Midrash sobre Gênesis 25:7

(Lev. 25:14:) “When you sell property to your kinsman.” This text is related (to Prov. 28:22), “An evil-eyed person moves quickly after wealth, [and he does not know that loss will come to him].” This verse speaks about many people. “An evil-eyed person moves quickly after wealth.” This was Cain. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “You moved quickly to inherit the world. By your life, you shall have a loss [in the matter].” Ergo (in Prov. 28:22), “and he does not know that loss will come to him.” And what happened to him? That he wandered about the world, as stated (in Gen. 4:12), “you shall become a ceaseless wanderer on the earth.” Another interpretation (of Prov. 28:22), “An evil-eyed person moves quickly after wealth”: This was Ephron the Hittite.¹See Tanh. (Buber), Exod. 6:5; and the parallels listed there; and Tanh. (Buber), Deut. 4:4. When Abraham's wife Sarah died, Abraham went to Ephron for him to sell him the cave. Ephron said to him, “Give me its price.” He said to him (in Gen. 23:15), “What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between you and me?” Abraham began piling up the silver for Ephron, as stated (in Gen. 23:16), “So Abraham heeded Ephron, and Abraham weighed out […].” Ben Ma'ma said, “Although R. Hanina has said, ‘All the shekels in the Torah are sela'im,’ these [shekels] are an exception, since they are centenaria.²The word is Latin. One centenarium was worth 100,000 sesterces. According to a fourth-century inscription of northern Africa, a centenarium was a hundred pieces (e.g., of gold). See A. Souter, A Glossary of Later Latin to 600 A.D. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1957). [So it was] four hundred centenaria [that] Abraham piled up before Ephron.” When Ephron saw the silver, he moved quickly and hastily, as stated (in Gen. 23:6), “bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You have moved quickly after money. By your life, you shall have a loss in the matter.” And what was his loss? R. Judah bar Shallum the Levite said, “Every [mention of] Ephron which is written here [in Scripture], before he took the silver from Abraham, is written plene as 'prwn (i.e., with the vowel o represented by the Hebrew consonant w); but this [usage] (in Gen. 23:16) is deficient (hsr), ‘and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron ('prn). It is written with the w missing (hsr).” Another interpretation (of Prov. 28:22), “An evil-eyed person moves quickly after wealth”: This is the one who lends at interest, because he is anxious to become wealthy. He lends in order to receive interest from the borrower and becomes wealthy from the interest. But a curse is given through his riches, as stated (ibid., cont.), “and he does not know that loss will come to him.” Another interpretation (of Prov. 28:22), “An evil-eyed person moves quickly after wealth”: This represents those who engage in business in the sabbatical year, in that they move quickly to become rich. They do not observe the sabbatical year, and think they will become rich. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “By your life, you shall have a loss in the matter.” Since he did not observe the sabbatical year, the curse began entering into his money, and he sells [all that he had]. What is written above the matter (in Lev. 25:2), “the land shall observe a Sabbath for the Lord.” And after that it is written (in vs. 14), “When you sell property.” R. Eleazar Haqappar said, “It is written (in Cant. 5:15), ‘His legs are pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold.’ This column has a capital above and a pedestal³Gk.: basis. below.”⁴See Lev. R. 25:8. R. Samuel ben Guriah said, “You have no section in the Torah which does not have a capital above and a pedestal below.⁵The parallel in Lev. R. 25:8 explains that each section can be expounded with reference to what precedes and follows it. What is written above of the matter (in Lev. 25:1-2)? ‘Then the Lord spoke unto Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak unto the Children of Israel [….] ‘the land shall observe [a Sabbath for the Lord].’”’ Then after that [comes] the section on the jubilee (in vs. 8), ‘And you shall count seven [Sabbaths of years].’ If one has not observed the sabbatical year and the jubilee, or [even] one of them, in the end, I will make it that he will sell his land, [as stated] (in vs. 14), ‘When you sell property to your kinsman.’⁶T’Arakh. 5:9; below, 9:8. [If] he repents, [all] is well; but if not, he will end up selling his field, as stated (in vs. 25), ‘When your relative becomes poor and sells some of his property.’ [If] he repents, that is preferable; but if not, he will end up selling his house, as stated (in vs. 29), ‘And when someone sells a dwelling house.’ [If] he repents, that is preferable; but if not, he will end up going around [begging] at doorways, as stated (in vs. 35), ‘And when your relative becomes poor [… you shall maintain him as a foreigner and sojourner and let him live near you].’ [If] he repents, that is preferable; but if not, he will end up being sold to you, as stated (in vs. 39), ‘And when your relative becomes poor] near you and is sold to you.’ [If] he repents, that is preferable; but if not, he will end up being sold to the gentiles, as stated (in vs. 47), ‘And when a foreigner and a sojourner near you becomes wealthy, [while your relative near him becomes poor and is sold to a sojourning foreigner near you….].’ Now it is not merely the individual himself [at issue here], but that person and all Israel; for so you find in the days of Jeremiah, because they profaned the sabbatical year, they were sold to the gentiles, as stated (in II Chron. 36:17-18), ‘So He brought up the king of the Chaldeans upon them [….] And all the vessels of the house of God […] and the treasures of the house of the Lord […].’ Behold the case of [all] Israel.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “See how they will be sold to the gentiles because they profaned the sabbatical year.” He said to him, “Master of the world, did You not say this (in Lev. 25:35), ‘And when your relative becomes poor, and his strength fails near you, [you shall maintain him as a foreigner and sojourner and let him live near you]?’ Fulfill what You said to them and called them, ‘My relatives (ah) and friends,’ as stated (in Ps. 122:8), ‘For the sake of My relatives (ah) and friends’: (Lev. 25:35:) ‘And when your relative becomes poor, and his strength fails near you,’ [i.e.,] when their strength fails before Nebuchadnezzar, the Divine Presence, as it were, will be with them. It is so stated (in Is. 43:14), ‘for your sake I have sent to Babylon.’ (Lev. 25:35, cont.:) ‘You shall maintain (literally, hold on to) him.’ Hold them (i.e., Israel), lest they perish. But how? (Lev. 25:35, cont.:) ‘As a foreigner and sojourner and let him live near you.’ Although they became foreigners and sojourners in Babylon, if You do not give them grace, they will perish, [so just] ‘let him live near You.’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Because of their sins I have sold My house to the Chaldeans.” It is so stated (in Lev. 25:29), “And when someone sells a dwelling house.” This is the house of the Holy One, blessed be He, as stated (in Ps. 132:13), “For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for His dwelling.” And what happened [to it]? (II Kings 25:9 = Jer. 52:13:) And he burned the house of the Lord [...].” (Lev. 25:29, cont.:) “A walled city.” This is the city of the Holy One, blessed be He, as stated] (in II Chron. 36:19), “and they broke down the wall of Jerusalem […].” That is what the Holy One, blessed be He, says (in Lev. 25:47), “And when a foreigner and a sojourner [near you] becomes wealthy.” This wealthy foreigner is Nebuchadnezzar, and this sojourner is the Median Empire. (Ibid., cont.:) “And is sold to a sojourning foreigner.” This [sojourning foreigner] is the Greek Empire. (Ibid., cont.:) “Or to a foreigner's family.” This is the Edomite Empire (i.e., Rome). Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, why were they sold to these empires?” He said to him, “Because they profaned the sabbatical year.” It is so stated (in II Chron. 36:20–21), “Then he carried off unto Babylon those left from the sword,” and the end of the Scripture is “[until the land made up] its Sabbaths; as long as it lay desolate, it observed Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.” Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses at the end of all of these sections, “Is it your wish that they do not go into exile? [Then] warn them concerning the sabbatical years and the jubilees.” That is what He has said at the end of all the sections (in Lev. 26:2), “You shall observe My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary. I am the Lord.” What is the meaning of “I am the Lord?” I am the one who is going to give you a good reward, if you observe them; but if not, I am going to exact retribution from them through the Empires. Therefore, say to them to be careful about the sabbatical year. Thus it is stated (in Lev. 25:2), “the land shall observe a Sabbath for the Lord,” so that they do not attain [the punishments in] those sections written below (in Lev. 26:14-45). (Lev. 25:14:) “When you sell property to your kinsman or buy from your neighbor's hand, do not deceive.” [Thus] you shall not deceive one another. