There is a lot to talk about in this week’s action-packed Torah portion. But I want to draw your attention to one incident in particular.
Abraham’s nephew Lot refuses the evil men of Sodom and Gomorrah entrance to his home. He knows they will rape his guests.
The guests, who are really angels, convince Lot to leave with his family. They do so, but against instructions, his wife turns around and looks back at the city.
She is immediately turned to a pillar of salt.
Now, all that’s left are Lot and his daughters.
The daughters think of one thing: human survival. Reproduction.
But the way they would have to perpetuate the family is evil, and so they can only carry out the plan when Lot is not conscious.
The girls get their father drunk, sleep with him in turn, and produce Ammon and Moab.
We can quibble about whether they did the right thing or not, but it is the principle that matters here.
When you want to get something done, and you know that the people will resist it, you have to manufacture consent in some way. Here, they plied dad with wine.
Think about the larger principle at work.
When evil comes knocking on your door, God forbid, it does not wear a brightly colored sign.
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By Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal. All opinions are the author’s own. Public domain.
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