GEN1162 Jewish life is about capturing the moment and living for glorious times, not about conquering vast tracts of land or seizing glorious works of art. With the notable exception of King David, Jewish history has no famous conquerors. Conquering space has never been a Jewish pastime.   But utilizing time well is a crucial tenet of Judaism. Our famous men ware great Sages who were celebrated for using their time wisely, devoting it to the service of God and humanity, and acquiring knowledge and wisdom. Similarly, the Bible records that Abraham “was elderly, filled with days” [this verse]. Most people’s lives are measure in years,. But Abraham’s was measured in days, since he impregnated every moment with meaning and purpose. He never squandered a day. BOTEACH 155-6

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GEN1163 … we are now in position to understand the following passage found in Chazal Genesis Rabbah 59:7: “[The verse says,] ‘And Hashem blessed Avraham with everything’ [this verse].  This means that He granted him mastery over his yetzer hara.”   The Midrash states further Genesis Rabbah 59:8: “[The verse says] ‘And Avraham said to his servant … who controlled all that was his’ Genesis 24:2.  This means that he [his servant Eliezer] ruled over his yetzer hara just as he [Avraham] did.” This is astonishing!   How could Eliezer have attained the same level of perfection on his own that came to Avraham by way of a blessing?   … we can explain that Eliezer’s mastery was in the realm of middos [character trait – AJL] subjugation [whereas Avraham mastered middos rectification].  We see this from the continuation of the midrash (59:9): “[The verse states,] ‘The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman shall not wish to follow me to this land; should I take your son [Yitzchak] back to the land from which you departed?” Genesis 24:5. Concerning this, it is written, ‘Canaan, the scales of deceit are in his hand, who loves to cheat’ Hosea 12:8.   [Says the midrash,] ‘Canaan,’ this is Eliezer. ‘The scales of deceit are in his hand,’ for he sat and weighed [considered] whether his daughter was fitting or not fitting [as a wife for Yitzchak]. ‘To cheat the beloved one’ (ibid.) [means] to cheat the most beloved one in the world, namely Yitzchak. He said, ‘Perhaps the maiden will not want … and I will give him my daughter.’” One who has merited the virtue of middos rectification has nothing to do with the yetzer hara and corrupt character traits, and he has no affinity for them. However, someone who has only attained the level of middos subjugation is still subject to the desires of his yetzer hara and he loves them – but, nevertheless, resists them.   Moreover, even if one who has not attained middos rectification evaluates his path – in keeping with the verse: “Weigh the course of your foot, and all your ways will be established” Proverbs 4:26 – nevertheless, his every step is entangled with misjudgment. The reason for this is because the forces of desire inject their poison into his intellectual faculties, blinding the eyes of the wise (cf. Exodus 23:8 and Deuteronomy 16:19).  OHRYIS 323-4

