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Todays Parsha #5: Chayei Sarah (Life of Sarah)

STUDY QUESTIONS FROM LAST WEEKS PORTION (Vayera)
1) Why does Abba YHWH seem to need to go down and look upon Sodom when
He already can perfectly see and understand what is going on there from His
position in heaven?
Because Abba YHWH ultimately will require two or more witnesses in the
Torah to condemn people to death (Deuteronomy 19:15), so the two angels
perform that function, but Abba YHWH initially goes down with them as the
third angel which counsels Abraham.
If the two angels disagreed with Him, they could have in theory prevented
Sodoms destruction. However, the other functionality of this process is to
give the Sodomites more time to repent.
2) There is one righteous element in the city of Sodom that has nothing to do with
Lot or his family. What is it?
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Then Yahweh said, 'The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great
and their sin is so grave, (Genesis 18:20 NJB)
If this is related to how Abels blood cried out from the ground in Genesis 4,
it seems to indicate that Sodoms victims, or their blood, have cried out
against the city to Abba YHWH.
3) If you know the answer to #2, where is this same righteous element repeated in
yet another wicked city?
(Rev 18:21) And a Messenger took up a stone like a great millstone and cast
it into the sea, saying: "So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with
violence, and will no more be found: (Rev 18:22) and the voice of harpers
and musicians and pipers and trumpeters will no more be heard in you;65
and no artificer of any trade will be found any more in you. (Rev 18:23) And
the light of a candle will not be seen in you;66 and the voice of a bridegroom
and bride will no more be heard in you: for your merchants were the great
men of the earth, because all nations were seduced by your sorceries. (Rev
18:24) And in her was found the blood of prophets and Set Apart believers,
and of all those that have been slain on the earth."
Obviously here Babylon is Rome.

4) How is one important future event predicted twice, first in last weeks parsha and
second in this one?
The answer is Passover, because last week Abraham got the vision of it
happening in Genesis 15 and in this parsha we have Lot performing a kind of
miniature seder. It is Lot who serves unleavened bread and whose family is
delivered out of a mass pestilence that kills the natives but preserves the
obedient in Lots family. You might even refer to these Messengers as
angels of death because that is ultimately what they deliver to Sodom.
5) There is a man who is mentioned in this parsha who may have become more
famous under another name. Who is he?
UTZ (22:21) = Some rabbis think this another name for Job, probably
because the same word is used to name the place Job was from. This is
Edomite territory in Saudi Arabia, where the prophet Job was from.
Another possibility is that this is the person for whom Uz was named after,
and Job then is born in this same land some time later.
1) Meaning of this weeks Torah portion and summary of contents:
Chayei Sarah means life of Sarah but ironically it begins with her death! The
full meaning actually is the Life of Sarah WAS. In the wake of her death,
Abraham must find an appropriate place to bury his wife. Ephron the Hittite first
offers some land to Abraham for free, but Abraham insists on paying (actually
OVERPAYING according to the rabbis) and signing a contract for the land to
avoid future strife. Chapter 24 then gives us the beautiful love story between Isaac
and Rebecca. It becomes clear that while Isaac himself gets relatively little
attention in Torah compared to his ancestors and descendants, he certainly did
very well in the marriage departmentRebecca is in a way his inheritance and
treasure. The portion ends with Abrahams death and a reunion at his funeral with
Isaac and Ishmael.
2) Parsha (English-Genesis 23:1-25:18). This week we will read the entire portion.
3) Play by Play commentary where appropriate.

Vayihyu chayey Sarah me'ah shanah ve'esrim shanah vesheva shanim

shney chayey Sarah.
Vatamot Sarah beKiryat Arebah hi Chevron be'erets Kena'an vayavo
Avraham lispod le-Sarah velivekotah.
Vayakom Avraham me'al peney meto vayedaber el-bney-Chet lemor.

4) Point out key Hebrew words/terms. Color Commentary:

VAYIHYU CHAYEH SARAH MEAH SHANAH VEESRIM SHANAH VESHEVA
SHANIM SHNEY CHAYEY SARAH (23:1) = And Sarah lived 127 years. These were
the years of Sarahs life.
Genesis 17:17 puts Sarah at 90 years old, 10 years younger than Abraham, at the time of
Isaacs birth. This means that 37 years had passed from the events in Genesis 17 until
Sarahs death (127-90 = 37). It is also 25 years into the 430 year prophecy Abraham had
at age 75.
During this 37 year period (Abraham is from 100-137 years old), Isaac is born, Ishmael is
driven away and Isaac is later nearly sacrificed on an altar by his father Abraham. With
this information, we can figure out precisely the years these things happened.
One of the ways we do this is to pay close attention to the details. In Genesis 17:17
Abraham is 99 years old, and talking about that IF Sarah gets pregnant in the near future,
he will be 100 and she will be 90 by the time Isaac is born. At that moment also Ishmael
is 13 years old, and will be 14 years old at that same time as well.
Then the events of Abrahams 99th year (again Sarah is 89, Ishmael is 13) are carried over
through Genesis 18, 19 and 20. It is in the opening of Genesis 21 that Sarah becomes
pregnantso in order for Isaac to be born at the start of the following year according to
Abba YHWHs prediction, no more than 3 months could have passed for these events, to
which we add of course 9 months for Sarahs pregnancy.
But Genesis 21 has time move much more quickly than the previous three chapters.
After Isaac is circumcised we get this key Hebrew phrase, and the child grew which
always indicates a period of some years. In this case, it is referring to the 5 years from
circumcision to weaning the child.
On the day of Isaacs weaning, Abraham holds a great feast that never happens again in
any part of the Scripture. Why is this weaning feast unique? I believe it is because
Isaacs weaning had to be tied to the 400/430 year prophecy Abraham got, and the 30
year difference is the difference between the 25 years from the vision to Isaacs birth,
plus the 5 more years to Isaac being weaned. This also dovetails with what we see later:
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'If it be from five years even to twenty years old then your valuation for the male
shall be twenty shekels and for the female ten shekels. 6 'But if they are from a
month even up to five years old, then your valuation shall be five shekels of silver
for the male, and for the female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.
(Leviticus 27:5-6 NAU)
These details of valuations are based on milestones in the childs life. For a male, that
first milestone is circumcision at 8 days old, but for both male and female children, the

