15 November 2024
Week of10-16 November 2024
Torah portion: Genesis 18:1–22:24 Haftarah: Second Kings: 4:1-3L
Theme: Lot’s Wife Looked back and Became a Pillar
How often have we heard the story of the unnamed wife of Lot who looked back and turned into a pillar of salt and thought, “Well, it seems that she deserved this punishment”? The Divine Messengers told those fleeing NOT to look back at the destruction of Sodom. The language, however, is addressed in the masculine singular (Culpeper, 64) so the grammar indicates that the messengers were only warning Lot not to look back; they did not tell Lot to pass this warning to his wife. Was she warned, and did she look back in spite of the warning? “Targum Yerushalmi on this verse states, ‘And because the wife of Lot was from the sons of sons of Sodom, she looked back to see what would be the end of her father’s house.’ It concludes, ‘And behold, she stands as a pillar of salt until the time the dead are brought to life’” (Culpeper, 64).
One answer as to why she looked back is that it was her home and that many family members who lived there. “Bereshit Rabbah informs us that she even had two married daughters who were left behind” (Culpeper, 64). She is turned into a pillar of salt, and as Culpeper states, “The word for pillar, n’tziv, is used as a noun only this once in the Torah” (65). However, there are many examples “throughout the Bible of pillars, called amudim, made as covenant reminders or memorials” (Culpeper, 65). Rather than this woman being punished, could she have intentionally chosen to be this pillar of both a memorial and a direction for her daughters to follow her? She may have tried to redeem them and point them in a new direction (Culpeper, 66-67). Redemption calls for a new direction, a choice to change one’s life to become more hopeful for future generations to follow. Lot’s wife as a pillar reminds us of our own potential to influence others (Culpeper, 69).
Not only are the daughters redeemed by their mother’s actions, they became sources of redemption themselves. One daughter’s descendent is King David and the other daughter’s descendent is the wife of King Solomon. Thus Lot’s wife’s descendants usher in the time of the Messiah which Judaism professes will eventually lead to the resurrection of the dead (Culpeper, 69).
Reflection and Discussion: 1) How can we as parents, teachers, and leaders, make ourselves into pillars of hope? 2) How can we find ways to give direction and support to those following in our footsteps? 3) What is our role in bringing redemption to the world?
Bibliography: Culpeper, Cynthia A., “Vayera – Positive Pillars.” The Women’s Torah Commentary, edited by Elyse Goldstein, Jewish Lights, Woodstock, VT, 2000, pp. 63-69.
This week’s Parashat Commentary was prepared by:
Mary Louise Chesley-Cora, Delaware, USA, Bat Kol Alumna 2001
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