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

[Zev Sero via Avodah]

On 11/03/2015 03:46 AM, Marty Bluke wrote:
>
> So what is your model of tefilla that takes into account the omniscience and perfection of God on one hand and the examples that we see in Chumash on the other hand?

I don't have a comprehensive model; as the Rivash said, "ani mitpalel
leda`at zeh hatinok", I pray without models, just as I speak without
formal rules of grammar.  Models are descriptive, not prescriptive, and
therefore, while useful, they are not necessary.  The territory precedes
the map, and one can walk it without a map; and if it's found not to
conform to the map then the fault is with the map.

For some ideas, though, see the chapter Shoresh Mitzvas Hatefillah
in Derech Mitzvosecha by the Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch.   But also
think about time; the fact that we perceive Hashem and His decisions
and actions through it necessarily distorts our understanding of them.
It seems to me that, just as with the predestination/free-will problem,
most of the difficulties here are rooted in this fact.  Just as a colour-
blind person can understand intellectually that there are things his
eyes are not telling him, and that some of the difficulties he perceives
in the world would disappear if only he could see the normal spectrum,
so we can understand that some of the difficulties we perceive would
disappear if we could see timeless things as they are.  In other words,
that strange object we see in the telescope may be a bit of dirt on the
lens.


-- 
Zev Sero               All around myself I will wave the green willow
zev at sero.name          The myrtle and the palm and the citron for a week
                And if anyone should ask me the reason why I'm doing that
                I'll say "It's a Jewish thing; if you have a few minutes
                I'll explain it to you".