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “For I also sold the whole world to Abraham and did not deceive him. He [then went back and sold it to Me,” as stated (Genesis 14:19), “the Buyer⁷Qoneh. A more traditional rendering of this word here would be MAKER. of heaven and earth.” When? When Abraham observed the commandments of the Holy One, blessed be He. Before the Torah was given to Israel, our father Abraham kept it [and observed all the commandments that are in the Torah]. R. Samuel bar Nahman said in the name of R. Alexandra, “Abraham even observed the [rabbinic precept of] eruvim of cooked foods.”⁸See Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 3:1, and the notes there. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 26:5), “Because ('qb 'shr) Abraham heeded [My voice and kept My charge: My commandments, My statutes, and My Torahs].” What is the meaning of 'qb?⁹Gen. R. 95:3; Cant. R. 5:16:1; PR 21:12; cf. Ned. 32a. R. Simeon ben Laqish said, “At the age of three years Abraham recognized the Holy One, blessed be He.”¹⁰So also Numb. R. 18:21. According to other traditions Abraham recognized his creator at the age of forty-eight (Gen. R. 30:8; 46:2; Cant. R. 5:16:1), at the age of fifty (PR 21:12), or at the age of one (Gen. R. 95:3). How is this shown? 'Qb is a number. (I.e., 'ayin) is seventy, q (i.e., qof) is one hundred, [and] b (i.e., bet) is two, for a total of one hundred seventy-two. Now (according to Gen. 25:7) Abraham lived one hundred seventy-five [years]. Deduct from them. [The result is] three, when he was little. Ergo, at the age of three years Abraham recognized the Holy One, blessed be He. When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw how Abraham loved the commandments, He began buying heavenly and earthly [places] for him, as stated (in Gen. 14:19), “Blessed be Abram of God most high, Buyer of heaven and earth.” So also it says (Gen. 13:15), “For all the land (or earth) which you see, to you I will give it.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “All the world is wholly Mine; and I bought it for Abraham, because he has observed My commandments. But you, through your sins, have caused him to be [like] an alien who rents a house from its owners, for so Jeremiah has said (in Jer. 14:8), ‘why are you like a foreigner in the land […]?’ When you sinned before Me, I sold you, as stated (in Ps. 44:13), ‘You shall sell Your people for no money […].’ For that reason, if someone has to sell a house, a field, or [some] article, you shall not deceive one another.” It is therefore written (in Lev. 25:14), “shall not deceive his brother.” (Lev. 25:15-18:) “According to the years after the jubilee […]. According to the multitude of years, you shall increase […]. A man shall not deceive his brother […]. So you shall carry out my statutes and judgements.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “Just as I sold my people and returned again to reinstate them, as stated (Jer. 3:14), ‘”Turn back, faithless children,” says the Lord; “for I am a master to you.”’ It is also written (in Is. 52:3), ‘For thus says the Lord, “You were sold for free, and you shall be redeemed for no money.”’ So too you should not sell the land absolutely, as stated (in Lev. 25:23), ‘[it] shall not be sold permanently.’ The Land [of Israel] is dear to me because I have made it holier than all the [other] lands in the world.” You yourself know, when the Land of Israel was distributed to the tribes, it did not pass from tribe to tribe. Rather [it was distributed] to each tribe separately. You yourself know. Look at how many lawsuits the daughters of Zelophehad brought, so that their inheritance would not pass from one tribe to another. Moreover the Holy One, blessed be He, conceded to their words, as stated (in Numb. 27:7), “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right.” (Numb. 36:9:) “Thus no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another.” Therefore, if a redeemer is found for it, fine; but if not, whoever buys it acquires it until the jubilee. Then on the jubilee he releases it. Thus it is stated (in Lev. 25:41), “Then he shall depart from you, he and his children with him and he shall return to his family.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “When the year of the redemption draws near, I will redeem you, as stated (in Is. 63:4), ‘For a day of vengeance was in My heart, but there came My year of redemption.’”