official milestone is after 30 days, and from there, after they turn 5 years old, the latter
matching the time they were weaned.
Also note than in Genesis 21, Ishmael is only 14 when the chapter openstoo young to
take a wifebut he is married by chapters end AFTER Isaac is weaned. 18-19 years old
is about the right time for a young man to get married in this culture though women are
married a bit younger than this on occasion. Proof of this assertion is in the fact that a
recently married man is assumed to be of military age (20 years old) and that he is
exempted for year due to his marriage from service that would otherwise be required of
him at that time of his life (Deuteronomy 24:5). All these small: details point to the only
way the Scripture cannot be broken, harmonizing with weaning at age 5.
KIRYATH ARBA (23:2) = City of the Four. This was the original name for Hebron; see
Joshua 14:15, Judges 1:10. Also see Joshua 15:54, 20:7. The name Kiryath Arba literally
means 'City of the Four,' or 'City of Arba.' Some say that Arba was the father of a number
of giants who lived there (Joshua 15:13, 21:11), and according to this, Arba was the
greatest of the Anak-giants (Ibn Ezra here; Joshua 14:15, Rashi ad loc.). It also could
have been called 'City of the Four' because four giants lived there, Sheshai, Achiman,
Talmi, and their father (Rashi here; Numbers 13:22, Joshua 15:14, Judges 1:10. See
Artscroll commentary).
Another very interesting tradition (Yerushalmi, Shabbath 16:1) states the the greatest of
the Anak is in fact Abraham himself and links that identity through the reference in
Joshua 14:15. This brings up two very interesting possibilities: 1) Either Abraham
himself was a physical gianta fact that seems to never come up anywhere else in
Scripture or traditionor 2) giant is being used as a metaphor to talk about what a
great guy Abraham isi.e. he had huge virtue/righteousness.
If #2 is right, then perhaps it opens up the doors to other giants not being people of
great size but rather people of great strength, either physically or morally. The same can
be applied negatively to an evil person. Clearly though in other cases (Goliath) giant is
meant literally and the actual measurements are given. Even then however, it remains
possible that such true giants are so without being a different giant-race and without
being true Nephilim because all by 8 people perished in the Flood.
BNEY CHET (23:3) = the sons of Heth. These are traditionally identified with the Hittite
people. However, some secular historians think this is an anachronism in the text. This is
because the Classic Hittite civilization, depending on which Biblical chronology one
uses, often comes after Abrahams time. In Rabbinic chronology, Abrahams 100th year
of life would have coincided with 2,048th year after Adams creation, or about 1713 BCE.
(In my chronology this same moment happens 140 years earlier, in 1853 BCE.)
Depending on who you talk to the rabbinic chronology is either right at the beginning of
or prior to the rise of the Classic Hittites.

However, there was an earlier group of people who inhabited Hittite territory who were
known as the HATTI, and their origins go back much earlier, to earlier than 2000 BCE.
The man Abraham knows is called the father of the Hittites and may represent the time
one group transitioned into the other group, or Heth could be from a long line of Hatti
before the classic Hittite group arose. Either way the Scripture works with the wider
historical record, even if some details from the latter are lacking.
MACPHELAH (23:8) = Double cave, because it has two chambers.
Commentary on 23:15 from Bible.ort.org:
A shekel was a unit of weight, equal to 22.8 grams or 0.8 ounces. A silver shekel was
therefore a little smaller than a silver dollar, and worth around $1.00. Abraham therefore
paid 20 pounds of silver, or about $400 for the cave. Considering land values at the time,
this was highly excessive. Thus, for example, King Omri paid only 6000 shekels for the
entire territory of Samaria (1 Kings 16:25), and Jeremiah paid only 17 shekels for a
property that was at least as large as Makhpelah Field (Jeremiah 32:9). For comparison,
according to the Hammurabi Code of that time, a year's wage for a working man was
between six and eight shekels.
SHMAENU ADONI NESI ELOHIM ATAH BETOCHENU (23:6) = Listen, my Master,
since you are a prince of Elohim in our midst. This may indicate that these Hittites also
worship, or at least are aware of, the power of Abrahams Elohim. Haran, where
Abraham had settled after leaving Ur, was in upper Mesopotamia and was on the road in
the direction of the Hittite areas of Turkey. It is possible that Abrahams faith influenced
these people earlier to perhaps abandon their paganism. It is also worth noting that this
same areaArmeniais where Noahs ark landed after the flood. So these people could
also be remembering monotheism by their ancestors who lived during the time of Noah.
SHAR IRO (23:10) = the city gate. Abraham is publicly negotiating with Ephron in front
of many people at the main gate. Ephron, as a Hittite, is originally from the northern part
of Mesopotamia which, as we talked about before, is also where I believe Abraham was
from, northern Ur, which is also fairly near Haran and main Hittite territory.
Interestingly enough, there is archaeology to back up this account in Genesis. Not only
do the Mari Tablets record the names of Abrahams family group migrating out of Ur
along with others from the city of Mari, but the Nuzi Tablets accurately record many
particular customs to the people from this region. One of these customs is to never do a
land deal in private: You must negotiate at the city gate in front of witnesses, just like
Abraham and Ephron! 23:16 also confirms this custom as Abraham weighed out the
shekels for the price that had been mentioned in front of the sons of Heth.
LEPHRON (lacking a VAV) 23:16 = TO EPHRON. Commentary from Stone, p. 109:

