Lot's Sons-in-Law Refuse to Leave Sedom
Angels warn Lot that Sedom is about to be overturned, but his sons-in-law scoff that a city so joyous cannot be destroyed, and the mistake costs them their lives.
When the angels were sent to overturn Sedom, they were directed to rescue Lot. The angels told Lot to gather his family because Sedom will be overturned shortly. His daughters dutifully escaped with their father but their husbands refused to come. The midrash says that Lot’s sons-in-law remarked, “Sedom is in a joyous state; is it possible it will be overturned?” According to one opinion, there was some type of county fair occurring. They did not argue with the fact that Hashem is all-powerful and capable of overturning Sedom. They did not question why Hashem would overturn Sedom. Rather, their sole argument was that it is not possible that Sedom is being overturned because they saw no hint of that destruction in what they were witnessing. To make a judgment call based on what they were seeing was illogical. And that fateful error cost them their lives.