The Gemara relates: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Any person who does not have children is considered like a dead person. The source is as is stated in the words Rachel said to Jacob: “Give me children, or else I am dead” (Genesis 30:1). And it was taught in a baraita: Four are considered as if they were dead: A pauper, and a leper, and a blind person, and one who has no children. A pauper, as it is written: “For all the men are dead” (Exodus 4:19). As explained above, they were not actually dead but had descended into poverty, and yet they were considered dead. A leper, as it is written that Aaron said to Moses with regard to Miriam’s leprosy: “Let her not, I pray, be as one dead” (Numbers 12:12). And a blind person, as it is written: “He has made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead” (Lamentations 3:6). And one who has no children, as it is written: “Give me children, or else I am dead” (Genesis 30:1).

"In the beginning of God's creating..." - Six things preceded the creation of the world; some of them were created and some of them were decided to be created. The Torah and the Throne of Glory were created. How do we know the Torah was? As it says (Proverbs 8:22): "God made me at the beginning of his way." How do we know the Throne of Glory was? As it says (Psalms 93:2): "Your throne is established as of old etc." The Patriarchs, Israel, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah were decided to be created. How do we know the Patriarchs were? As it says (Hosea 9:10): "Like grapes in the wilderness etc." How do we know Israel was? As it says (Psalms 74:2): "Remember your congregation, whom you purchased from old." How do we know the Temple was? As it says (Jeremiah 17:12): "Your throne of glory, on high from the beginning etc." How do we know the name of the Messiah was? As it says (Psalms 72:17): "May his name exist forever etc. [his name shall be Yinnon as long as the sun]." Rabbi Ahavah said in the name of Rabbi Ze'ira: Even repentance was, as it says (Psalms 90:2): "Before the mountains were birthed," and at the same time (Psalms 90:3), "You turned man to contrition etc." However, I do not know which was first--if the Torah preceded the Throne of Glory or the Throne of Glory preceded the Torah. Rabbi Abba Bar Cahana said: The Torah preceded the Throne of Glory, as it says (Proverbs 8:22): "God made me at the beginning of his way, the first of his works of old." This is before that of which it is written (Psalms 93:2): "Your throne is established as of old." Rabbi Hunna and Rabbi Yirmiyah in the name of Rabbi Shmuel the son of Rabbi Yitzchak said: The thought of Israel was before everything. This is like a king who was married to a woman and did not have a son. One time the king was in the market and said: "Take this ink and pen for my son." They said: "He does not have a son." He replied: "Take them; the king must expect a son, because otherwise he would not command that the ink and pen be taken." Similarly, if there was no expectation of Israel receiving it after 26 generations, God would not have written in the Torah: "Command the children of Israel" or "Speak to the children of Israel." Rabbi Bannai said: The world and its contents were only created in the merit of the Torah, as it says (Proverbs 3:19): "God founded the world with wisdom etc." Rabbi Berachiyah said: In the merit of Moses, as it says (Deuteronomy 33:21): "He saw a first part for himself." Rabbi Hunna said in the name of Rabbi Matanah: The world was created in the merit of three things--challah, tithes, and first fruits. The verse "In the beginning God created" refers to challah, as it says (Numbers 15:20): "The beginning of your doughs." It also refers to tithes, as it says (Deuteronomy 18:4): "The beginning of your grains." It also refers to first fruits, as it says (Exodus 23:19): "The beginning of the fruits of the land."

And the Lord appeared unto Abraham in the grove of Mamre and the Lord sent three of his ‎ministering angels to visit him. And while sitting in the door of his tent Abraham lifted up his ‎eyes and behold, three men coming from the distance. And Abraham rose and hastened to ‎meet them, and he bowed down before them and brought them unto his house. And he said ‎unto them: Not so my, lords, but if I have found grace in your eyes, turn ye in and eat a morsel ‎of bread. And after pressing them they turned in and he brought water to wash their feet, and ‎then he seated them under a tree before the door of the tent. And Abraham ran and took a ‎calf tender and good, and he slaughtered it hastily and gave it to his servant Eliezer to do it up. ‎And Abraham came unto the tent to Sarah and said unto her: Take quickly three measures of ‎fine meal, knead it and make cakes to cover up the pots, and she did accordingly. And ‎Abraham brought before them butter and milk and beef and mutton and he placed it before ‎them to eat, ere the other meats were done, and they ate. And when they had finished their ‎eating one of them said: I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, ‎Sarah thy wife will have a son. And after that, the men arose and went their way where they ‎were sent to. And at that time all the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of all these five ‎cities, were very sinful and wicked before the Lord and they provoked the Lord with all their ‎abominations. And they increased their abominations and acted spitefully against the Lord, ‎and their wickedness grew exceedingly before the eyes of the Lord in those days. And they ‎had in their land a very spacious valley about half a day’s journey, and it was supplied with ‎springs of water and with rich vegetation around the water. And all the people of Sodom and ‎Gomorrah assembled there four days in every year, they and their wives and children and all ‎belonging unto them, and they rejoiced there with music and dancing. And in the midst of ‎their jollification they would rise one and all and take hold upon the wives of their neighbors ‎and their virgin-maidens, and enjoy their company and then they returned them again. And ‎they saw their wives and daughters in the hands of other men, yet they would not say a word. ‎So they carried it on from morning even unto evening, and then they returned every man to ‎his house and every woman to her tent, and that festival lasted four days in each year. And ‎when a stranger came to their city with goods, which he had bought, or if he had some goods ‎for sale, they would gather themselves around him, all the men, women and children, young ‎and old, and they took by force everyone a little of his goods until all of the merchant's ‎property was gone. And when the owner of the merchandise would quarrel with them saying: ‎What mode of dealing is that you have done with me? Then each separately would approach ‎him and show him the little he had in his hand saying: Behold I have not taken of thee but the ‎little which thou hast given unto me. And hearing the same words spoken by every one of ‎them, the poor man would arise and leave in sorrow and bitterness of soul, and then all the ‎people followed him and drove him out of the city midst hooting and yelling. And a certain ‎man was journeying from the land of Elam and he had with him an ass richly caparisoned, and ‎it carried a costly mantle of many colors, and the mantle was fastened with a beautiful cord to ‎the back of the ass. And passing on his way the day darkened over him in Sodom, and he sat ‎down in the street to tarry overnight, for nobody cared to take him into his house. And at that ‎time there was living in Sodom a man especially wicked and cunning to do all things of evil, and ‎his name was Hidod.

His wife looked behind her - Rabbi Isaac said, for she sinned with salt. That night when the angels came to Lot, what was she doing? Going to all her neighbors and saying to them, give e salt, because we have guests. And her intention was that the men of the city would come to know of them. Therefore "she became a pillar of salt."

"And she became a piller of salt" - Due to her having sinner with salt. How? In that on that night on which the angels came to Lot's house, she went to her neighbors' places with pretext to ask for salt. Her neighbors said to her, "And why do you need salt? Didn't you know that you were short on salt to got and take salt while it was still daytime?" She said to them, "We didn't need salt until guests came to us." And therefore, the people of Sodom knew about the angel that came to Lot's house.