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Chayei Sarah(Genesis 23:1-25:18)

Greatest Test of All

At the beginning of Parshat Chayei Sarah, we find Abraham in an extremely difficult situation. He has just gone through the enormous stress of binding his son Isaac on the altar, followed by the emotional release of God's instruction not to go through with it in the end!

To compound his stress, Abraham returns home to find that his beloved wife Sarah has passed away. And on top of it all, Abraham now has to buy a gravesite from a man named Efron, who takes advantage of Abraham and charges an exorbitant price.

This is the epitome of a "bad day." And Abraham has every excuse in the world to be aggravated, to lose patience, and to lash out at Efron.

But Abraham - the expert in kindness - treats Efron with all the honor and dignity. Abraham understood that just because you're in pain, it doesn't give you the right to make the other person suffer.

The Talmud says that God gave Abraham 10 tests of character. It is generally understood that these tests were all designed to go against Abraham's natural inclination toward kindness - in order to strengthen his "weaker side" of strictness. Thus the ultimate test was the antithesis of kindness, the binding of Isaac.

But one commentator, Rabbeinu Yona, says that buying the gravesite from Efron - where Abraham reached super-human heights of patience and kindness - was actually Abraham's greatest test of all.

The idea is that to become a truly great person, besides working on our weak areas, we mustn't forget to build our unique strengths, too.

Published: November 19, 2005

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Visitor Comments: 2

(2) Anonymous, November 16, 2008 4:24 AM

Thank You for these insights

They make me reflect and make positive changes.

(1) carolE.ryan, November 15, 2006 9:09 AM

very helpful

I just had a knee replacement and anything spiritual help I can get is very helpful

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About the Author

Rabbi Shraga Simmons

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Rabbi Shraga Simmons spent his childhood trekking through snow in Buffalo, New York. He holds a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He is the senior editor of Aish.com and the director of JewishPathways.com.

An expert on media bias, he was the founding editor of HonestReporting.com, and is the author of David & Goliath: The Explosive Inside Story of Media Bias in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2012). With drama and a biting edge, David & Goliath is a definitive treatment, fully resourced with over 2,000 footnotes. Readers are privy to secret negotiations with CNN executives, and how a grassroots campaign was cited by the New York Times as effecting sweeping changes in Mideast media coverage.

David & Goliath has been praised by politicians, professors and journalists: Former New York Mayor Ed Koch hails it as "Invaluable for anyone wanting the inside story," and James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal calls David & Goliath "of crucial importance for the future of the Middle East."

Rabbi Simmons lives with his wife and children in the Modi'in region of Israel.

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