Lot's wife

Once we get to this week's parsha and learn about Lot's wife looking back at Sdom and turning into a pillar of salt we understand the machlokes whether the tzohar in Noach's teivah was a window or whether he had some other source of light.  Was Noach worthy enough to be able to look out and witness the destruction of those around him, or, like Lot's wife, was he not allowed that privilige? 

Ramban quotes from Pirkei d"R Eliezer that Lot's wife looked back to see if maybe her married daughters had taken heed and fled the city.  According to Targum Yonasan she looked back to see what would happen to her parent's house.  Even though she was warned not to look, even though she knew she was jeopardizing her life by doing so, her natural instinct as a mother, as a daughter, took over, and Lot's wife could not help herself.  The wickedness of Sdom that had corrupted everyone who lived there could not extinguish the motherly instinct.

Rav Gifter writes that even though being turned into a pillar of salt was a punishment, there is a positive element to it as well.  He quotes the Yerushalmi that the salt of that pillar would be preserved until mashiach comes and there is a techiyas ha'meisim reuniting Lot's wife and her daughters and family.  Hashem preserved that moment of motherly rachmanus for eternity.

The gemara writes that if you see the pillar of salt, you say a bracha of dayan emes on Lot's wife, and you say a second bracha of baruch zocheir es ha'tzadikim to remember that Lot was saved.  Why mix Lot being saved into the bracha on his wife?  

Rav Kook explain in Ein Ayah (Brachos 9:12) that the destruction of Sdom = the destruction of the ideology of Sdom, as represented by Lot's wife's stinginess in providing salt to visitors, the antithesis of hachnasas orchim, is not an end in itself.  Negating the evil of the world has to go hand in hand with providing a positive alternative.  Hashem tells Avraham about the destruction of Sdom "ki yidativ asher yitzaveh es beiso acharav" -- Avraham was a force of good.  Therefore, when we say the bracha of dayan emes on Lot's wife, we say at the same time zocheir es ha'tzadikim to emphasize that alternative.  It is easy to criticize and find fault; don't stop there -- do something to change things if you want improvement.