‎And Isaac with his household dwelt at the house of Abraham, his father, in the land of Canaan, ‎as the Lord had commanded unto them. And Ishmael, the son of Abraham, went with his ‎children and all that were his and returned unto the land of Havilah to dwell therein; and all the ‎children of the concubines of Abraham went to locate in the lands towards the east, for ‎Abraham had sent them away from his son Isaac, giving them gifts so that they went away. ‎And all that Abraham had left he gave unto Isaac, his son, including all his treasures; and he ‎instructed him - continually, saying: Know it and understand that the Lord is God in heaven and ‎on earth, and that there is no other god besides Him; and it is He who hath taken me from my ‎father's house and from the place of my birth to give me all the pleasures on earth; it is He ‎who hath delivered me from the schemes of the wicked, because I trusted in Him; and He ‎hath brought me unto this place after delivering me from Ur Casdim, and he said unto me: To ‎thy seed shall I give all these lands to possess them, if they observe my commandments, my ‎statutes, and my judgments which I have commanded unto thee, and which I shall command ‎unto them. And now, my son, hearken thou, therefore, to my voice and keep the ‎commandments of the Lord, thy God, which I have taught thee; do not turn from the way of ‎righteousness, neither to the right nor to the left, so that it may be well with thee and with thy ‎children after thee, forever; and remember, also, the wonderful works of the Lord, and the ‎kindness he has shown to us, in delivering us from the hands of our enemies, and causing ‎them to fall into our hands. Now, therefore, observe all that I have commanded unto thee and ‎do not turn from the commandments of thy Lord, and serve no one besides Him, so that it ‎may be well with thee and thy seed after thee; and thou shalt teach the instructions of the ‎Lord unto thy children and unto thy seed, and show them the right way in which they should ‎walk, so that it may be well with them forever. And Isaac replied unto his father, saying: ‎Whatsoever my Lord hath commanded I will do, nor shall I turn away from any one of His ‎commandments, but I shall observe all that He ordered me to do. And Abraham blessed Isaac ‎and his children; and Abraham instructed Jacob in all the ways of the Lord. And Abraham died ‎at that time, in the fifteenth year of Jacob's and Esau’s lives, and all the days of Abraham were ‎one hundred and seventy-five years; and he died and was gathered up to his people in a ripe ‎old age, old and satisfied with his days, and he was buried by Isaac and Ishmael, his sons. And ‎the inhabitants of Canaan heard that Abraham was dead, and all of them came together with ‎their kings and princes and all their people, to bury Abraham; and all the inhabitants of the land ‎of Haran, and all the families of the house of Abraham with their great princes, and all the sons ‎of Abraham’s concubines came when they heard of Abraham’s death; in appreciation of ‎Abraham’s kindness they came, as also to comfort his son Isaac. And they buried Abraham in ‎the cave which he had bought of Ephron, the Hittite and his children, as a possession of a burial ‎place.‎

