Illuminations #135, Cheshvan 5778, Parshat Vayeira
Torah Gems
“Hashem had caused sulfur and fire to rain on Sedom and Amora- by Hashem from Heaven.”
The name Hashem signifies divine mercy and the name Elokim exemplifies the at
Rav Gifter explains that although destroying the wicked may seem harsh, it indeed stems from Hashem’s mercy on the rest of the world. A similar idea is expressed by the Sforno, “Hashem is a man of war; Hashem is his name (Shemos 15:3);” “Even though He is a man of war, destroying the wicked with justice, his name is indeed Hashem. Through destroying the evil people,He is granting existence and being to His world. He removes the thorns from the vineyard, for the wicked destroy the world.”
We can see another divine mercy displayed during the destruction of Sedom and Amora. “After the forces of destruction are given permission to destroy, they do NOT differentiate between the wicked and not wicked” (Bava kama60a). Lot, who was living in Sedom at the time of destruction, should have been killed. Hashem, however, with great mercy saved him and his family.
Parsha Pearls
Glimpses of Greatness
As the Chazon Ish was walking toward his house on SimchasTorah, he met a convert to Judaism. The proselyte complained to him that people weren’t befriending him, although the Torah obligates them to love a convert. The Chazon Ish told him that he would honor him with a song. Immediately, he burst into song and danced before him in the street, not stopping until he saw that the convert was appeased.
Halacha Weekly
Q. When Is it permitted to Pray that evil-doers repent? [2-11-280]
A. Clearly, one should pray for the sake of those who are engaged in sin or are far from the path of Torah in order that they repent. In the Zohar Harakiah ( Parshat V
However, there are times when it is not permitted to pray for evil-doers to repent. The reason is that praying for them represents praying to G-d for something which is impossible and is a prayer in vain. Sefer Chasidim (688 ) writes that one that causes the multitude to sin, and some of them die [in sin], one should not pray that he repent because it will not be effective. Meil Tzedakah (67, R. Yonah Landsofer, Z”L) writes that it is permitted for a person to pray to G-d that a evil person return in teshuva in order that he not cause one to suffer, but in general one should not pray for the sake of evil-doers [that they do teshuva].