Sanhedrin 109: The People of Sodom as Wicked and Sinners; Others Kept Out of the World-to-Come

We begin with a story about Nachum of Gam Zo, who was said to be practiced in miracles.  A chest filled with his community's taxes was emptied while he slept on route.  It was replaced with dirt.  Nachum convinced the emperor that his life should be spared because the dirt was in fact from Abraham and it carried magical properties.  It was used to help to win battles.  Nacho was released. However, when it was realized that the dirt was just dirt, many people were killed.

The rabbis return to the question of the generation of the flood, which was refused entrance to the World-to-Come.  What was their sin?  Was it building a tower to reach heaven so that G-d would hear the need for rain?  Were they actually building the tower for idol worship?  

We are reminded that the people of Sodom are said to have no share in the World-to-Come, either.  When the men of Sodom are described as "wicked" and "sinners" in Genesis (13:13), the rabbis interpret "wicked" to refer to the mens' actions in this world and "sinners" to reflect their inappropriateness for the World-to-Come.  Or perhaps "wicked" refers to sins of the body and "sinners" refers to sins with money.  Or the other way around.  The rabbis are able to find proof texts for each of these and other interpretations.  

Verses in Job explain the reasons behind the intense vilification of Sodomites.  It was bad enough that they were described in the Torah as wicked sinners who defied G-d.  These verses provide examples of their behaviour.  They slept naked.  They treat orphans and widows with disrespect, stealing and lying.  Their four judges apply rulings that are opposite in intent and action to those of the Jews.  Some of these sound like stories from "Chelm"; they are almost laughable.  These include the judgement about a pregnant woman who is struck by a man and then miscarries - her husband is instructed to give his wife to the man who struck her who will impregnate her again for the husband.

A number of other stories are shared of the wickedness of the people of Sodom.  We are told that when a poor person entered the town, each person would give him one dinar with his name written on it.  No-one would accept that money to buy bread, and so the stranger would starve to death.  At this point all would approach him and take back their personalized dinar.

The Gemara states that the spies who told of bad things in Canaan have no share in the World-to-Come, nor do Korach and his descendants.  The rabbis speak of those who did not repent on their own.