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GEN1164 … Jewish law tells us that normally we should help a person prepare for death. The person whose spirit is weak is mentioned as the exception to the rule. The rabbis of the Talmud Baba Metzia 87a made a remarkable interpretation of the Torah that emphasizes the importance of awareness of advancing age and proper preparation for death: Before Abraham, there was no aging.   If someone wanted to speak to Abraham, he would [accidentally] approach Isaac; with Isaac, he would [accidentally] approach Abraham. Abraham came and asked mercy, and aging came, as it is written, “And Abraham was old, developed in years.” [this verse] Before Jacob there was no infirmity. Jacob asked mercy, and infirmity came, as it is said, “And he said to Joseph, behold, your father is infirm.”   Jacob’s reason for asking for illness was so that he would have the opportunity to prepare for his passing, as he did when he called his sons before him to bless them. Genesis 48-49 In contrast to the youth-worship that characterizes modern popular culture, our sages are telling us that aging is a blessing, because it distinguishes the old and displays their seniority and experience. Our final infirmity is also a blessing, for it warns us of impending death and enables us to prepare properly, just as Jacob used his last days to instruct and bless his twelve sons.   The lesson of Jewish tradition is that we should review normal manifestations of age and illness not as curses but as invaluable milestones, which inculcate consciousness of our stage of progress in the journey of life. It could be a very serious mistake to deprive others of this special blessing of awareness by misleading them about their true medical condition. Perhaps there are certain things they want to do before death; imagine the frustration and disappointment when they discover that they were prevented forever from realizing their dreams by well-meaning but misguided relatives and caretakers. I heard of one man who, in his last moments, cursed his family for not informing him of his condition, because he was unable to see certain family members and have other experiences he dreamed of completing in his lifetime. Another insight that should deter us from misleading a patient is that by the time people reach advanced age, they have usually acquired a generous measure of human wisdom. The Talmud Kiddushin 32b teaches this insight through an interesting play on words: the word zaken (“elder”) can also be read as ze kanah (“his person has acquired”): And what is it that we acquire with age? Wisdom. Zaken [elder] refers only to someone wise, as it is written, “Gather me seventy men of the elders of Israel,” Numbers 11:16   Rabbi Yosi ha-Galili says, Zaken refers to one who has acquired wisdom.  There is a tendency to treat old, infirm people as if they were children.   This is quite unjustified. We should remember that even if old people are weak in their bodies, they have decades of experience and wisdom, which their children lack. Their understanding and judgment should be respected. Furthermore, there is a good chance that the same wisdom will enable them to see through any attempted to cover up. This can have a terrible effect on family relations exactly at the time when trust and openness are most necessary. For example, I heard of the case where a man begged his doctor, “Please do not let my family know that I know about my condition. It will break their hearts.” Here the patient’s condition, the most important concern of the entire family, was known to all. Yet they were prevented from sharing their burdens because of the elaborate charade of supposed ignorance. Another story concerns an elderly couple who had enjoyed a life of complete trust and openness. The husband complied with the doctor’s suggestion to hide the wife’s true condition. She sensed that he was keeping something from her, and a lifetime of total trust was put into question, causing profound anguish to the faithful wife. A further consideration is that lack of information may prevent patients from making informed choices about their treatment. Today, leading medical authorities acknowledge and emphasize the importance of empowering the patient to make such decisions. In the end, factual considerations have to determine the outcome. While we can find a number of anecdotes opposing disclosure, there are just as many, if not more, supporting it. Even if we decide that disclosure is the best policy, it is forbidden to be blunt and insensitive. There are horror stories of physicians who think that openness is a license for terrorizing the patient. One can tell a patient that he has a serious and possibly fatal disorder without playing God and predicting that he has only six months to live. This may not be true and is cruel even if it is. The proper course is to present accurate medical information in an encouraging way, pointing out the best opportunities for improvement without resorting to misleading and discouraging statistics. MEIR 137-8