(Gen. 25:29:) NOW JACOB HAD BOILED < A STEW >. Esau came in from the field and saw that Jacob's face was blackened. He said to him: What are you doing? He said to him: Do you not know that our grandfather Abraham is dead, and I am cooking food?¹⁰See Gen. R. 63:11 ; BB 16b; (bar.); Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 25:27; PRE 35. Now he was going to prepare the mourner's meal on his behalf. Esau said to him: My friend and my enemy, < both > alike have died. Abraham has died, and Nimrod has died. SO (according to Gen. 25:32) WHAT IS THE USE OF THIS BIRTHRIGHT TO ME? What was he cooking? Lentils, because from ancient times they had brought lentils (on account of) [unto] the mourner and lentils to the house with a wedding. (Gen. 25:29:) THEN ESAU CAME.¹¹See Gen. R. 63:12; PRK 3:1; cf. BB 16b; PR 12:5. They have said: This wicked man committed three transgressions on that day. He robbed, since it is written (of Edom in Obad. 5): IF THIEVES HAVE COME TO YOU, PLUNDERERS (rt.: ShDD)¹²The midrash may also see an allusion here to Gen. 25:27: A MAN OF THE FIELD (SDH). OF THE NIGHT. He also seduced a maiden who was betrothed, as stated (in Gen. 25:7): < EDOM BECAME A MAN > OF THE FIELD. A field is nothing but a maiden, since it is stated (in Deut. 22:25): IF IN THE FIELD [THE MAN FINDS A MAIDEN] < WHO IS BETROTHED, AND THE MAN SEIZES HER AND LIES WITH HER >…. And he took a life, since it is stated (in Gen. 25:29): AND HE WAS EXHAUSTED. EXHAUSTED can only < imply > "killing." Thus it is stated (in Jer. 4:31): WOE UNTO ME, NOW! FOR MY LIFE IS EXHAUSTED BEFORE THOSE WHO KILL.

(Lev. 25:14:) AND WHEN YOU MAKE A SALE TO YOUR NEIGHBOR, [OR BUY FROM YOUR NEIGHBOR'S HAND,] LET NONE OF YOU DECEIVE HIS FELLOW. Thus you shall not deceive one another, for I also have sold. When? When Abraham observed the commandments of the Holy One. Before the Torah was given, our father Abraham kept it [and observed all the commandments that are in the Torah. R. Samuel bar Nahman said in the name of R. Alexandra: Abraham even observed the eruvim of cooked foods.⁸See above, Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 3:1, and the notes there. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 26:5): BECAUSE ('QB 'ShR) ABRAHAM HEEDED MY VOICE AND KEPT MY CHARGE: < MY COMMANDMENTS, MY STATUTES, AND MY TORAHS >. What is the meaning of 'QB?⁹Gen. R. 95:3; Cant. R. 5:16:1; PR 21:12; cf. Ned. 32a. R. Simeon ben Laqish said: At the age of three years Abraham recognized the Holy One.¹⁰So also Numb. R. 18:21. According to other traditions Abraham recognized his creator at the age of forty-eight (Gen. R. 30:8; 46:2; Cant. R. 5:16:1), at the age of fifty (PR 21:12), or at the age of one (Gen. R. 95:3). 'QB is a number. ' (i.e., 'ayin) is seventy, Q (i.e., Qof) is one hundred, < and > B (i.e., bet) is two, for a total of one hundred seventy-two. Now (according to Gen. 25:7) Abraham lived one hundred seventy-five < years >. Deduct from them. < The result is > three, when he was little. Ergo: At the age of three years Abraham recognized the Holy One.] When the Holy One saw how Abraham loved the commandments, he began buying heavenly and earthly < places > for him, as stated (in Gen. 14:19): BLESSED BE ABRAM OF GOD MOST HIGH, [BUYER¹¹Qoneh. A more traditional rendering of this word here would be MAKER. OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. So also it says (Gen. 13:15): FOR ALL THE LAND WHICH YOU SEE, TO YOU I WILL GIVE IT.] The Holy One said: All the world is wholly mine; and I bought it for Abraham, because he has observed my commandments. But you [through your sins] have cause me to be [like] an alien who rents a house from its owners, for so Jeremiah has said (in Jer. 14:8): WHY ARE YOU LIKE A FOREIGNER IN THE LAND? When you sinned before me, I sold you, as stated (in Ps. 44:13 [12]): YOU SHALL SELL YOUR PEOPLE FOR NO MONEY…. For that reason, if someone has to sell a house, a field, or < some > article, you shall not deceive one another. It is therefore written (in Lev. 25:14): LET NONE OF YOU DECEIVE HIS FELLOW. (Ibid., vs. 17) AND LET NO ONE DECEIVE HIS NEIGHBOR.

