles

• In Lot’s “Pesach” And Its Significance (or the Hebrew version פסח מצרים ופסח סדום), R. Yoel Bin-Nun points out the many commonalities between the stories of Lot’s salvation from Sedom and the Children of Israel’s salvation from Egypt.  These include: the divine destruction of a corrupt society and the escape of one group of people, the centrality of the home as the safe place within that society, the need for haste in escaping, and the preparation of matzot.  These parallels emphasize and explain the significance of the home and family within these stories of salvation and our own commemoration and celebration of Pesach.

Sedom and Evil in Tanakh

Sedom is invoked throughout Tanakh as representative of the depths to which society can sink.

Tools

• See Makbilot Bamikra for a list of verses in which Sedom is singled out as a paradigm of evil.

Articles

• See ירושלים וסדום - ברית ערים תאומות? עיון בנבואות ירמיהו by R. Chezi Cohen for an analysis of the descriptions of Sedom’s values and culture as being the antithesis of those of Yerushalayim, beginning with the story of Avraham.  Sedom is the symbol of all that Avraham seeks to change in his world.  R. Cohen also explores the symbolism of Sedom as it is developed in Sefer Yirmeyahu.  

Sedom and Givah

There are salient parallels in language and plot between the story of Sedom in Bereshit 19 and that of the concubine in Givah in Shofetim 19. According to the Tanakh Lab, in fact, Shofetim 19 is the chapter most linguistically similar to Bereshit 19.

Tools

• Use the Tanakh Lab to see the many linguistic parallels between Bereshit 19 and Shofetim 19.

Lectures

• See איך התדרדרנו למעשה פילגש בגבעה by R. Yisrael Rosen for analysis of the parallels and contrasts between the two stories and what they teach us about unjust societies. While both act unjustly in many of the same ways, Hashem punishes Sedom more severely. The difference in divine responses might connect to the source of the immorality in each narrative. The corruption of society in the story of the concubine of Givah reflects the lack of leadership during the time of the Judges and stems from anarchy and chaos rather than innate immorality..  

¹ In the Tanakh Lab, click on the Torah icon for a list of linguistically similar chapters to that being displayed.

² Each relationship is further akin to levirate marriage.

³ Some of the contrasts between the episodes include:

• Avraham’s guests arrive during the day while Lot’s arrive at night, reflecting the sinister feeling of the latter story.
• Avraham prepares an elaborate feast whereas Lot offers a simple meal.
• Most significantly, the way that Avraham relates to his family members (especially by emphasizing that Sarah is safe in the tent) stands in contrast to Lot’s willingness to place his daughters in danger by ejecting them from the family home.