Who is Wealthy
By: Rabbi Dovid Lieberman, Upper School Judaic Studies Teacher
At the end of the Parsha, the Pasuk describes Avraham Avinu’s death with an interesting choice of words.
25:8(ח)וַיִּגְוַ֨ע וַיָּ֧מׇת אַבְרָהָ֛ם בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָ֖ה זָקֵ֣ן וְשָׂבֵ֑עַ וַיֵּאָ֖סֶף אֶל־עַמָּֽיו׃
Avraham expired and died in good old age, mature and content.
The Ramban (Nachmanides 1194-1270) explains that the pasuk is bringing out two points. The first point is to show the material blessings that G-d bestows on the righteous. Secondly, the pasuk is showing the greatness of Avraham Avinu. He was a person that was Sameach B’Chelko,-satisfied with his lot in life. He did not desire luxuries, as described by the Midrash, “Those who love money aren’t satisfied with the money that they have. If they have one hundred, they desire two hundred. If they reach two hundred, they want four hundred” (Kohelet Rabah 1:13).
The Torah’s choice of what to praise Avraham for at the end of his life seems perplexing. Why is this the attribute that we should focus on? We know that Avraham did many great things in his life and had an innumerable amount of amazing traits. We also know that Avraham was blessed with extraordinary wealth. In fact, by the time he died, Avraham was likely the richest man in the world. In addition, he had immeasurable honor from the nations, he was saved by the fiery furnace, given a son in his old age, and promised by Hashem that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars and will be G-d’s chosen nation. Was it really such a test for Avraham, who had so much, to be happy with what he had? Wouldn’t each of us be happy with our lot if we had everything that Avraham had?
The Torah shows us the powerful force of the human desire for wealth and luxuries. It is a challenge for even the most righteous of people and even the wealthiest of people. We may think to ourselves “If I would win the lottery, then I’d be really happy and content. If I made x amount of dollars, that’s when I wouldn’t desire to have more.” We see from this Ramban that our nature is to want more no matter how much we accumulate. Were it not for Avraham’s unique capabilities and righteousness, even he, who was blessed with everything, would not have been happy with his lot. No one is above the desire for more luxury and riches, no matter how much he already has. That is when the Torah gives special praise to Avraham for this.
Let us learn this lesson from Avraham. Hashem equips each of us with the tools and materials to serve him properly and furnishes us with the ability to live with what he has given us. If we focus on this truth and accept it as our perspective in life, then regardless of our financial situation, we will be wealthy, as Ben Zoma teaches us, “Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot” (Pirkei Avot 4:1)