A troubling incident took place after Lot welcomed two strangers, who we are told were actually angels, into his home in the wicked city of Sodom. The residents of the area gathered around Lot’s house and demanded that he hand over the strangers, the hosting of whom, was in breach of Sodom’s strict ban on hospitality.
Lot set out to protect his guests and insisted on being allowed to host them safely in his home. Astonishingly, he went so far as to offer the townspeople his two daughters in place of the guests.
The Midrash sharply criticises Lot for making such an offer, commenting: “Usually, a person surrenders himself to be killed for the sake of his daughters and wife, and either kills or is killed, but this person Lot surrendered his daughters to be defiled” (Tanchuma, Vayera 12).
We might wonder the reason the Midrash made this remark. Isn’t it obvious to all that Lot’s offer was truly appalling? Is it really necessary to note the shocking perversion of Lot’s preparedness to surrender his daughters?