( To Ephron): Throughout this chapter, Ephrons name is spelled with a VAV, but
here, where money changed hands and the sale was consummated, the VAV is omitted.
Thereby Torah implies that his stature was diminishedhe started out by making

grandiose offers of a gift but then revealed himself as a greedy man who extorted far
more than the land was worth. King Omri in 1 Kings 16:25, paid 6,000 shekels for the
entire area of Samaria and Jeremiah paid only 17 shekels for an area larger than
Machpelah many centuries later (Jeremiah 32:9). Considering that these land deals were
many centuries later, 400 shekels is extremely overpriced for that cave.
My commentary: On the other hand, it is possible that Ephron himself is referenced with
being named after a particular mountain just 6 miles away from Jerusalem. If so, it would
seem then that Ephron was worthy of remembrance by his own people perhaps, but the
Torah, even if doing it with great subtlety, is clearly not his biggest fan.
VECHOL HA-ETZ (23:17) = and all the trees. According to Josephus, even two
thousand years later, one of those trees was still standing in his day in the 1st century CE:
Thus did Simon unexpectedly march into Idumea, without bloodshed, and
made a sudden attack upon the city of Hebron, and took it; wherein he got
possession of a great deal of prey, and plundered it of a vast quantity of fruit.
Now, the people of the country say that it is a more ancient city, not only than any
in that country, but more than Memphis in Egypt [Memphis was established
around 3100 BCEAGR], and accordingly its age is reckoned at two thousand
and three hundred years.
They also relate that it had been the habitation of Abram, the progenitor of
the Jews, after he had left Mesopotamia; and they say that his posterity
descended from there into Egypt, whose monuments are to this very time showed
in that small city; the material of the monuments are of the most excellent marble,
and wrought after the most elegant manner.
There is also there showed, at the distance of three-quarters of a mile from
the city, a very large turpentine tree and the report goes, that this tree has
continued ever since the creation of the world. (Josephus, Wars 4:529-533)
EL AVDO ZEKAN (24:2) = The elder servant. This is probably Eliezar who would have
inherited Abrahams estate were it not for Isaac being born. It is interesting how often
this servant prays and asks El for help during this chapter alone and Eliezars name
means El is my help.
TACHAT YERECHI (24:2) = under my thigh. This is emblematic of a sacred oath, such
as Jacob getting his thigh touched by Abba YHWH. TACHAT is not just under but
means under this authority indicating a binding covenant vouchsafed by the thigh.
Genesis 46:26 and Exodus 1:5 employ the idiom thigh of my father which links to
being begat by ones father. The thigh is therefore a symbol of reproduction for a male.
ARAM NAHARAYIM (24:10) = Aram of the rivers, because it is between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers.

NACHOR (24:10) = As in the city of Nachor, perhaps named after Abrahams brother
who lived in this area (Genesis 11:27,31).
LEET EREV LEET TSET HASHOAVOT (24:11) = It was evening when the women
come to draw water. This is a very helpful clue in understanding the time clues in the
Gospel of John (4:6). In that case, the evening was the 6th hour, on what I call Roman
daylight time. The Roman system ran on 2 12 hour cycles, one from midnight to noon
and the other from noon to midnight. When Yshua arrives at the Samaritan well after
being exhausted from a day of walking, that was 6 hour from noon time that day. The
Samaritan woman is drawing water from the well at that same time, when the
temperatures were cooler.
NEZEM (24:22) = golden ring. The word also can denote a nose ring or an earring
(Genesis 35:4). Matara (my Tanakh project) footnote: [1]Took a golden ring. Aramaic
word here in Onkelos and Jonathan is qadasha, and this has often been confused for the
word for holy. In the Aramaic Renewed Covenant, Yshua uses this word in Matthew
7:6 to say do not hang earrings on dogs as opposed to the more awkward do not give
holy things to dogs as is understood in the Greek. In that case, as commented on in the
AENT, the idea makes sense that animals (dogs and pigs) should not be given precious
jewelry that they cannot appreciate, the jewelry itself being symbolic of the truth. The
word can also mean amulet or ornament.
BEKA (24:22) = half a shekel, the same amount for the Atonement Temple tax and that
Yshua paid in Matthew 17:24-27.
24:33-36: And there was set (Jonathan Targum and Samaritan Pentateuch: poisoned)
food before him to eat. But he said, I will not eat, until I have told you of my errand. And
he said, Speak on. And he said, I am Abraham's servant. Therefore YHWH has blessed
my master greatly, and he is become great and has been given flocks and herds, and silver
and gold, and men-servants and maid-servants, and camels and donkeys.
ALAH (24:41) = dread oath. ALAH actually means both oath and curse. In this
case, it means BOTH because if the OATH is broken a CURSE will result, hence the
term dread oath. This form of oath is to be contrasted with the SHEVUA oath
mentioned in Genesis 21:28. The SHEVUA oath is considered just as binding but it does
not directly release a curse as ALAH dies if one fails to keep it. Still, it is considered a
great sin to break any oath of any kind and a person who does this can be called into
account on a related basis (e.g. lying before Abba YHWH or men).
LO NUCHAL DABER ELEYCHA RA O TOV (24:50) = [1]With the phrase bad or
good the Rabbis posit also that Laban recognizes Abba YHWHs great power in
selecting his sister for Isaac, so even though Laban doesnt worship YHWH, he does fear
Him enough to not stand in His way. [Stone Chumash, p. 117]

TESHEV HANAARAH ITANU O ASOR (24:55) = let the girl remain [some] days
[perhaps] ten. This is very archaic Hebrew here, as there is no descriptor for exactly how
many days Rebeccas mother is asking for. Some authorities even take the phrase to
mean let her stay a year and ten monthswhich I feel totally is unwarranted given the
context. Instead, I believe the archaic form of the Hebrew in simply implying a few,
severalmeaning less than ten daysand then the mother ups the proverbial ante by
increasing the request to ten days. Hence it seems most probable that the first request is
asking for a few days only.
VAYASHALECHU ET RIVKA ACHOTAM (24:59) = and sent away Rivka and her
servant. This servant was probably her nurse Deborah (Genesis 35:8).
VEYITZKHAK BA MIBO BEER LAHAY ROI (24:62) = and Isaac was on his way
coming to Beer Laharoi. Some rabbis think this was to visit Hagar. Footnote from
Matara: [1]Jonathan Targum: And Isaac came from the school of Rabba Shem, by the
fountain where the Living and Eternal One had been revealed to him, who sees and is not
seen, and he lived in the land of the South. Jerusalem Targum is identical except for
substituting with where had been revealed to him the Shekinah of YHWH.
KETURAH (25:1) = [1] Jonathan: who is Hagar who has been bound. Keturah is a
name derived from keter (to be bound) which the Targumist is interpreting as a title
rather than a name for Hagar. Since Hagar was a servant before, this makes perfect sense.
Also KETER can mean crown. I however maintain that Hagar and Keturah are two
different women. This is, in all likelihood, a rabbinic attempt to lessen the gravity of
Abrahams sin with Hagar by marrying her after Sarah died. However, the text at the
time of the event makes it clear Abraham took her to wife the first time.
MEDAN (25:2) = Medan. Some identify this falsely as being linked to the Medean
Persians, or modern day Iran. However, all the locations given in this part of the Torah
are located in Saudi Arabia. In this case, MEDAN is most likely MEDINA today, the
second most important city in Islam.
SHUACH (25:2) = Shuach. The place name SHUACH is also identified with Saudi
Arabia and with Bildad, a friend of Job who was from that same place. There is an
ancient western Arabian city called SACHIAH in Ptolemys Geography that many
scholars believe is the biblical SHUACH.
On the other hand, it is by no means certain that Job himself is from Saudi Arabia, as he
seems in other scriptures to be tied strongly to Edomite territory south of the Dead Sea.
EL ERETZ QEDEM (25:6) = country to the east. Probably Saudi Arabia, confirmed by
Josephus (Antiquities 1.15.1). On the other hand Arabia according to almost all ancient
geographers, can include the Sinai Peninsula and not just Saudi Arabia proper.
VAYEHASEF EL-AMAV (25:8) = and he was gathered to his people. Not just buried
but an idiom that he will be immortalized as righteous among his people. The righteous

get to be remembered as a group and this is reflected in several ancient prayers,

especially memorial/mourning prayers where deceased men and women are linked with
righteous men and women from the past.
BEER LACHAI ROI (25:11) = The same place Hagar had passed by earlier (Genesis
16:14) is also likely where she and Ishmael settled later, according to tradition. Therefore
it seems Isaac had settled in this region perhaps to be near Hagar and his half-brother.

Torah Question of the Week:

How does Genesis 24:15-16 help prove the rabbis wrong and (to some extent) the
Christians right about Yeshayahu 7:14?
END PART 1

PART 2: THE HAFTORAH

Torah Question of the Week:
How does Genesis 24:15-16 help prove the rabbis wrong and (to some extent) the
Christians right about Yeshayahu 7:14?
NAARABEYTULA (24:15-16) = maidenvirgin. This usage brings us squarely into
the debate about a virgin birth in in Isaiah 7:14. The rabbis there use a word for maiden
as if to suggest she was not a virgin being prophesied to give birth to a son who is
Messiah. Christians counter that there is nothing miraculous about a young woman
conceiving and giving birth to a son with a common Hebrew name, making the maiden
meaning less likely in their eyes which a virgin birth is a miraculous sign. This verse
shows that the cultural assumption is that a maiden is in fact a virginespecially
when unmarriedunless the text specifically says otherwise.
Bonus Teaching 1!
The Sweet 16 Golden Statements of the Hebrew Roots Faith
Explanation: Some years ago I was talking with a friend about how he was on a radio
show that asked him tough theological questions. He told me was proud of the fact that
he could answer a question on Godhead or as we say Yah-headthey called it
Trinityin under ten minutes. I turned and looked at my friend and said, Under ten
minutes? Why not under ten seconds? He looked at me like I was crazy and basically
dared me to do just that. It was then that I uttered this phrase for the first time: One tree,
three branches of the same tree (Father, Son, Ruach ha Kodesh), not three separate trees.
If you have more than one divine tree, you have an idola-tree! I looked up and said,
Hows that? My friend had timed me and said, You still had 4 seconds to goyou
should have done the radio show Andrew!
So that quick phrase became what I called my first Golden Statement, or a quick but
deep distillation of critical Scriptural principles. Over the years since then, I found many
more such Golden Statements and wanted to arrange them here about what we try to do
in this faith walk. Here they are:
1) The Torah is not Jewish instruction or Jewish tradition. It is Father Yahs
instructions for all mankind, or all humanity would not have been judged in the
flood and Jonah would never have gone to Nineveh.
2) There were no Hebrews before Abraham, no Israelites before Jacob and no Jews
before Judah. Therefore, 19 generations of humans were simply the elect of
Elohim, following His Torah.
3) Abraham was born a Gentile but became a Hebrew. To be Hebrew means to
cross over from ignorance to obedience. Abraham crossed over both physically
he keeps moving placesand spiritually. He is the first born Gentile to literally
Come out of Babylon and cross over into Torah observance. That is why he

10

keeps coming up in the NT, and you cant use the example of a man who got
circumcised at 99 years of age as proof that circumcision is no longer required.
4) We have always been under grace and never under the law. Ritual never saved
anyone since the Torah is not a magic spell. But following His instructions brings
obedience and obedience brings salvation and blessings.
5) If its in the Bible, it cannot be discounted as Jewish tradition. If its not in the
Bible it cannot be accepted as Christian tradition on par with Scripture. If Father
Yah didnt spare the natural branches, He wont spare the ones grafted in either.
6) I dont follow a single Jewish feast in Tanakh. I follow the eternally mandated
Feasts of YHWH. They are His feasts, not for the Jews alone, as a mixed
multitude came out of Egypt and Abrahams generations bless the world.
7) The Church never replaced Israel but merely became part of the Israel of Elohim
through following Father Yahs Mashiyach Yshua. Physical Israel also has the
opportunity to become part of the Israel of Elohim by following Messiahs model
of Torah observance. But in both cases remember: Father Yah is no respecter of
persons.
8) Grace is all about what Father Yah can do for you. Righteousness is what you will
do for Him in return. Holiness is what is imparted to you after you accept His
generous offer.
9) Yshua never came to do away with Torah, but to (in part) remove the
impediments of man-made tradition (Oral Torah) so they could return to doing the
Written Torah of Moshe that is perfect, converting the soul.
10) Matthew 5:17-19 was never about losing atonement but about gaining rank in the
Kingdom of Elohim. But those who break the least of the Commandments get in
the Kingdom but are least in the Kingdom.
11) The problem with Matthew 5:19 wasnt that the standard of righteousness of the
Pharisees was too high but that it was too low, for Yshua said, Moshe gave you
the Torah but not one man among you keeps it (John 7:19). That is why if we
cant even meet that low standard we will surely not get into the Kingdom.
12) I will never force anyone to do Torah, but I will proclaim from the rooftops the
wonderful news that you get to do Torah. You are allowed the high honor and
privilege of doing Father Yahs will through the eternal written revelation He left
us and His Son literally died to have us keep!
13) Yshua never nailed the Torah to the cross, but only the certificate of our debts
and sins (Ephesians 2:15-16). This is the second witness, written in heaven that
could condemn us per Deuteronomy 19:15 but will not condemn us now because
Yshua took the penalty out of the way.
14) If you go 20 miles an hour over the speed limit and dont get a ticket it doesnt
mean there wasnt a law against speeding on the books. Law remains but
sometimes punishment is lessened, deferred or totally forgiven.
15) Grace is when you are guilty of a crime but punishment is not meted out against
you. License is when what was wrong then is somehow not wrong now. Since
Father Yah never changes His mind, it is best not to confuse one for the other.
Grace is amazing, but the Torah remains as long as heaven and earth are still here.

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16) If you have recently come out of the church or are in the church and what I say
makes sense but you wonder how to do it allwonderful! Thats what I am here
for. Each of us gets teachers that fit with our needs.
Bonus Teaching 2!
Isaac and Ishmael: The Summit that Failed
Isaac is a patriarch that I personally find fascinating. As we will see next week, I call
Isaac the Quiet Patriarch because relatively speaking, when compared with Abraham
and Jacob, there doesnt seem to be a lot going on. But I also think, again anticipating
our discussion next week, that said quietness is by design and evidence of a righteous
heart and deliberate planning from a brilliant mind that thinks things through in the long
term. Isaac is, in his own way, an unheralded genius.
Right now though what I would like to focus on is Isaac the behind-the-scenes leader. He
doesnt need a lot, but he surely earns what he has. Take his wife Rebeccahis ONE
wife Rebeccawho is more than enough for him. He loves her from the moment he lays
eyes on her to the moment she dies. This is his soul mateperiod and end of story. How
many of us can say that?
But Isaac also is clearly different than his father Abraham. Whereas Abraham regretfully
sent Ishmael away and seems to have moved on from that point with little consideration
for that part of the family afterwards, Isaac stands apart as a man and leader who wants to
check in on his step-mom and half-brother. The text is also as seemingly quiet about
the low key way it mentions these facts. Isaac settles in Gerar or he lives in Beer ha
Laroi but never Isaac was checking in on the abandoned part of his family in the
regions of Gerar and Beer ha Laroi. Maybe thats because Isaac wanted it that way
perhaps.
Isaac is in fact so subtle that we have determine his deeds not from the direct references
of them, but the effect those deeds had on other events in Genesis. Again, the Torah
doesnt trumpet this, but maybe it should. Isaac could have settled anywherebut chose
this particular region because he had a long-term agendaone of reconcilement I
believeand this was step 1 in carrying that agenda out.
One need only look at Ishmael to see the effects of Isaacs planning. After all, the Torah
is quite vocal about Ishmael being a wild ass of a man who fights with his brothers
but for whatever reason, it never says he fought specifically with Isaac! Isnt that
interesting?
But then, Ishmael becomes an archer and marries a pagan Egyptian woman, which would
further separate him from his Abrahamic ties and put him more in the direction of his
mothers ancestry. Isaac, for his part, could have written Ishmael off for that very
reasonbut he didnt. Instead, he seems to have just set up his tents next door to Hagar
and Ishmael and waited.

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It is, if I am reading between the lines correctly, a brilliant strategy. Isaac probably
knows that Hagar and Ishmael have ongoing resentments against his parents, Abraham
and Sarah. Rather than try to go around his parents wishes however, Isaac simply
waits for them to die and then he conveniently makes himself available for his estranged
relations to see if they will contact him.
When Abraham then at last dies at age 175and this is 33 years after his mother Sarah
diednext thing we know this happens:
7

These are all the years of Abraham's life that he lived, one hundred and seventy-five
years. 8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied
with life; and he was gathered to his people. 9 Then his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried
him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite,
facing Mamre, 10 the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth; there
Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife. 11 It came about after the death of Abraham,
that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac lived by Beer-lahai-roi. (Genesis 25:7-11
NAU)
So after Isaac gets his brother Ishmael to help him bury their father, Isaac is blessed by
Abba YHWH and (coincidentally?) the first thing Isaac does is relocate to where Ishmael
is. In this light, the intent seems clear: Isaac had just re-connected with his brother after
many years and he wants to be accessible to him moving forward. Good move for Isaac!
But, as good as Isaacs intentions were, we also know that he failed, but not for lack of
trying on his part. Ishmael, for whatever reason, did not reciprocate the olive branch
given to him by his brother.
Now some of you out there may say Of course, for such was prophesied but that sort of
misses the point. It may have been predicted, but Isaac still acted as if there was a chance
to change history for the better. He didnt throw up his hands in disgust, nor does he
appear to have expressed frustration when his efforts ultimately proved fruitless. For
Isaac, I believe, it was enough that he made the effort and did his best. Its a powerful
lesson, but also a very quiet one.
1) Haftorah portion: (English- 1 Kings 1:1-31) and discuss common themes with the
Torah portion. Read entire portion first.

Vehamelech David zaken ba bayamim vayechasuhu babegadim velo

yicham lo.
Vayomeru lo avadav yevakshu l'adoni hamelech na'arah vetulah
ve'amdah lifney hamelech utehi-lo sochenet veshachvah vecheykecha
vecham l'adoni hamelech.

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Vayevakshu na'arah yafah bechol gevul Yisra'el vayimtse'u etAvishag haShunamit vayavi'u otah lamelech.
2) Our linguistic commentary
NAARAHBEYTULA (1:2) = maidenvirgin. The same linkage we discussed
with respect to Rebecca as both almah and virgin applies here.
ABISHAG (1:3) = The woman who comforts David has a name that means My
father is a wanderer. Perhaps this may refer to latter years of Davids life where he
feels isolated because of the sin he committed against Uriah the Hittite. BTW
Uriah means My light is Yahwehnot a good choice for David to kill!
VEHAMALECH LO YEDAAH (1:4) = but the king did not know (have sexual
relations) with her.
VADONYA VEN CHAGIT (1:5) = and Adonijah son of Chagit. The names come
together to mean My Master is Yah (who is) joyous. Chagit is where we get
chag (feast/festival).
YOABAVYATHAR (1:7) = JoabAbiathar. The names mean together Yah is
Father (Joab) the Father is a Great One (Abiathar)!
ZADOKBENAIAHYEHOIDA (1:8) = These names spell out: Righteousness
(Zadok) Yahweh has built up (Benaiah) [and] Yahweh knows (Yehoida)!
EVEN HA ZOCHELET (1:9) = The stone of Saturn! I was surprised toohere is
what Brown Driver Briggs said: 2594 [ 2595] (Hebrew) (page 267) (Strong 2120)

n.f. mng. dub.; perh. crawling thing, serpent (We:Skizzen iii. 171 cites Ar. Zuhal =
Saturn, in connex. with 1 K 1:9; cf. Lane & Wetzst in De:Hiob 2, 428 on view that Zuhal = he
who withdraws, because of planet Saturn's remoteness)only c. art., in design. loc.

1 K 1:9

(cf.

ad fin.)

3) Renewed Covenant portion: (English). Matthew 8:19-22 and Luke 9:37-62 (all the
way through with applicable footnotes.)
Matthew 8:22
100) George Lamsa suggested this could mean, "let the town bury their dead." In
Jewish culture immediate family members observe a seven day bereavement called
"shivah" (seven), right after the burial. This extends into a less intense duration
called shloshim (thirty) where the mourner begins to return back into society.
Additionally, there is a 12 month period (that includes shloshim) in which to return to
one's regular routine. The 12 month period comes from an ancient Jewish custom

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where at the end of 12 months the bones are "gathered together" and placed into a
stone vault along with those of ancestors (1Ki_13:31). Y'shua says, "leave the dead
to bury their dead" because the importance of attendance is now diminished. This
does not refer to burial or sitting shivah. Mashiyach is not asking his disciple to
dishonor his father or mother by not allowing him to attend the burial. "Honor your
father and mother..." (Exo_20:12).
Luke 9:41
63) Or, "O tribe/family of mine!"
64) The root of this word, sebar, also means Hope/Good News. Y'shua's point, using
this same word, is that until people know the Hope/Good News, he must "endure"
seeing them suffer needlessly and in ignorance.
Luke 9:49
65) Khabouris has shaida whereas 1905 and other Peshitta manuscripts have dewa.
This proves both words have interchangeable meanings in the same contextual place,
that of "demon" or "unclean spirit." This reading in the ancient record affirms the
literal rendering and denies the assertion by a few modern commentators like Lamsa
that one of these terms could refer to insane humans not under demonic influence.
Luke 9:54
66) Y'shua's talmidim take their lead from Eliyahu who defied the priests of Baal by
invoking and declaring the sovereign Name of YHWH; see 2Ki_1:9-16.
Luke 9:60
67) Some scholars postulate that "let the dead bury their dead" shouldn't be taken
literally but is better understood as, "let me take care of my father until he dies."
However, a key is in the next line where Y'shua responds: "but you go and proclaim
the Kingdom of Elohim." Therefore Y'shua's statement "let the dead bury their dead",
helps the man realize the supreme importance of the Kingdom. In the meantime the
man would be proclaiming the Kingdom, and perhaps like some other "Sent Out
ones" of Y'shua, even he may have been raising the dead! In the next chapter
(Luk_10:2) Y'shua appointed 70 and sent them out "to all regions and cities that he
was about to go." A second key is the urgency in which the man is making his
request, with a promise to return and follow at a later date. Y'shua's disciples had just
left a "village of the Samaritans" where they were getting ready to call down fire upon
it. They just came from a major trial and were on the road to their next destination
when they met the man and there was tension in the air. What might happen in the
next village? In Luk_9:61 another said, "let me go and reassure my household and I
will come." All these things happened in the context of returning "to Urishlim"
(Luk_9:51), perhaps some were even pondering about trouble ahead with the

