Based on Sichot Haran (Rabbi Nachman’s Wisdom) #22
“When God destroyed the cities of the plain, God remembered Avraham and sent Lot from amidst the upheaval…” (Bereishis 19:29).
A Midrash on this verse (Tanchuma, Vayeira #9) comments, “Even when the Holy, Blessed One is angry, He has compassion.” It immediately continues, “[On Shabbat] one may save [from a fire] the Torah case along with the Torah, and the tefillin case with the tefillin.”* This teaches us: Fortunate are the tzaddikim and fortunate are those who cling to them. What does Rebbe Nachman say about clinging to tzaddikim? He teaches:
It is very good to be worthy of connecting to a genuine tzaddik. Regarding the Messianic era, it is written, “To grasp the ends of the earth and shake the wicked from it” (Job 38:13).** However, one who is connected to a genuine tzaddik can grab hold of him and survive. Because he is connected and affiliated with the tzaddik, he will not be cast off along with the wicked.
What happens to Lot in this week’s Parshah is a vivid demonstration of this teaching, despite the fact that Lot traded his close connection with Avraham Avinu for the greed and immorality of Sodom. The lessons he learned from Avraham Avinu left Lot with a vestigial connection to the tzaddik. Despite the mortal risk involved in committing the “crime of hospitality” in Sodom’s corrupt society, Lot still actively sought guests (Bereishis 19:1; Rashi). And when his guests spoke negatively about Sodom’s despicable behavior, Lot—somewhat akin to Avraham Avinu—attempted to defend the Sodomites (Bereishis Rabbah 50:5).
Certainly, we, who despite our own struggles seek a connection with Rebbe Nachman and other genuine tzaddikim (past and present), can hope and pray that our grasp on them will always be firm. Note that the “grasping and shaking” that Lot underwent directly impacted the lineage of Mashiach. As a result of being saved, Lot and his daughter began the family line that eventually produced King David, great-grandfather of Mashiach.
What is this “grasping and shaking” anyway? It’s God’s way of getting our attention. God doesn’t want any of His creations to be guilty and suffer; He wants them to be their best (Tanchuma, Vayeira #8). For 52 years, God sent earthquakes to wake up the Sodomites (ibid. #10)—they were His creations too! He didn’t want them to be wicked and die.
Many pre-Mashiach “shakings” have happened in our lifetime. The purpose of these events is not for survivors and observers to self-righteously say, “Those people were wicked! They got what they deserved!” It’s to prompt us to shake off our own misbehavior. As the Chofetz Chaim responded to the news of an earthquake, “I don’t know what it means, but I do know God is telling us: Children—return to Me.”
agutn Shabbos!
Shabbat Shalom!
© Copyright 2024 Breslov Research Institute
*Shabbat 116b; Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chaim 334:15
**God will “grasp…and shake the wicked from it, like one shakes a tallit” (Rashi), but the tzaddik remains (Metzudot)
