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GENESIS — 23:16 paid

GEN1156 The Torah relates that our patriarch Abraham “Was blessed by God with everything” Genesis 24:1. His great wealth thus allowed him to perform, without financial worry, what later became a time-honored Jewish act. He bought his first parcel of land in Canaan, not as a legal ploy or as a long-term investment, but to bury his wife Sarah. Bargaining with the landowner Ephron to purchase the cave of Machpelah, Abraham accepted the very first, very high price Ephron quoted. Because he had the money, Abraham knowingly overpaid and secured is not only a burial ground but good relations with his neighbors [this verse]. Abraham was the first to perform a classic Jewish mitzvah. A long line of wealthy Jewish donors connets Abraham to the contemporary industrialist, Aaron Feuerstein. Fire nearly destroyed Malden Mills, his complex of textile factory plants located not far from Boston. Rather than retiring on the insurance money, he immediately began to rebuild his factories. He also paid the salaries and health care premiums of his 3000-personal workforce for three months, until most of his employees where once again working full time. Feuerstein saved their families from great hardship; he also saved and actually strengthened the economies of the cities of Lawrence and Methuen, Massachusetts. Only a mean-spirited individual would argue that Feuerstein, an Orthodox Jew in his seventies, did these acts to benefit his corporate balance sheet. Having been raised in the tradition of gemilut hasadim, the duty of acting with lovingkindness, he could fulfill that mitzvah because he had the means. BOROJMV 112-3

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GENESIS — 23:18 possession

GEN1157 Five possessions has the Holy, Blessed One … [The heaven and earth; Abraham; the people Israel; the Sanctuary] … Pirkei Avot VI:10 At first sight there is a difficulty: Surely the whole universe is the possession of the Almighty, not merely these five entities.   The Psalmist declaims, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that fills it—the world and those who dwell in it”; … moreover, we read, “the Lord will rejoice in His works” – all His works, since, as Scripture tells, “God saw all that He had made, and, behold it was very good.” Psalms 24:1, 104:24, 31, Genesis 1:31.  In what sense, then, are the five entities in our text the peculiar possession of the Holy One in His world, which He has singled out to “acquire” and make especially his own? Don Isaac Abarbanel finds the answer in the Hebrew for “possession,” kinyan; in this term he sees three connotations:   (1) In its sense of purchasing, buying, kinyan signifies something an individual acquires through what he himself does. Thus, after Abraham gave its owner the agreed price for a field, tht he might bury Sarah there, Scripture tells that the field was rendered “to Abraham for a possession” (miknah, same root as kinyan); later, it is described as the field “that Abraham bought (kanah).” Genesis 23:18, Genesis 49:30. Similarly, many acts of purchase described in the Talmud take effect when the owner does a symbolic physical act: e.g. he gives money (as Abraham aid), lifts up the object he is buying, or leads away an animal that he is acquiring; or the seller gives him a part of his purchase to hold, etc. See e.g. Mishnah, Kiddushin i 4; Talmud 22b and 26a; Baba Metzi’a 9a; 47 a-b. (2) It donotes an abiding, permanent relationship between the acquisition and the one who makes it his.   It does not become his possession lightly, haphazardly, or temporarily. It becomes his thoroughly and permanently. (3) Finally, kinyan connotes something beloved and cherished by the one who makes it his. Originally this is part of the word’s usual meaning of purchase: for as the Sages insightfully observe, anything bought will have a charm, a grace in the eyes of its news owner. By extension, though, it can denote any possession that is particularly valuable and cherished, that is owner feels grateful for having. With the three facets of meaning in mind, we can see why the text calls five entities alone the kinyanim of the Holy One. SINAI3 391-2

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GENESIS — 24:1 advanced

GEN1158 With the notable exception of Kind 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 are 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 measured in years, But Abraham’s was measured in days, since he impregnated every moment with meaning and purpose.  He never squandered a day.  To go to a holy place, one must undertake a long and arduous journey, leaving behind family and home.  But to enter into a holy time, man need only remain passive, in his natural surroundings, until the sacred moment overtakes him. … The lesson for each of us in our daily lives is to remember the preciousness of the moment.   BOTEACH 156

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GENESIS — 24:1 blessed

GEN1159 Hoary age is a crown of glory … Pirkei Avot VI:8   R. Abbahu taught: It was asked of Solomon, “Who is slated for life in the world-to-come?” Said he, “whoever has honor before him in his old age” – in keeping with the last verse in our text.   Thus it is clearly a fine thing for the righteous to achieve old age with honor. And the Sages teach: Wherever you find elders, the Omnipresent Sovereign bestows honor on them. Talmud Baba Bathra 10b; Midrash Sifre, Numbers §92 As to hoary old age, Scripture tells, “Abraham was old, well advanced in age” [this verse] and earlier, the Almighty promised him, “you shall be buried at a good hoary age.” Genesis 15:15. SINAI3 377

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GENESIS — 24:1 days

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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GENESIS — 24:1 everything

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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GENESIS — 24:1 old

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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