וַיִּפְצְרוּ בָּאִישׁ בְּלוֹט לֹא מָצָאתִי הַמִּלָּה הַזֹּאת רַק בְּדִבְרֵי הַפִּיּוּסִים, אִם כֵּן נְפָרֵשׁ זֶה שֶׁפִּיְּסוּ מִמֶּנּוּ הַרְבֵּה שֶׁיִּפְתַּח לָהֶם הַדֶּלֶת, וְכַאֲשֶׁר לֹא רָצָה לַעֲשׂוֹת כֵּן נִגְּשׁוּ לִשְׁבֹּר אוֹתוֹ. אוֹ שֶׁהָיָה עוֹמֵד בִּפְנֵי הַדֶּלֶת וְלֹא הָיָה מַנִּיחָם לְקָרְבָה אֵלָיו, וְהֵם פִּיְּסוּ מִמֶּנּוּ לָסוּר מִפְּנֵיהֶם כִּי לֹא הָיוּ רוֹצִים לִפְגֹּעַ בּוֹ, וְזֶה טַעַם "גֶּשׁ הָלְאָה", שֶׁיִּגַּשׁ לְמָקוֹם אַחֵר: AND THEY PRESSED HARD (‘VAYIFTZERU’) UPON THE MAN, EVEN LOT. I have found this word vayiftzeru only in connection with words of pleading. If so, we will explain its usage here as follows: the men of Sodom begged him [Lot] exceedingly to open the door for them, and when he refused to do so, they approached in order to break it. It may be that he stood in front of the door, not letting them come near him, and they begged him to turn aside as they did not want to harm him. This is the meaning of their saying, Stand back,231In the beginning of this verse. meaning “stand in another place.”