Parashat Vayera: What Sodom Teaches Us About the Coming of Mashiach

In Parashat Vayera, the Torah describes the destruction of Sodom and the rescue of Lot and his family. As the city faces destruction, the angels urge Lot to leave, saying:

"Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are found here" (Genesis 19:15).

At first glance, the words "who are found here" seem like an ordinary description of Lot's daughters. Yet Rashi, citing the Midrash, reveals a much deeper meaning.

The Midrash connects these words to a verse in Psalms: "I have found David My servant" (Psalms 89:21). Our Sages ask: Where did Hashem find King David? Their surprising answer is: "In Sodom."

What does King David have to do with Sodom, a city notorious for its wickedness?

The connection begins with Lot's daughters. From his older daughter descended the nation of Moab, from which Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David, would eventually emerge. From his younger daughter descended Ammon, the nation from which Naamah, the wife of King Solomon, came.

In this way, the roots of the Davidic dynasty, and ultimately the lineage of Mashiach (the Messiah), can be traced back to Lot and his daughters.

But this raises a profound question: Why would the beginnings of the royal dynasty destined to bring the world to its ultimate redemption be found in a place as corrupt as Sodom?

Why Is Mashiach Compared to an Unexpected Discovery?

Our Sages teach that three things come when a person is distracted: Mashiach, a lost object that is unexpectedly found, and a scorpion.

The comparison between Mashiach and finding something unexpected is particularly significant.

A person may spend hours searching for a lost object without knowing when or where it will appear. Even when actively looking, the moment of discovery can come as a surprise.

Similarly, the arrival of Mashiach is described as something that cannot be calculated or anticipated through ordinary human reasoning.

Of course, we are commanded to await the redemption every day. As the prophet Isaiah declares, "Happy are all who wait for Him" (Isaiah 30:18). We also express this longing in our daily prayers: "For Your salvation we have hoped all day long."

How, then, can we be expected to anticipate Mashiach while also being told that he will arrive when our minds are distracted?

The answer lies in understanding what this unexpected discovery represents.

In Tanya (Iggeret HaKodesh, chapter 4), the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, explains that the coming of Mashiach is associated with a revelation that transcends ordinary intellectual understanding.

This revelation emerges from the innermost point of the Jewish soul, the spark of Godliness that exists within every Jew. Because this spiritual level is beyond the limits of human comprehension, it is described as something that comes when the mind is distracted.

Awaiting Redemption for Hashem's Sake

The Lubavitcher Rebbe offered a deeper explanation of this teaching in a discourse on Parashat Eikev in 5713 (1953).

The Rebbe explained that awaiting Mashiach should not be based solely on what we hope to gain from the redemption.

We may naturally long for the physical and spiritual blessings that the Messianic era will bring. Yet the deepest purpose of redemption goes beyond our personal desires, expectations, and understanding.

Rather than focusing on what we will receive, we are called upon to look beyond ourselves and yearn for the fulfillment of Hashem's ultimate purpose in creating the world.

This is the deeper meaning of Mashiach arriving when the mind is distracted: not that we should stop anticipating redemption, but that our anticipation should transcend our own calculations and self-interest.

Through Mashiach, humanity will attain profound spiritual understanding that will lead to practical action and the fulfillment of the Divine purpose.

As explained in Tanya, the ultimate goal of Creation is "to make for Him, blessed be He, a dwelling place in the lower realms."

In other words, Hashem's presence is meant to be revealed within the physical world itself, transforming ordinary existence into a place where the Divine can dwell.

What Does Sodom Represent in Chassidic Teachings?

To understand why King David's roots are connected to Sodom, we must explore another concept from Chassidut: the relationship between the spiritual worlds of Tohu (chaos) and Tikkun (rectification).

According to the teachings of Kabbalah and Chassidut, before the creation of our world, which belongs to the order of Tikkun, there existed a lofty spiritual realm known as Tohu.

The world of Tohu contained extraordinarily powerful Divine lights. However, these lights existed independently of one another, without the harmony and integration necessary for them to endure.

This condition is described in Chassidic terminology as "separated branches."

Because the lights were too intense for their vessels and lacked the ability to unite within a stable structure, the world of Tohu could not endure in its original form.

Chassidic teachings explain that Sodom reflected a similar spiritual condition.

Its inhabitants possessed tremendous potential, but their society was characterized by separation, selfishness, and an unwillingness to help others.

The Mishnah in Pirkei Avot describes a person who declares, "What is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours," and notes that some identify this attitude with the character of Sodom.

Rather than recognizing their responsibility toward one another, the people of Sodom insisted on remaining separate, each concerned only with what belonged to him.

Despite the city's power and prosperity, this lack of unity ultimately contributed to its downfall.

Bringing the Powerful Lights of Tohu Into the World

The spiritual rectification of Tohu involves taking its extraordinary Divine energy and bringing it into the stable, harmonious vessels of Tikkun.

In simpler terms, the goal is not to eliminate the powerful spiritual potential associated with Tohu, but to channel it in a way that can be sustained within the physical world.

The lights of Tohu are immense, transcending the ordinary spiritual order. Yet without appropriate vessels, their intensity cannot be properly contained.

The world of Tikkun, by contrast, provides the structure, balance, and unity needed for these lights to become a lasting part of Creation.

This process is connected to the Chassidic concept of shov, meaning "return," in which lofty spiritual energy is brought down and integrated into practical, everyday existence.

In this context, the prophecy of Ezekiel, which speaks of the future restoration of Sodom and its neighboring cities, takes on a deeper significance.

It points toward a time when even the spiritual forces associated with Sodom will undergo transformation and rectification.

The immense lights of Tohu will no longer remain disconnected or unable to endure. Instead, they will find their proper place within the vessels of Tikkun.

Why Was King David "Found" in Sodom?

We can now return to the Midrash's remarkable statement: "I have found David My servant. Where did I find him? In Sodom."

The connection between Sodom and King David is not merely genealogical. It also reflects a profound spiritual process.

The powerful lights associated with Tohu are described as a "find" because they originate beyond the ordinary, structured order of spiritual revelation.

They represent a level of Divine energy that cannot be reached through conventional understanding alone.

Mashiach, who descends from King David, will ultimately reveal these lofty lights within the physical world.

But unlike the original state of Tohu, in which the lights could not be contained, the redemption will bring these extraordinary spiritual forces into the balanced vessels of Tikkun.

The result will be a world in which immense Divine revelation can exist within the ordinary boundaries of physical life.

This is the deeper meaning of Hashem "finding" King David in Sodom.

From a place associated with separation and destruction emerged the beginnings of the dynasty destined to bring unity, rectification, and redemption to the world.

The story reminds us that even where goodness seems hidden, extraordinary spiritual potential may be waiting to be revealed.

And just as King David was described as a "find" in Sodom, we continue to await the ultimate discovery: the revelation of Mashiach, when the highest Divine lights will find their place within our world.

May we merit to see this transformation and the complete redemption very soon.

Adapted from the classes of Rabbi Dov Menachem Dobruskin.