[Avodah] The Delet Hakodesh and Lot

[Zev Sero]

There is no indication that the girls (or for that matter the men) were 
to be killed, or harmed in any way other than by being used as an object 
of giluy arayos.

And whatever modern attitudes are, the Torah

(1) Does not regard rape as a crime in itself -- it regards it merely as 
a combination of giluy arayos and an ordinary assault to be dealt with 
just like any other, assessing the five categories of damages as 
appropriate;

(2) Does regard it as not nearly as big a deal for a woman, let alone a 
single woman, as it does for a man.  "Darkan bekach". It's not what she 
prefers, but if it happens it happens.  Cf the story of the 400 girls 
and boys who committed suicide rather than submit to a lifetime of this; 
the girls took the initiative, and then the boys reasoned that it was a 
*kal vachomer* that they must follow their example.

So from the point of view of a reader whose values are derived entirely 
from the Torah, Lot's decision doesn't seem to need much explanation, 
which is why Rashi doesn't offer any.

Also, I see nothing in the pasuk to indicate that a "mob of thousands" 
was "pushing soo hard that the Torah tells us that they were about to 
break down the door", "like Europeans at a football/soccer game, by 
sheer force of the crowd".  All the pasuk says is that "they approached 
to break down the door".  The mob was probably no more than a few dozen 
(how big was Sedom?); not enough to exert that sort of physical force. 
Rather, having been denied what they were demanding they were 
threatening to break down the door and take it.  Lot, standing in front 
of the door, was now in danger, so the angels pulled him in and shut it.


-- 
Zev Sero            Wishing everyone a *healthy* and happy 5781
zev at sero.name       "May this year and its curses end
                      May a new year and its blessings begin"