Pt2 The Absurd and Brutal Practices of Biblical Sodom: A Talmudic Exploration (Sanhedrin 109a-b)
Sodom's absurd judgments
This is the second part of a three-part series. Pt1 was about their absurd laws. This part is about their absurd judgments; Pt3 will be about their depraved attitude towards charity. Outline can be found in Pt1.
Four judges in Sodom; judgments re: 1) causing miscarriage; 2) cutting the ear of donkey; 3) injuring
In Sodom, there were four judges named for their corrupt actions: Shakrai (liar), Shakrurai (habitual liar), Zayfai (forger), and Matzlei Dina (perverter of justice).
Examples are give of their perverse judgments, punishing the victims and rewarding the wrongdoers:
If someone caused a woman to miscarry, they would instruct the husband to give the woman to the attacker to impregnate her again.
If someone severed a donkey's ear, they would tell the owner to give the donkey to the attacker until the ear grew back.
If someone wounded another, they would order the injured party to pay the attacker a fee for letting their blood.
ארבע דייני היו בסדום:
שקראי
ושקרוראי
זייפי
ומצלי דינא
דמחי ליה לאיתתא דחברי', ומפלא ליה,
אמרי ליה: יהבה ניהליה, דניעברה ניהליך
דפסיק ליה לאודנא דחמרא דחבריה,
אמרו ליה: הבה ניהליה, עד דקדחא
דפדע ליה לחבריה
אמרי ליה: הב ליה אגרא, דשקל לך דמא
There were four judges in Sodom and they were named for their actions:
Shakrai, meaning liar,
and Shakrurai, habitual liar,
Zayfai, forger,
and Matzlei Dina, perverter of justice.
These were the judgments that they rendered: In a case of one who strikes the wife of another and causes her to miscarry,
they would say to the woman’s husband: Give the woman to the one who struck her, so that she will be impregnated for you again.
In a case of one who severed the ear of another’s donkey,
they would say to the owner of the donkey: Give the donkey to the one who caused the damage, until the ear grows back.
In a case of one who wounds another,
they would say to the injured party: Give the one who wounded you a fee, as he let your blood.
Story of a visitor in Sodom: judge ordered him to pay his assailant a fee for letting his blood, and to pay double for crossing the river through the water
As mentioned, in Sodom, there was an illogical ordinance stating that crossing the river on a ferry cost half that of crossing through the water.
The Talmud tells the farcical story of an anonymous launderer. He once crossed the river through the water. When the people of Sodom demanded 4 dinars, he said he crossed in the water, so they demanded 8 dinars instead. He refused to pay, and they beat him.
When he sought justice from a judge, the judge ordered him to pay his assailant a fee for letting his blood and 8 dinars for crossing the river through the water.
דעבר במברא — יהיב ארבעה זוזי
דעבר במיא — יהיב תמני זוזי
זימנא חדא, אתא ההוא כובס, איקלע להתם
אמרו ליה: הב ד' זוזי
אמר להו: אנא במיא עברי
אמרו ליה: א"כ הב תמניא, דעברת במיא
לא יהיב
פדיוהו
אתא לקמיה דדיינא
א"ל:
הב ליה אגרא, דשקיל לך דמא,
ותמניא זוזי, דעברת במיא
And they instituted an ordinance:
One who crossed the river on a ferry gives four dinars,
and one who crossed the river in the water gives eight dinars.
One time a certain launderer came and arrived there.
The people of Sodom said to him: Give four dinars as payment for the ferry.
He said to them: I crossed in the water.
They said to him: If so, give eight dinars, as you crossed in the water.
He did not give the payment,
and they struck him and wounded him.
He came before the judge to seek compensation.
The judge said to him: Give your assailant a fee, as he let your blood, and eight dinars, as you crossed the river in the water.
Story of Eliezer’s Trial in Sodom
Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, was injured in Sodom, and sought compensation from a judge. As in the previous story, the judge, instead of granting compensation, instructed Eliezer to pay the assailant a fee for letting his blood.
In response, Eliezer injured the judge with a stone (גללא). When the judge questioned his actions, Eliezer told him to transfer the fee he owed to the assailant, effectively keeping his money untouched.
אליעזר עבד אברהם איתרמי התם
פדיוהי
אתא לקמיה דיינא
א"ל: הב ליה אגרא, דשקל לך דמא
שקל גללא, פדיוהי איהו לדיינא
אמר: מאי האי?!
א"ל:
אגרא דנפק לי מינך, הב ניהליה להאי,
וזוזי דידי, כדקיימי קיימי
Eliezer, servant of Abraham, happened to come there,
and they wounded him.
He came before the judge to seek compensation.
The judge said to him: Give your assailant a fee, as he let your blood.
He took a stone and he wounded the judge.
The judge said: What is this?!
Eliezer said to him:
The fee that is to be paid to me by you, give it to that person who wounded me,
and my money will remain where it remains.
fascinating. just shows that the world being topsy turvy is nothing new. eliezer's solution is hysterical. no wonder he was avraham's trust right hand man.