And the two angels came to Sedom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sedom; and Lot saw and rose to meet them, and he bowed down with his face to the ground.
English: “And the two angels came.” Yet later it is written “And He overturned the cities.” How is this? Gabriel went to overturn Sedom, and Michael went with him to save Lot.
On the daf / in context: The reduction from three angels at Avraham’s tent to two at Sedom is explained by the division of missions: one angel does not perform two tasks.
Type of Learning
Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The change in number is resolved by assigning distinct roles to each angel.
What Is Learned
Only two angels entered Sedom: Gabriel to destroy the city and Michael to rescue Lot; one angel is not given two missions.