The Sins of Sodom

Sodom has long been associated with Sexual sins, but this is not the reason that God destroyed it.

Here are the True Sins of Sodom!

Source: The Talmud

A Merchant from Elam

A Merchant from Elam was heading to Hebron when he decided to stop and rest in Sodom. Unable to find lodging for him and his donkey he decided to sleep in the streets.

A Sodomite named Hidud noticed him and offered him to stay the night at his place. The Merchant initially refused but Hidud said it was wrong to let someone sleep on the streets and it would be free.

The Merchant agreed and Hidud took him to his place and put his donkey in the stable, placing the beautiful saddle and his rare and expensive merchandise in a closet.

The next day Hidud convinced the Merchant to stay another day before heading out. The next day before the Merchant left Hidud brought back the Donkey without the beautiful saddle and expensive merchandise.

The Merchant asked Hidud where the rest of his things were and Hidud replied that this was all he had. The Merchant told him “No I also had a saddle with a beautiful spread and colored strings attached!”.

Hidud replied “Oh! I shall interpret your dream for you!” and then proceeded to explain the meaning of a dream about such a saddle.

The Merchant then exclaimed that it was not a dream and that it was real. Hidud replied that he normally charges 4 silver pieces for dream interpretation but will only charge 3 for him!

The Merchant was furious and took Hidud to court where the Judge commented that “Hidud is in fact a dream interpreter” and ruled in favor of Hidud.

The Merchant refused to pay unless he got his saddle back. After leaving the court Hidud and various others then jumped the Merchant and took the rest of his possessions from him.

Hidud gaslighted the Merchant then used the Courts to rob him further; and then convinced the mob of people that the Merchant was the bad guy and to take everything else he owned.

False Charity

Sodom’s reputation for having a greedy and corrupt population grew to the point that they made an effort to correct this.

When poor people would enter the city, they would make a spectacle of giving them money in charity in front of others.

They would then refuse to sell anything to the person, allowing him to starve and die on the streets so that they could take the money back, along with all their other possessions, including their clothes; burying them naked in the wilderness.

Lot’s Daughter

On one such occasion one of Lot’s daughters decided to bring the poor man food and water. Time went by and the city could not figure out why he still lived.

Once they discover Lot’s daughter had been assisting him, they burned her at the stake.

Sarah’s Servant

Sarah the Wife of Abraham sent Her servant Eleazar to Sodom to check on Her nephew Lot.

Upon entering the City he encountered the Sodomites assaulting a poor person who ran to Eleazar begging for help

Eleazar scolded the Sodomites for assaulting the poor man, so one of them threw a rock at him hitting him in the forehead causing blood to flow from the gash.

When the Sodomite saw this he ran to Eleazar yelling “Pay me for the service of Bloodletting now, for this is our Law!”.

Eleazar was shocked and refused to pay, and was taken to court to see a judge. The Judge ruled in favor of the Sodomite that threw the rock at Eleazar and ordered Eleazar to pay him.

Eleazar picked up a rock, threw it at the Judge and struck him in the head and exclaimed “Pay him what you now owe me!” and left.