19 Nov DEPORTATIONS AND CLOSED BORDERS: A REFLECTION ON SEDOM VS. THE U.S.

The law in
Sedom strictly
prohibited
immigrants
from entering
the country. This
was the most severe law, rigorously
enforced with harsh punishments for
those who violated it. Not only were
immigrants punished for entering
Sedom, but those who aided or
colluded with them also faced severe
penalties. If immigrants managed to
enter, the law mandated their mass
deportation.
According to Midrashic sources,
Sedom was notorious for its cruelty
and its laws, which were specifically
designed to prevent acts of charity or
compassion. The story of a girl who
performed kindness in Sedom serves
as a poignant example of the city’s
harshness and moral depravity.
The young girl secretly defied these
cruel laws by helping a poor person.
She would covertly provide food
to a needy individual, showing
compassion in a society where such
acts were forbidden. She would
smuggle food hidden in a jug or bread
hidden under her garments to ensure
the survival of someone in dire need.
When the people of Sedom discovered
her actions, they subjected her to a
horrific punishment to deter others
from acts of kindness. They executed
her by smearing her with honey and
placing her on a rooftop to be stung
to death by bees. This brutal act
exemplified the extent of Sedom’s
inhumanity and intolerance for
mercy.
The Torah tells us that a new appointee
was designated as the border czar to
enforce the law. His name was Lot.
However, on his very first day in the
role, Lot himself violated the very
law he was appointed to uphold.
When he saw newcomers, he invited
them into his house, committing what
was considered a grave crime.
Understanding the danger this posed
to Lot, the guests initially suggested
that they would sleep in the street, but
Lot insisted on hosting them. Word of

this act quickly spread, and masses of
people—of all ages and from across
the entire city—gathered to mob
Lot’s house and lynch the guests.
Hashem’s reaction to Sedom was one
of absolute justice and destruction due
to the city’s extreme wickedness and
moral corruption. The Torah describes
Sedom and its neighboring cities as
places filled with selfishness, cruelty,
and an utter lack of compassion
for others. Their behavior violated
fundamental ethical principles and
demonstrated a complete rejection
of Hashem’s values of justice and
kindness.
The final decree of destruction
came after Hashem sent angels to
investigate the city’s moral state,
confirming its depravity. Despite
Avraham Avinu’s pleas to spare the
city if righteous individuals could
be found within it, not even ten
righteous people were present. This
sealed Sedom’s fate.
Hashem destroyed Sedom and the
surrounding cities with fire and
brimstone, overturning the land as an
eternal testament to the consequences
of their behavior. The punishment
reflected the severity of their sins,
including their institutionalized
cruelty, disregard for human dignity,
and their corruption, which left no
room for repentance or change.
Sedom’s Values:
Upon reading this, a question arises:
why is today’s America different
from Sedom? The Republicans ran
on a platform of closing the borders
and carrying out mass deportations
of illegal immigrants. A similar issue
can be raised in Israel, which faces
a significant challenge with Eritrean
immigrants and has made efforts to
deport them as well.
We can attempt to answer this by
noting that America does welcome
new immigrants, but they must
enter legally. However, it still seems
contradictory to what we have just
read—deporting families and closing
the door to asylum seekers appears to
go against the values of compassion
and hospitality that we expect from a

just society.
Let’s try to answer by
examining the essence of
the values and ethics that
Sedom represents and see
if America shares these
values. The Mishna in
Pirkei Avot states (5, 10):
“There are four types of
character in people, and
one of the four types is,
‘Whoever says mine is
mine and yours is yours’—
this is the character of
Sedom.” This means that
Sedom believed in the ethic of “live
and let live,” or “I won’t bother you,
and you don’t bother me.” According
to this mindset, if you see someone
suffering, you don’t offer help as long
as they don’t ask you for assistance in
their time of need.
Chazal explain this to mean that
Sedom’s philosophy is: even if I
won’t lose anything by helping
the other, I still don’t need to help.
According to the Torah, this attitude is
highly negative, and our sages would
actively discourage such behavior.
The Talmud (Baba Kama 20)
discusses the idea that if one person
benefits from something and the
other person is not harmed, it may
not constitute a halacha violation. A
classic example is if someone uses a
piece of land but there is no tangible
damage or loss to the property or
person who owns it.
For instance, if one person parks his
car in a neighbor’s driveway while the
neighbor is away, and the neighbor
does not suffer any loss, the principle
of “zeh neheneh v’zeh lo chaser”
applies. This is because the benefit to
the person parking the car does not
cause any financial detriment to the
owner of the driveway.
America Ethics:
Accordingly, we learn that invaders
who enter another land and bring
with them the potential for crime and
terrorism, take advantage of taxpayer
money, and occupy the education and
healthcare systems are definitely not
in line with the negative idealism

of Sedom. Therefore, America
is absolutely correct to secure its
borders and deport illegal immigrants.
We can easily support this point by
referencing the story of Yishmael.
As soon as he began to influence
Yitzchak negatively and demonstrate
harmful behavior, Hashem Himself
instructed Avraham to heed Sarah’s
request and send him away from their
home.
Hashem also commands, at the time
of conquering the land of Israel,
that all inhabitants should be driven
out. The reason given is that if they
are not removed, they will cause the
nation to learn from and adopt their
sinful behavior.
Final words:
In conclusion, securing borders and
addressing illegal immigration can
be viewed as an effort to maintain
the integrity and safety of the nation.
The teachings from the Torah remind
us that allowing harmful influences
to take root can lead to a negative
societal impact. Just as Avraham was
instructed to send away Yishmael
to protect his family, so too can a
nation take steps to protect its future,
ensuring that its values are preserved
and that it remains strong in the
face of challenges. However, when
immigrants do not pose any potential
danger and do not drain the country’s
resources, then welcoming them in
aligns with the values of compassion
and hospitality,