By Lonny Moses
Sodom despised strangers, who might want some of their wealth. They treated all poor as if they were moochers.
Reading this, I'm reminded of some people in my country who protect their wealth at all costs, viewing many citizens of the United States as beggars who should not be given anything. They would describe this large group as people, “who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it -- that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. ... These are people who pay no income tax. ... [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”
As election day nears, I think we can read this parasha and remember that the kind of callous attitude towards the poor in this country that one party tends to represent is not ok. It does not correspond to the attitudes that the Jewish people have espoused over many generations. When we see poverty and destitution, we do not emote vitriol towards them, as the Sodomites did. Rather, we seek to be like Lot's daughter, compassionate.