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GEN1165 You do not know mattan s’charan, the rewards given for mitzvoth. Pirkei Avot II;1  This can also denote what you would have to give and pay to acquire the privilege of performing the mitzvah. Many things which we have without effort are not fully appreciated. You may waste the meals your mother prepares for you. But if you went to a restaurant and had to pay five dollars [1964 dollars; equivalent $40 in 2018 – AJL] for a similar meal, you would undoubtedly value it more.   We are born Jews. The mitzvoth are here for our taking and doing. However, we do not value them properly because we are unaware of the “price’ they have cost in the blood, sweat and tears of history. We rarely think of the twenty generations that angered the Lord before the advent of Abraham. Avoth V, 2-3.   How many of us consider what Torah and mitzvoth have cost the Jewish people throughout our long and martyr-filled history? Be heedful of all the mitzvoth, for you have no idea of what they have cost us. Blood was spilled, lives were given, that or people should not abandon or forget our commandments from Sinai. Indeed, we should be most grateful that these Divine precepts, with their unique and transcendent importance, are as accessible and available as they are. The Torah tells us: “It [Torah] is not in Heaven, that you should say, “Who will go us for us to Heaven and bring it to us …?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us …?’” Deuteronomy 20:12-13 To a least one Sage this means, quite simply, that were it indeed in heaven, we should have to go there to acquire it; and were it beyond the sea, we would indeed be obliged to travel there to get it. Talmud Erubin 55a.  If our entire journey to salvation and eternity depends on these mitzvoth and this Torah, we would be justified in scaling the Matterhorn to reach it. How fortunate we are that this unique Divine word is in our midst, within the reach of everyone – “in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.” Deuteronomy 30:14  Suppose that a person tells you he wishes to buy merchandise from you on credit. You ask him for references, you consult his bank, you “look him up” in Dun and Bradstreet. After you are fully satisfied that everything is in order, you may give him credit up to $100. [1964 dollars; equivalent $800 in 2018 – AJL] Should we have a doubt about kashruth, though, what might the procedure be? We might decide to stay at a certain hotel because there appears to be a vague rumor that the food is kosher. To give $100 of credit we will likely explore every avenue, check and double-check to make sure. Het, when a mitzvah is involved, we are satisfied with hearsay, with a rumor with a minimum of investigation. Consider Abraham and his dealings with Eliezer his servant. Scripture states that Eliezer was in compete charge of Abrahams’s affairs. [this verse] Presumably he bought and sold, kept the books, and had access to all the wealth. Yet, in the matter of arranging a marriage for his son Isaac, for whom he wanted a pious daughter-in-law, Abraham insisted that Eliezer take an oath! Here the emphasis is on the values that truly count. In material matters, Eliezer enjoyed the full confidence of Abraham. When matters of the spirit, of Torah were involved, Abraham took greater caution: he insisted on better assurances and exercised stronger control. Rabbi Judah haNasi reminds us that there are no unimportant mitzvoth. If we cannot be as Abraham and give them more care and attention than we devote to our business affairs, let us at lest treat them with equal regard. They are stepping stones to eternal life. SINAI1 124-5

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GEN1166 The generation of the flood always fought with each other, and there is no hope to build a society once that occurs.   While it is true that the Babel generation sinned and was misguided, a society that can unit has the hope of building for the future and correcting its mistakes. [See also Genesis 11:1 AMEMEI 211]   This may also explain why Abraham sent his servant Eliezer back to his homeland to find a wife for his son Isaac.   Since at that time everyone was not Jewish, what difference did it make if Isaac married a local Canaanite girl or a woman from Mesopotamia?   The answer may be that Abraham witnessed the debauchery and deceit of the people of Canaan, in the city of Sodom, and later, in his dealings with Ephron when he tried to buy a burial plot.   In his homeland, on the other hand, despite the idol worship, there were basically good people who dealt properly with each other.   He preferred a daughter-in-law from this society to help build the Jewish people over the wicked locals of Canaan who dealt treacherously with each other.   In fact, it was the quality of goodness towards strangers that led Eliezer to select Rebecca to be Isaac’s wife. AMJV 160

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GEN1167 See [[GEN1143]] Genesis 22:17 descendants JHRHV 88

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GEN1168 In addition to biblical laws, several events depicted in the Torah underscore how important a person’s treatment of animals is in assessing his character.   When Abraham dispatches his servant (assumed to be Eliezer) to find a suitable wife for Abraham’s son, Isaac, he give him no explicit guidelines, other than that the woman should come from the areas in which Abraham was raised.   Eliezer promptly departs for the city of Nahor with ten camels.   He decides, perhaps along the way, that kindness—to both human beings and animals—is the most appropriate first criterion to look for in a spouse.  TELVOL 2:305

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GEN1169 From here it is to be derived that even though one is forbidden to partake of anything before he feeds his animals, this applies to food; but as regards drink, man takes precedence, as we find with Rivkah, who said: “Drink, and also your camels will I give to drink” MaGenesis Avraham 167:18 TEMIMAH-GEN 110

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GEN1170 [In the] detailed account of the meeting of Isaac and Rebecca, the essential feature [is] her kindness, as Scripture accounts [this verse].   As Rashi has elaborated, “She is fit for him since she is charitable, and she will be worthy to enter the house of Abraham.”   AHAVCH 23-4

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GEN1171 Now God, Who is great in counsel and mighty in deed, arranged that the marriage of Isaac to Rebecca should result from her approaching a traveller [this verse].   … We can see from this incident, how high a person can reach through performing this mitzvah [i.e., hospitality] properly with a willing heart, like Rebecca, who in many respects did no] more than the servant requested.  AHAVCH 190

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