UNCALIBRATED COMPASSES
In this week’s Parsha HaShem brings total devastation to Sedom and its surrounding metropolis. The entire region becomes home to the Dead Sea. What was once a lush land is now totally dead. Even its water source turned into the Dead Sea. The prophet Yechezkel tells us that the sin for which Sedom was destroyed was that “Sedom was satisfied and comfortable and they did not support the hand of the needy.” While this attitude of not helping the needy is certainly not a nice attitude, how are we to understand it as the cause of such devastation?
Furthermore, there were many other nations who had done worse deeds in addition to not being nice to the needy and they did not share this destiny?
In addressing this question the Akeida (Akeida is short for Akeidas Yitzchok which is a commentary written by a great sage who lived in Spain at the time of the Inquisition) explains that there are two mindsets when it comes to sinning against HaShem and His Torah. The first is that of the person who would really prefer avoiding the sin but he is overcome by temptation or extenuating circumstances that compel him to do it. This could include social pressure, financial pressure and so on. Similar to the fellow who is committed to keeping to a diet but falls whenever he passes ice cream. Even when he performs the sin he knows that he should not be doing it. The second mind-set is that of the person who sees nothing wrong with performing that sin. His intellect is perverted and he has no qualms at all about doing it. He does not even feel the need to justify it because in his mind there is nothing wrong at all.
In the case of the former, there is a good chance that one day he may wake up with the courage to correct his ways. His moral compass works properly and he knows which direction he needs to go. All he is missing is the guts and the strength to do it.
In other words, he is really a good guy but he is struggling. While every sin has its negative consequence, nevertheless, the consequence to such a sin will only serve as a prodding to help redirect him. The resultant punishment will serve to correct the problem.
In the case of the latter, no prodding will be able to redirect him because in his mind he has done no wrong. Any punitive consequence will not have the positive effect in correcting his wrong.
When the society at large adopts a perverted way of life there are also two mindsets. The first is driven by desires and circumstances and the second is driven by perverted intellect. When HaShem wants to correct the behavior of the former He only needs to shake them up like the story of the city of Ninve and they will correct their ways. However regarding the latter nothing can be done to correct this behavior because they will never concede that anything wrong was done.
The Akeida explains that the moral depravity practiced in Sedom was not State sanctioned. It was not State policy. On the other hand, the laws prohibiting supporting guests and needy folks were strictly enforced laws. In the minds of Sedom society, one must not allow others to benefit from his property even if it does not cost him anything. To allow a neighbor to cut through your driveway to shorten his walk home was a crime. While this does not sound so terrible in its own right, it is reprehensible for it to be accepted as a correct way of life. This is a direct product of a perverted intellect. There is no way to correct this society and hence they were wiped out.
By extension, the Akeida says that this applies to all State sanctioned intellectual perversion especially when it sanctions moral perversion.
May HaShem bring the day when world society will embrace the Torah’s ways and Man’s moral compass will finally be properly calibrated.
Have a very wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind