Parshas Chayei Sarah By Rabbi Shmuel Gluck: When Soro died Avrohom was forced to purchase the land on which she would be buried. When one reads the Parsha, it appears as if Avrohom deliberately made the purchase a public scene, by s peaking t o t he e nĕre c ity. W hy d id A vrohom d o t hat? The Malbim explains that Avrohom was teaching the B’nei Cheis a lesson. At that ĕme, most people believed that death was the end. There was no Neshama or Olam Habo. With such an aħtude, the goal of burial was for the dignity of those sĕll living. It didn’t maĥer where, or how, people w ere b uried, a s l ong a s t hey w ere t aken o ut o f t he w ay o f t he l iving. Avrohom taught them about Kovod Hames, the dignity of the deceased. This introduced them to the Neshama, the next world, and the concept of reward and punishment. There are two lessons p eople s hould e xtract f rom t his. 1) All people are teachers. They may not teach in front of a blackboard, but they are sĕll teachers. Teaching in front of a class is o├en boring. Speeches don’t usually teach people; real life incidents do. Instead of puħng people “to sleep”, real life lessons intrigue them, and the message will be more readily etched in their memory. Avrohom taught them, but did it without their b eing a ware o f i t. Parents and Mechanchim should take advantage of teaching opportunities that arise during their l ives, b ecause t hese w ill h ave t he g reatest c hance o f b eing a ccepted. 2) People aren’t always in the mood to teach. Nevertheless, when the opportunity seems to be a once in a lifeĕme, they have a responsibility to teach. At those ĕmes, people should, to the degree that they can, place their emoĕons aside, and teach, while they’re experiencing, the events of their lives. Avrohom saw a once in a lifeĕme opportunity to teach a life lesson, despite his p ersonal l oss. The author can be contacted at s
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