Why did Abraham challenge God?
Table for Five: Vayera
In partnership with the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles
Edited by Nina Litvak & Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist
And Abraham approached and said, “Will You even destroy the righteous with the wicked? -Gen. 18:23
Michael Milgraum
Psychologist and Author
This question of punishing the righteous along with the wicked does sound like a challenge to Hashem, even a protest. Avraham raises a question that, despite the thousands of years that separate us and him, has not diminished in its raw emotional intensity. In fact, I would argue that his question has intensified, in the shadow of the brutal and traumatic history since his time, particularly the unparalleled carnage seen in modern times.
What is interesting about this quote is that it’s a question not a statement. And I believe in its form as question there is embedded an element of hope. It is the same hope that anyone standing before a judge, parent, king, or King of Kings might long for–that the authority figure render a just judgement that does not make the righteous suffer for the misdeeds of the wicked. So often we look around the world and the opposite seems to be true. But being Jewish gives us a responsibility–to strive to generate the longing and faith that we do not see the whole picture, and that justice will be served in the fullness of time, taking into account not only this world but the World to Come. Nonetheless, beyond this, we also must learn from Avraham’s example of protest. The world we see is often not the world that should be. And we should act locally and pray globally to make it the more righteous and just world that we yearn for.
Rabbi Aryeh Markman
Executive Director: Aish LA/Jewish American Summit
Can you imagine Abraham having this conversation with God about Gaza? Would you entertain the subject or allow the Gazans to be obliterated down to the last child? The question is not, “Is this right or wrong?” Torah doesn’t deal in right and wrong. The Torah deals in the binary code of “Is this true or false?”. Right and wrong can be a slippery, subjective slope. True and false is black and white with no grey, running on God’s software. Unlike Noah, who was told the Flood would wipe out mankind and obediently built an ark without complaint, Abraham stands up for a corner of humanity involving the Sodom region in Canaan. Factoid: This scene is soon after Abraham undergoes the bris mila/circumcision commandment. He is transformed from a more reflexive, contemplating personage into an assertive force, prepared to stand in contradiction to God. There is a difference between Jews and non-Jews. We have the bris, the covenant with God, which demands and empowers us to constantly improve ourselves and the world. The Talmud states everything we do either elevates or reduces us and our surroundings. Thus, our actions are either true or false.
The world, by contrast, witnesses mass killings among rival groups and is silent, while we insert ourselves in harm’s way to, literally, protect our enemies. Just ask the I.D.F!
The Torah is teaching us that Abraham is the progenitor, who taught us, in a place of 100% evil we still must ask, “Are any righteous home?”
Rabbi Natan Halevy
Kahal Joseph, WWW.KAHALJOSEPH.ORG
Abraham embodied the divine attribute of loving-kindness, as noted in Sefer HaBahir, where his merit shielded others—even the undeserving—from punishment and destruction.
When learning that Hashem planned to destroy Sodom, Abraham’s reaction was not quiet acceptance or prayer, but passionate and courageous argument. This appears uncharacteristic of one whose essence was mercy. The resolution lies in understanding that Abraham’s kindness was not emotional indulgence but disciplined service of Hashems ultimate will. His compassion flowed through reason, allowing him to act firmly when necessary to uphold divine justice.
When Abraham “approached” Hashem, it was not physical but spiritual. He invoked three divine names—E-lokim, E-l, and the Tetragrammaton—each representing a different mode of address: confrontation, appeasement, and heartfelt prayer. He challenged the decree by asking whether Hashem would destroy both righteous and wicked together, questioning whether anger could truly overpower mercy. Abraham’s plea affirmed that mercy must prevail; the merit of the few can sustain the many.
Believing that righteous individuals must exist within Sodom, Abraham argued that sparing them could inspire repentance among others. If Hashem punished the righteous alongside the wicked, moral order itself would be undermined; if only the righteous survived, they would still suffer the anguish of loss. Hashem acknowledged Abraham’s profound reasoning, agreeing that if fifty righteous could be found—ten for each of the five cities—their merit would suffice to save all. Even when reduced to ten, the minimum for a minyan, Abraham demonstrated that a small community of righteousness can uplift and transform an entire society.
Rabbi Cheryl Peretz
Vice Dean, AJU Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies
God decided that the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah warranted their destruction. When God revealed the plan, Abraham did not remain silent. He stood before God and pleaded on behalf of the innocent who might live among the guilty.
With willful determination and passion, Abraham implored God not to destroy the cities if fifty, or forty, or even ten innocent people could be found. A few verses beyond this moment, Abraham’s bold prayer — “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do justice?” (Genesis 18:25) — reflects both deep faith and moral courage.
Abraham was not from Sodom and probably did not know anyone there beyond his nephew Lot, who is not mentioned here. Yet he understood that the inhabitants were fashioned in God’s image and were therefore as worthy as he himself.
Though Sodom and Gomorrah were ultimately destroyed, Abraham’s plea left behind a timeless spiritual lesson — a legacy for which we can strive to live.
We lose our sense of humanity when we can no longer recognize the humanity within others. When we fail to see each person as deserving of compassion, dignity, and love, we deny the very essence that connects us all.
We are not measured by how we treat those who are like us, but by how we respond to those who are different. Whenever our words or actions strip others of their worth, we diminish ourselves. To be truly human is to honor the sacred spark of humanity in every person.
Rabbi Rebecca Schatz
Associate Rabbi of Temple Beth Am
Abraham is a character born out of trauma. Noah before him, does not say anything when God informs him the world will be destroyed. Maybe he couldn’t, maybe he didn’t want to, or maybe his relationship with God wasn’t strong enough to know it was a possibility to ask or fight. However, Abraham has that proximity to God to challenge a choice if he believes it is wrong or immoral.
At the beginning of this parsha, Abraham sees three people, still recovering from the physical covenant with God of brit milah, and yet takes care of them. Thus, we learn to visit the sick and to welcome in the stranger. However, we also learn that Abraham is a person who cares for humanity, potentially because Noah did not.
God wonders whether to share the plan of S’dom and Amorah with Abraham. Eventually Abraham is told and responds with the question in our verse. Abraham believed in God who had compassion and could answer a question before acting. Midrash Tanchuma teaches that “proof of this is that even when [hu]mankind sins against God and provokes anger, (God) relents and seeks an advocate to plead on their behalf.”
As humans, we always have options and choices to make. Are we only making decisions based on history, or fear? Are we making our decisions or responding to those poorly made before us? We need to ask more questions and have more conversations before we accept that the innocent will be punished with the guilty.
With thanks to Dr. Michael Milgraum, Rabbi Aryeh Markman, Rabbi Natan Halevy, Rabbi Cheryl Peretz and Rabbi Rebecca Schatz.
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