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religious establishment in Jerusalem? Perhaps some were simply thinking of creative

ways to bypass what they imagined to be a looming disaster? The reality was that
those who agreed and said "hineni" (here I am) and went out in Y'shua's name
returned to him with "great joy" (Luk_10:17). (See also Mat_8:22 footnote.)
4) Highlight common themes in Aramaic (terms in footnotes which I will read):
5) Apply these themes/issues to modern issues in the Netzari faith. (The Gospel
accounts of spiritual warfare may seem quaint to some moderns. Aramaicist George
Lamsa, for example, typically translated Aramaic words that clearly meant demons
or devils into lunatics because he didnt literally believe in the existence of
demons. That was one of the first reasons I was inspired to do the AENT. In any case,
I am here to tell you that spiritual warfare is VERY REAL and it is not something
that is simply folklore passed down from pre-scientific generations. It was
something, for example, that was very evident in my trip to Israel, as the Enemy came
against each and every one of our party to frustrate our goals. HaSatan nearly
succeeded, but we fought back and got the victory anyway, Baruch Hashem YHWH!)
Bonus Teaching 3: Its About Time
By its about time I mean of course about Biblical time. There are many possible levels
of codes in Scripture. Some are linked to historical events, others to Hebrew linguistics,
still others to math and even in some cases, to sounds and frequencies, colors and so on.
But I believe another important area to investigate is the area of time.
When I completed my own Biblical chronology, I noticed something very intriguing that
I believe is not accidental: From the year of Adams creation all the way to the death of
Yochanan the last witness was exactly 4,000 years! That is to say, by my calculations
Adam was created in 3901 BCE and Yochanan most likely died very close to 100 CE
4,000 years exactly. And for me, 4,000 was an extremely important number, as it is the
product of the two generational lengths given in Scripture: 40 (Numbers 32:13) x 100
(Genesis 15:13-16), both of which are expressed by the same exact Hebrew word of dor.
In my Scripture math studies, rather than taking a strict Hebrew letter/gematria approach,
I look at the numbers themselves apart from Hebrew words, and see if these numbers
adhere to a consistent pattern throughout the entirety of Scripture. If it does (7 for
perfection/rest, 40 for restoration, etc.) then I think of these as exalted numbers, or
numbers that are directly encoded/exalted by Abba YHWH to give us a pattern or
message. It is also important to note I dont attempt to use these patterns to foretell the
future; their sole purpose is to confirm and deepen the messages in Scripture. (The
Biblical seers like Daniel, Ezekiel and Yochanan bar Zawdee do have prophetic math that
came from Abba YHWH, but thats a different matter than for me to proclaim my own
system.)
But since we already talked about counting from 1 to 10 in Scripture math last week or
so, I am not revisiting that here. Instead, what I wanted to look at was how Scripture

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divides its historical-chronological time into ages, centuries and so on, because this to me
yields other significant Scriptural messages, and again, that is all I use these patterns for.
For example, going with Adams creation year in 3901 BCE and counting time forward
in Hebrew intervals, we find Joseph died in 1591 BCE, about 2,310 years later. If we then
look at the times Scripture gives us for when Adam had Seth, we know thats 130 years
later, so Abel and Cain are born before this time simply by taking the text literally.
6As a result, counting a full century for Seth doesnt throw things off much at all, as he is
still 105 when he has Enosh. Its also fair to point out that Noah doesnt have any
children until age 500, so this naming of centuries after the people is not literal in the
sense that it is not meant to line up with births per se at all.
And so I think of the 23 centuries in Genesis this way
1) Adam (3901-3801)
2) Seth (3801-3701)
3) Enosh (3701-3601)
4) Kenan (3601-3501)
5) Mahalalel (3501-3401)
6) Jared (3401-3301)
7) Enoch (3301-3201)
8) Methusaleh (3201-3101)
9) Lamech (3101-3001)
10) Noah (3001-2901)
11) Shem (2901-2801)
12) Arphacsad (2801-2701)
13) Shelah (2701-2601)
14) Eber (2601-2501)
15) Peleg (2501-2401)
16) Reu (2401-2301)
17) Serug (2301-2201)
18) Nahor (2201-2101)
19) Terah (2101-2001)
20) Abraham (2001-1901Abraham born 1952 BCE)
21) Isaac (1901-1801)
22) Jacob (1801-1701)
23) Joseph (1701-1601Joseph born exactly 1701 and dies 1591 BCE)
Notice how it catches up and gives us very good estimated times for Nahor on
forwards. From here, we resume the count on the Levitical side, starting from Amram,
Aaron and Moshes father. But because Moshes lie dies out within a few generations, we
turn not to lineal descent, but those who took over the mantle of leadership of Israel from
Moshe, starting with Joshua.
24) Amram/Bondage generation (1601-1501Moshe born 1527 BCE)
25) Moshe (1501-1401Exodus 1447 BCE, Moshes death 1406 BCE)

