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GENESIS — 23:6 elect

GEN1151 The biblical exemplar of Kiddush Hashem is Abraham, the first Jews, who made so positive an impression on his non-Hebrew neighbors that they said of him [You are a prince of God in our midst”].   There are two activities in particular that Jewish tradition associates with Abraham: teaching people about God’s existence and practicing hospitality.   Both are cornerstones of the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem. … For Maimonides Book of the Commandments, Positive Command #3, Abraham’s behavior should serve as a model for his future descendants … indeed, when people speak of Jews as the Chosen People, this is the task for which Jewish tradition understands them to have been chosen: to make known to humankind that there is One God, Whose primary demand of human beings is ethical behavior.   Carrying out this mission is the ultimate act of Kiddush Hashem.   TELVOL 1:458-9

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GENESIS — 24:16 beautiful

GEN1178 If we want to judge others fairly, we should pay most attention to their character, not their physical appearance of professional accomplishments.   This goes counter to the manner in which many of us assess others – namely, focusing primarily on the person’s looks, wealth, and success.  The Bible’s view is different.  Thus, although the matriarch Rebecca was beautiful [this verse], what most appealed to Abraham’s servant, who was seeking a wife for Isaac, was her great kindness.  Genesis 24:18-19.  When the prophet Samuel was looking for a successor to King Saul, and was struck by the appearance of one of David’s other brothers, God said to him, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him [as a potential king]. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.   Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart” Samuel 1 16:7.  In later Jewish writings, the Talmud emphasizes that, though the first- and early second-century sage Rabbi Joshua was very ugly, he was extraordinarily esteemed both for his scholarship and for his acts of kindness Ta’anit 7a.   Because people know that they are judged largely on the basis of their appearance, many people spend far more time working on how they look than on how they behave.   TELVOL 1:88

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GENESIS — 24:18 camels

GEN1180 Although animals have priority when it comes to eating, human beings come first when it comes to drinking.  As the Sefer Chasidim (13th century) rules: “If both a man and an animal are thirsty, you should quench the man’s thirst before giving water to the animal, and so it says, [this verse and Genesis 24:46]. We also read that Moses was told [by God]: “Provide drink for the community and their beasts” Numbers 20:8; first the community and only then the beasts.   But when it comes to eating, animals take precedence … and so we read: “I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and [then] you shall eat your fill” Deuteronomy 11:15.   The Sefer Chasidim likewise notes that when Eliezer arrived at Rebecca’s home, his animals were given straw, and only then was food set before him Genesis 24:32; paragraph 531.   TELVOL 1:312

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GENESIS — 26:14 envied

GEN1223 Envy makes it difficult if not impossible for people to think clearly about the person they envy.  Often the conclusions envious people draw are the precise opposite of the truth. … Genesis reports that when the Philistines, among whom the patriarch Isaac dwelled, envied him his financial success, they stopped up his wells by filling them with earth.  TELVOL 1:301 [See also 31:1 TELVOL 1:301]

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GENESIS — 27:18 went

GEN1242 Even in instances where lying can be justified, untruth still introduces deceit into our relationships.  Thus, although the text offers no criticism of the lie Jacob tells his blind father, Isaac, that he is Esau, Isaac’s firstborn son, it does not seem to be a coincidence that no other biblical character finds himself on the receiving end of so many deceptions. His father-in-law, Laban, tricks him into marrying Leah instead of Leah’s younger sister, Rachel, whom Jacob loves and who has been promised him Genesis 29:21-30. Many years after this deception, Jacob’s sons sell their brother Joseph, Jacob’s favorite, into slavery. But first they remove the beautiful coat Jacob had given Joseph, dip it into the blood of a slaughtered goat, and show Jacob the bloody garment Genesis 37:31-33, leading him to believe that Joseph had been killed by a savage beast.   He who deceived his father is now deceived by his sons.  The narrative seems to suggest that sin and telling mistruths, even if they can be justified, bring an element of deceit into our relationships. Thus, if we find ourselves in a relationship, or a society, in which we must often lie, it is best to remove ourselves from such an environment as soon as possible. Even justifiable lies, if we tell them often enough, become a bad habit and can lead to a lack of truthfulness in all our relationships.   TELVOL1 401-2

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GENESIS — 27:19 Esau

GEN1244 The most famous lie told in the Torah (Jacob telling his blind father, Isaac, that he was Esau, Isaac’s firstborn son) came about because of Rebecca’s fear that her son Jacob, and all his descendants, would suffer unfairly if he did not lie to his father. … This instance is a difficult case, one that pushes the border between permissible and impermissible lies.   Nonetheless, it would appear that the Bible is teaching that one may lie when an injustice, in this case a major injustice, will occur if one doesn’t. TELVOL1 446

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GENESIS — 28:5 brother

GEN1261 Rashi was always ready to acknowledge what he didn’t know.   For example, [this verse] describes Laban as “the brother of Rebecca, the mother of Jacob and Esau.”  Why does the verse describe Rebecca this way, given that this relationship has repeatedly been noted in the preceding chapters? (This is comparable to an American history textbook repeatedly identifying Abraham Lincoln as an American president.) Rashi comments on this odd wording: “I do not know what this comes to tech us.”  Of course, he could have said nothing. But had Rashi passed over the verse, people would have assumed that he found no problem with it – which he did – or that he understood why the Torah offered this identification of Rebecca, which he didn’t.  Instead, Rashi acknowledged that here was a textual problem he couldn’t solve (perhaps thereby motivating others to try and solve it).   TELVOL1:226

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GENESIS — 30:1 envious

GEN1310 As many biblical stores make clear, envy often leads to family feuds, slander, cruelty, and even murder…. In the worst instance, Joseph’s brothers envy his status as their father Jacob’s favorite son.   In their resentment, they first decide to murder him Genesis 37:20, then relent and make do with selling him into slavery Genesis 37:27-28.  TELVOL1:300

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GENESIS — 30:1 envious

GEN1311 Knowing oneself means being self-aware in a balanced way, and neither focusing only on your strengths (the course of arrogance) or only on your weaknesses (the source of low self-esteem).   In truth, strengths and weaknesses coexist in all of us … To encourage its readers to understand human nature and themselves, the Bible goes out of its way to note flaws even in its greatest figures.   Thus, although the Matriarch Rachel has entered Jewish consciousness as the epitome of a loving mother Jeremiah 31:15, she also had some less attractive features [this verse].   Knowing of Rachel’s envy should make us aware that we must not deny our faults (as the Bible does not deny those of Rachel), but recognize and work on them, and always be aware of how those negative qualities may influence what we do. TELVOL1 57-8  [Regarding Leah’s envy, see 30:15 TELVOL1: 300]

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