[Avodah] What was the point of Avrahams tefilla/debate with Hashem about Sdom?

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Mon, Nov 09, 2015 at 05:29:04PM +0000, Allan Engel wrote:
: >                            .... Our participation in the events of the
: > world is different in kind than our participation in the development
: > of halakhah.
: 
: In that case, Hashem would (kaveyochol) have thrown his hands up and said
: 'Do what you think best'.
: 
: The word 'Nitzchuni' translates as (or at the very least implies) being
: bested or convinced by argument, which is precisely what Avraham and Moshe
: were trying to do.

Bested is pretty close to "do what you think is best". The Sanhedrin
wins, because it was HQBH who said "lo bashamayim hi", not because
they convinced Him of anything. That wasn't the way the "argument"
was won.

Also, "nitzchuni" has another equally literal usage, from "netzach",
eternal, as in "Netzach Yisrael". Therefore, the Maharitz Chajes and
RYBS renders Hashem's line as "You have made Me Eternal!" This refers to
the fact that the Torah needs to be a process rather than a set of rigid
G-d-given conclusions to survive all the changes society will encounter
through the millennia.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Live as if you were living already for the
micha at aishdas.org        second time and as if you had acted the first
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Fax: (270) 514-1507            - Victor Frankl, Man's search for Meaning