Daf 105a (דַּף ק״ה ע״א)

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): And Hashem said: Shall I hide from Avraham...? (וַייָ אָמַר: הַמְכַסֶּה אֲנִי מֵאַבְרָהָם). Rabbi Yehudah said (אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה): Kudsha Berikh Hu gave all the land to Avraham, to be his eternal inheritance (קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָהַב כָּל אַרְעָא לְאַבְרָהָם לְמֶהֱוֵי לֵיהּ אַחְסָנַת יְרוּתָא לְעָלְמִין), as it is written (Bereshit 13): For all the land which you see, to you I will give it… (כִּי אֶת כָּל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה רֹאֶה לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וְגו׳), and it is written: Lift now your eyes and see (וּכְתִיב: שָׂא נָא עֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה). And afterwards, Kudsha Berikh Hu needed to uproot these places (וּלְבָתַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְאַעֲקָרָא אַתְרִין אִלֵּין). Kudsha Berikh Hu said: I have already given the land to Avraham (אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא: כְּבָר יַהֲבִית יַת אַרְעָא לְאַבְרָהָם), and he is the father of all (וְהוּא אַבָּא לְכֹלָּא), as it is written (דִּכְתִיב) (Bereshit 17): For a father of many nations I have made you (כִּי אַב הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם נְתַתִּיךָ). And it is not fitting for Me to strike the children without informing their father, whom I have called “Avraham My Beloved” (וְלָא יָאוֹת לִי לְמִמְחֵי בְּנִין וְלָא אוֹדַע לַאֲבוּהוֹן דְּקָרִית לֵיהּ אַבְרָהָם אוֹהֲבִי). And for this reason it was necessary to make it known to him (וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִצְטְרִיךְ לְאוֹדַע לֵיהּ), and because of this it says: And Hashem said: Shall I hide from Avraham what I am doing? (וְבְגִין כָּךְ (אָמַר): וַייָ אָמַר: הַמְכַסֶּה אֲנִי מֵאַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עוֹשֶׂה).

Rabbi Abba said: Come and see (אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא: תָּא חֲזֵי), the humility of Avraham (עִנְוְתָנוּתָא דְּאַבְרָהָם). For even though Kudsha Berikh Hu said to him: The cry of Sedom and Amora is indeed great (דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּאָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא: זַעֲקַת סְדוֹם וַעֲמוֹרָה כִּי רַבָּה), and with all that He prolonged His words with him and informed him that He sought to enact judgment on Sedom (וְעִם כָּל דָּא דְּאוֹרִיךְ עִמֵּיהּ וְאוֹדַע לֵיהּ דְּבָעֵי לְמֶעְבַּד דִּינָא בִּסְדוֹם), he did not seek before Him to save Lot, and not to judge him (לָא בָּעָא קַמֵּיהּ לְשֵׁיזָבָא לֵיהּ לְלוֹט וְלָא יַעֲבִיד בֵּיהּ דִּינָא). What is the reason? So as not to seek reward from his deeds (מַאי טַעְמָא - בְּגִין דְּלָא לְמִתְבַּע אַגְרָא מִן עוֹבָדוֹי). And on account of this, Kudsha Berikh Hu sent for Lot and saved him, for the sake of Avraham (וְעַל דָּא שָׁלַח קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְלוֹט וְשֵׁזִיב לֵיהּ בְּגִינֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם), as it is written (Bereshit 19): And Elohim remembered Avraham, and He sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow… (דִּכְתִיב: וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת אַבְרָהָם וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת לוֹט מִתּוֹךְ הַהֲפֵכָה וְגו׳). What is meant by “who dwelt in them, Lot”? Was this not already stated? (מַאי: אֲשֶׁר יָשַׁב בָּהֵן לוֹט - הָא אִתְּמָר). But because they were all guilty and none was found among them who had any merit - except Lot (אֲבָל בְּגִין דְּכֻלְהוּ חַיָּיבִין וְלָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּינַיְהוּ מִכֻּלְהוּ דְּאִית לֵיהּ מִידִי דִזְכוּ, בַּר לוֹט). From here we learn: in every place where the guilty dwell - it is destined for destruction (מִכָּאן אוֹלִיפְנָא: בְּכָל אֲתַר דְּדָיְירִין בֵּיהּ חַיָּיבִין - חָרִיב אִיהוּ).

Who dwelt in them, Lot - and was Lot dwelling in all of them? (אֲשֶׁר יָשַׁב בָּהֵן לוֹט - וְכִי בְּכֻלְהוּ הֲוָה יָתִיב לוֹט) Rather, it was because of him that they were dwelling and had not yet been destroyed (אֶלָּא בְּגִינֵיהּ הֲווּ יַתְבֵּי דְּלָא אִתְחָרְבוּ). And if you would say: in his own merit - no! (וְאִי תֵימָא בִּזְכוּתֵיהּ - לָא), but rather in the merit of Avraham (אֶלָּא בִּזְכוּתֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם). Rabbi Shim‘on said: Come and see - the service that a person does for a Zakkai [a meritorious one] (אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן: תָּא חֲזֵי - דְּשִׁמּוּשָׁא דְּעָבִיד בַּר נָשׁ לְזַכָּאָה), that service protects him in this world (הַהוּא שִׁמּוּשָׁא אָגִין עֲלֵיהּ בְּעָלְמָא). And not only that, but even though he himself is guilty - he learns from the ways of the righteous and acts accordingly (וְלָא עוֹד אֶלָּא דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ חַיָּיבָא - אוֹלִיף מֵאָרְחוֹי וְעָבִיד לוֹן).

Come and see: because Lot cleaved to Avraham, even though he did not learn all of his deeds (תָּא חֲזֵי: דְּהָא בְּגִין דְּאִתְחַבַּר לוֹט בַּהֲדֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם, אַף עַל גַּב דְּלָא אוֹלִיף כָּל עוֹבָדוֹי), he still learned to do good with creatures as Avraham did (אוֹלִיף לְמֶעְבַּד טִיבוּ עִם בִּרְיָין כְּמָה דְּהֲוָה עָבִיד אַבְרָהָם). And that is why he settled in all those cities at that time, after Lot had entered among them (וְדָא הוּא דְּאוֹתִיב לְכָל אִנּוּן קַרְתֵּי כָּל הַהוּא זִמְנָא דְּיָתְבוּ בָּתַר דְּעָאל לוֹט בֵּינַיְהוּ).