EXTRA · Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 19:30
Supplementary classical material; Torah Temimah lists no citation under this passuk.
Lot went up from Tzo’ar and settled in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Tzo’ar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
Rashi on Genesis 19:30.
Sefaria — Rashi on Genesis 19:30
English: “For he was afraid to dwell in Tzo’ar” — because it was near Sedom.
Derash on the verse (Rashi) — not a formal named middah of the 13. Proximity to Sedom is the stated motive for leaving the already-spared town.
Fear of remaining near a place of catastrophe can drive a person into deeper solitude; the spared city was still too close for Lot’s peace of mind.