by rabbi judah dardik
Chayei Sarah
Genesis 23:1-25:18
1 Kings 1:1-1:31
It made for great theater in “The Producers”, but that was a fraud. In real life, one simply cannot sell, or for that matter give away, more than 100 percent of what they have. The pie can be cut into many smaller pieces, but ultimately there is a limited total amount to go around. And that’s where an easily overlooked verse at the end of this week’s Torah portion opens a door to the complications of life.
“Avraham gave all that he had to Yitzchak. And to the children of his concubines Avraham gave gifts, and then he sent them away…” (Gen. 25:5-6). The Torah does not simply say that Avraham set up Yitzchak to inherit him, it says that he gave all that he had to Yitzchak. If so, what “gifts” were then available to give to his other children? After one gives away the entirety of their assets, there is nothing left to give away!
Radak and other commentators deal with the issue by suggesting that Avraham gave the gifts before actually transferring any property to Yitzchak’s hands. This approach lays the question to rest, but fits the flow of the text rather weakly. In the alternative, Rashi suggests that perhaps Avraham offered Yitzchak all that he felt belonged to him personally, and that he engaged in “re-gifting” — giving away gifts that he received from others who in the course of the biblical narrative had expressed interest in Sarah.
However, Rashi also offers an additional approach that is elaborated upon by the Torah Temimah with startling implications. Indeed, Avraham did not give away any property, as that was all intended to flow to Yitzchak. Instead, he shared with the children of his concubines something that he never would have given to Yitzchak — the proper names of a series of idols.
Midrashic tradition teaches that early on, in the days of Enosh, people began to call idols by the name of HaShem. Avraham knew the proper names of the idols well (his father ran an idol shop), and watching friends and neighbors refer to the man-made images by the name of the one and eternal creator and giver of life cut right to Avraham’s core. He simply couldn’t stand to see them do this. So he handed over to them the true names of the idols that they should call them by their own names.
Avraham was in a delicate situation; he can’t aid and abet their idolatry, he can’t “approve” of it. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t completely give up and send away his own flesh and blood on an idolatrous path so anathema to himself. So he attempts to help them to gain clarity, to help them gain a better grasp on exactly what they are doing through a bit of fatherly conversation. They won’t suddenly enter into a true relationship with HaShem, but at least this way they know better what they are doing and that it is not in fact the service of the one whose name is “HaShem”.
And don’t so many of us have to deal with the same thing at times? We hope that our children, our friends and family will come to believe exactly what we do. This is not realistic — the children (for example) tend to fall within a range of our beliefs. With proper relationship, education and environment they usually fall within a certain range of our beliefs. But not always. Some kids totally reject their parents’ values, as Avraham’s did, and it hurts. Very badly.
What does one do? One can’t pretend that they agree or approve and retain their integrity, so now what? The Torah Temimah, and ultimately Avraham, is instructive. He doesn’t send them away with nothing. His parting gift to them is a final thread of discussion, working together to help the gain clarity about what they are doing. Is he hoping, deep down, that they will have insight and come around to his way? Maybe, but they don’t. But at least they leave having had a real discussion, and hoping to share a bit of clarity together, a bit of insight into what they are doing.
Rabbi Judah Dardik is the spiritual leader at Oakland’s Beth Jacob. He can be reached at rabbi@bethjacoboakland.org .
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