Vayeira 19:29 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 19:29

The Complete Passuk

וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁחֵ֤ת אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־עָרֵ֣י הַכִּכָּ֔ר וַיִּזְכֹּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֑ם וַיְשַׁלַּ֤ח אֶת־לוֹט֙ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַהֲפֵכָ֔ה בַּהֲפֹךְ֙ אֶת־הֶ֣עָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־יָשַׁ֥ב בָּהֵ֖ן לֽוֹט׃

And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Avraham, and He sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Berachos 54b.

TT lemma: ויזכר אלהים.

Sefaria — Berachos 54b

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, אֲפִלּוּ בִּשְׁעַת כַּעֲסוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא זוֹכֵר אֶת הַצַּדִּיקִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַיְהִי בְּשַׁחֵת אֱלֹהִים אֶת עָרֵי הַכִּכָּר וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת אַבְרָהָם וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת לוֹט מִתּוֹךְ הַהֲפֵכָה.

English: “And God remembered.” Rabbi Yochanan said: Even at the time of the Holy One’s anger He remembers the righteous, as it is said, “And it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Avraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.”

On the daf / in context: The rescue of Lot is attributed solely to the merit of Avraham, proving that divine remembrance of the righteous operates even amid judgment.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. The explicit “remembered Avraham” is generalized into a principle of continuous divine concern for the tzaddik.

What Is Learned

Even in a moment of wrath Hashem remembers the righteous; Lot was saved only because God remembered Avraham.