And all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and all those that were acquainted with Abraham, ‎wept over him for a whole year, all men, and women likewise, mourned his loss; and even the ‎little children of the inhabitants of the land wept over Abraham, for he hath been good unto ‎them, and ever upright, both before God and men. And there never arose a man who hath ‎feared God after the manner of Abraham; for he had feared his God from his very youth, ‎serving the Lord and walking in all his ways from the days of his childhood even to the day of ‎his death. And the Lord was with him, and He saved him from the wickedness of Nimrod and ‎his people, and when Abraham gave battle with the four kings he vanquished them; and he ‎guided all the children of the land towards the service of God, instructing them in the ways of ‎the Lord, and teaching them to know Him. And he laid out a grove, planting a vineyard therein, ‎and he always had meat and drink ready in his house for those that traveled through the land ‎so that they might become satisfied in his house; and the Lord saved the whole earth for the ‎sake of Abraham. And after Abraham’s death the Lord blessed his son Isaac and his children, ‎and the Lord was with Isaac as he had been with Abraham, his father; for Isaac had observed ‎all the commandments of the Lord, according to the instructions of Abraham, his father, ‎turning neither to the right nor to the left from the right path which his father had pointed out ‎unto him. - And after the death of Abraham, Esau went very often to hunt in the field. And ‎Nimrod, king of Babel, whose name was Amraphel, went likewise very frequently with his ‎great men to hunt in the field, and to walk about with them in the cool of the day. And Nimrod ‎kept close watch concerning Esau, for Nimrod's heart was filled with jealousy against Esau all ‎the time. And it was on a certain day that Esau went into the field to hunt and he met Nimrod ‎with his two men walking about in the wilderness; for his great men and all his people were ‎with him in the wilderness, but they separated from him going into the distance to hunt in ‎different directions, and Esau had hidden himself laying in wait for Nimrod in the wilderness. ‎And Nimrod and his men with him knew nothing of Esau and they strolled to and fro in the ‎field at the cool of day, to ascertain whither his men had gone to hunt in the field. And when ‎Nimrod with his two men came near to the hiding place, Esau suddenly jumped towards them ‎from his ambuscade, and drawing his sword he ran to Nimrod and cut off his head.‎

And these are the days of the years of the life of Avraham (Bereishit 25:7). It's written, God knows the days of the pure, and their inheritance will be eternal (Tehillim 37:18). God knows the days of the pure: this is Avraham, as it is said And be pure. And their inheritance will be eternal - and these are the days of the years of the life of Avraham. That he adores the Holy Blessed One, who gives the righteous and writes them in the Torah, so that the inheritance of their days will be remembered forever: In ripe old age, old and satisfied (Bereishit 25:8). And Avraham perished (ibid.) - Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai said, the original pious would suffer with intestinal disease for ten and twenty days, to say that illness clarifies. Rabbi Yehuda said, everyone of whom it is said "perish" died of intestinal disease. It's written, strength and beauty are her robes [and she laughs at the last day] (Mishlei 31:25) - every reward of the righteous is prepared for them for the future to come. The Holy Blessed One shows them, before they are in this world, all the reward which They will eventually give them in the world to come - and their souls are satisfied and they sleep. Rabbi Elazar says, it's like a banquet which a king prepared and invited guests, and showed them what they would eat and drink, and their souls are satisfied and they sleep - so too with the Holy Blessed One. They show the righteous before they are in this world their veentual reward, and they sleep, as it is said For now I would be lying down, silent (Iyov 3:13). That is to say, at the time of the departure of the righteous, the Holy Blessed One shows them the reward of their labour. When Rabbi Abahu slept, thirteen rivers of balsam were shown to him. He said to them, whose are these? They said to him, yours. He said, these are Abahu's? ...