201. "I will go down, and see whether they have done (Heb. asu) altogether according to the cry of it, which has come to me... (Beresheet 18:21) HE ASKS, To whom did He, THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, say, "YOU SHOULD DESTROY," BECAUSE THE ZOHAR EXPLAINS THIS VERSE AS IF ASU WAS IN THE IMPERATIVE MODE, THEREBY SAYING 'DESTROY!' If you say THAT HE ADDRESSED these angels by saying, 'DESTROY,' who has ever seen the like, that He spoke with ABRAHAM while commanding THE ANGELS? Rather, He addressed Abraham, saying, "DESTROY," because all those places were under his supervision. Another explanation IS THAT HE ADDRESSED those angels SAYING, "DESTROY."
201. אֵרְדָה נָא וְאֶרְאֶה הַכְּצַעֲקָתָהּ הַבָּאָה אֵלַי עָשׂוּ כָּלָה. לְמַאן קָאֲמַר. אִי תֵימָא לְאִינוּן מַלְאָכִין, מַאן חָמָא מַלֵּיל עִם דָּא, וּפַקֵּיד לְדָא. אֶלָּא, לְאַבְרָהָם קָאֲמַר, דְּבִרְשׁוּתֵיהּ קָיְימִין אִינוּן אַתְרֵי. דָּבָר אֲחֵר, לְאִינוּן מַלְאָכִין.
202. AND HE ASKS, If He addressed Abraham, SAYING, "DESTROY (ASU)," why IS IT WRITTEN IN THE PLURAL instead of the singular, namely, "destroy (aseh)." AND HE RESPONDS, HE SAID THIS BECAUSE HE ADDRESSED BOTH Abraham and the Shechinah that had never left him. THIS IS WHY HE SAID, "DESTROY (ASU)." HE THEN SAID THAT WE NEED TO CLARIFY what we said about His address to the angels, SAYING, "DESTROY." FOR IT LOOKS AS IF THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, TALKED TO ABRAHAM WHILE COMMANDING THE ANGELS. AND HE EXPLAINED, THIS IS SO, because THE ANGELS stood by waiting to execute Judgment. And this is why HE SAID "Destroy" in the plural.
202. מַה דְּאִתְּמָר לְאַבְרָהָם, מַה טַעֲמָא עָשׂוּ, עָשָׂה מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַאי עָשׂוּ, אֶלָּא דָּא אַבְרָהָם, וּשְׁכִינְתָּא לָא אַעֲדֵי מִנֵּיהּ. מַה דְּאִתְּמָר לַמַּלְאָכִין, בְּגִין דַּהֲווֹ זְמִינִין תַּמָּן, וַהֲווֹ מִשְׁתַּכְּחִין לְמֶעְבַּד דִּינָא, וְעַל דָּא עָשׂוּ.
203. Another explanation of "asu" is, translated from the Aramaic, "they have worshipped," WHICH REFERS TO THE PEOPLE OF SODOM. HE ASKS, But did not the Holy One, blessed be He, know that He had to go down? Is not everything revealed before Him? AND HE RESPONDS, But "I will go down" MEANS to descend from the grade of Mercy to the grade of Judgment, and the phrase "And see" means to determine suitable punishments.
203. דָּבָר אֲחֵר עָשׂוּ, כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ עֲבָדוּ. וְכִי לָא הֲוָה יָדַע קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּאִיהוּ אֲמַר אֵרְדָה נָא וְאֶרְאֶה, וְהָא כֹּלָּא אִתְגְּלֵי קַמֵּיהּ. אֶלָּא, אֵרְדָה נָא מִדַּרְגָּא דְּרַחֲמֵי, לְדַרְגָּא דְדִינָא, וְהַיְינוּ יְרִידָה. וְאֶרְאֶה: רְאִיָּיה דָּא הִיא לְאַשְׁגָּחָא עֲלֵיהוֹן, בְּמַאן דִּינָא יָדִין לוֹן.
204. We have learned that there is seeing for good and seeing for evil. Seeing for the good is illustrated in the verse, "And Elohim looked upon the children of Yisrael..." (Shemot 2:25). Seeing for evil is illustrated in the verse, "I will go down now and see," in order to choose their punishments. This is what the Holy One blessed be He, meant by asking "Shall I hide from Abraham?"
204. אַשְׁכְּחָן רְאִיָּיה לְטַב, וְאַשְׁכְּחָן רְאִיָּיה לְבִישׁ. רְאִיָּיה לְטַב: דִּכְתִיב וַיַּרְא אֱלֹֹקִים אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּדַע. רְאִיָּיה לְבִישׁ: דִּכְתִיב אֵרְדָה נָא וְאֶרְאֶה. לְאַשְׁגָּחָא עֲלַיְיהוּ בְּדִינָא, וְעַל דָּא אֲמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הַמְכַסֶּה אֲנִי מֵאַבְרָהָם.