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26) Joshua (1401-1301Joshua takes over 1406 and dies 1356 BCE)
27) Deborah (1301-1201Deborah is ruling 1308-1288 BCE)
28) Gideon (1201-1101Gideon actually ends his rule in 1201, began 1241 BCE)
29) Samuel (1101-1001Samuel is born very near 1100 BCE and is a priestly judge by
1076 BCE. He dies about 15 years into Sauls reign, ca. 1036 BCE)
30) David/United Monarchy (1001-901David becomes king 1011 BCE, conquers
Jerusalem 1003 BCE and dies 971 BCE. This generation includes 40 years of
Solomon and 5 years of Rehoboam (926 BCE), before the kingdom splits, at which
point the leadership falls to prophets.)
31) Eliyahu (901-801Eliyahu is persecuted by Ahab and Jezebel who ruled from 874 to
853 BCE and therefore he was alive in 901 BCE and is clearly the most important
righteous person in this century.)
32) Amos (801-701the first prophet to write his own full book named after himself,
Amos career is during the days of Uzziah, 792-739 BCE.)
33) Yeshayahu (701-601Isaiah is in the middle of his career in 701 BCE when he prays
and gets restoration and victory for the ailing King Hezekiah, who sort of deserves a
kind of honorable mention as co-righteous leader.)
34) Ezekiel (601-501Ezekiels career begins 592 BCE, and it should also be noted that
both Jeremiah and Daniel are also active around this same period.)
35) Ezra (501-401Ezra was in Babylon when the decree was issued to rebuild the
Temple in 457 BCE, and this is also the start of Daniels 70 weeks prophetic clock,
ending in 27 CE (69 x7 = 483 years) when Yshua proclaims himself publicly as
Messiah and dies a half week3 years later.)
36) Malachi (401-301Malachi, the last Tanakh prophet, was most likely in active
prophetic office around 430 BCE and is believed to have died shortly after 400 BCE.)
37) Shimon the Righteous I (301-201a great High Priest and Sanhedrin/Great
Assembly leader, ca. 300-273 BCE. It may be under his rule, or shortly after his
death, that the decision was made to ban the pronunciation of the Name of Yahweh. )
38) Yehudah the Hammer/Maccabee (201-101Date of birth is uncertain, but certainly
around 200 BCE. It was Judah Maccabee who successfully led a revolt against the
Greek-Syrian army and freed the Temple from pagan pollution in around 165 BCE.
He died in 160 BCE, but his family continued to rule as the last Jewish independent
kings for about another century.)
39) King Alexander Yannai/Yonatan (101-01 BCEGreat Hasmonean king, whose
original Hebrew name was probably Yonatan (Jonathan) but shortened to Yannai in
Jewish tradition. King Alexander-Yonatan reigned from 103 to 76 BCE, the Talmud
does not like him at all because of his famous support for the Sadducees at one
Sukkot. The story goes that instead of doing the Pharisaic water libation on Shemini
Etzeret (something Yshua alludes to in Yochanans Gospel), he poured the water on
the ground. This was taken to mean he distrusted the Pharisees, so when they gained
ascendancy and defeated their rivals in 10 BCE, they painted Alexander as a bad guy,
but the truth is King Alexander did more than any other Hasmonean to secure the
borders of Israel by remaining in active combat his entire reign. It is also the case that
while he may have leaned towards the Sadducees, his primary concerns as king were
political and military, not religious.)

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40) Yshua HaMashiyach (01 BCE-Infinity. Born Friday evening, Tishri 14/September
13th, 5 BCE, our Savior represents both the last Biblical century which ends with his
disciple Yochanan Bar Zawdee dying in 100 CE as well as the eternality of the
Kingdom of Yahweh, opening the path to our salvation and eternal life!)
So the entirety of Biblical history fits very neatly into these 40 centuries I have listed
here, and remember, 40 is the number of restoration, so from Adams fall to Yshuas
advent is the time when our restoration came for us!
However, there is a deeper message than that when we order this timing another way, this
time based on milestones that are attached to important Biblical figures. Technically
speaking, two great ages count outside of historical reckoning: Pre-Creation and
Creation Week. Those eras I refer to as Deep Time and they are outside of the scope of
this discussion.
Instead, historical time begins with Adams creation in 3901 BCE, and the Great Eras
seem to naturally fall into place this way, at least in my mind:
Early Adamic, from Adams creation to just before the Flood (3901-2245 BCE)
Later Adamic, from the Flood to the birth of Abraham (2245-1952 BCE)
Abrahamic, from Abrahams birth of Moshe (1952-1527 BCE)
Mosaic, from the birth of Moshe to the birth of David (1527-1041 BCE)
Davidic, from the birth of David to the destruction of Solomons Temple (1041-586
BCE)
6) Post Exilic, from the destruction of Solomons Temple to the birth of Yshua
HaMashiyach (586-5 BCE)
7) Messianic (5 BCE-Infinity, including Yshuas Second Coming and subsequent rule in
the New Heavens and the New Earth!)
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Please note this has nothing to do with the false teachings of Dispensationalismthere is
no such thing as separating Ages of Law and GraceAbba YHWH has always had the
obedient from Adam on forwards under grace while the Torahs job was to establish the
eternal boundaries of righteous and wicked behavior.
Having said that, I also believe the easy breakdown into 7 ages is no accident, since the
Shabbat number is also the number for perfection and rest!
But what is of particular interest to me are these two overriding numbers of 40 and 7. Just
as we saw that multiplying the two generational numbers of 40 and 100 yielded the exact
number of years for the entire Biblical period, so too I believe multiplying 40 times 7
brings a significant mathematical message in three beautiful ways.
First, 40 (restoration) x 7 (perfection) speaks to the perfect restoration of the human race,
or the turning back of the original sin of Adam to the redemption of Yshua, the Second
and Last Adam.

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And second, 40 x 7 = 280 days, which is the average time it takes for a woman to
complete her pregnancy from conception to delivery. As a result, 40 weeks is the
numerical symbol for new birth, and that new birth, as we just saw above, is also our
perfect restoration!
Third and finally, 280 days is 28 x 10, with 10 being the number for witnessing (plagues,
commandments, trials in the wilderness, and so on). But what is 10 witnessing to? I
believe the answer is the 28th Jubilee, with the Yovel cycle starting 92 years after Exodus,
in 1356 BCE. Counting in 50 year increments from that moment means any BCE year
ending in -56 or -06 is Abba YHWHs intended Yovel, regardless as to whether man
recognized it or not, and there is powerful evidence they did not. So lets look at the list
of the restored Jubilees!
BCE Jubilees
1) 1356, 2) 1306, 3) 1256, 4) 1206, 5) 1156, 6) 1106, 7) 1056, 8) 1006, 9) 956,
10) 906, 11) 856, 12) 806, 13) 756, 14) 706, 15) 656, 16) 606, 17) 556, 18) 506
19) 456, 20) 406, 21) 356, 22) 306, 23) 256, 24) 206, 25) 156, 26) 106, 27) 56
28) 6 BCEYshua is born 1 year after the 28th cycle completes, a new year 1, in
5 BCE!
If that isnt the Torah and Gospel in the math, I dont know what is! Think about it!
6) Relate to all or part of an Appendix portion of AENT or footnotes from a portion
(Spiritual Armor, p. 957-962).
STUDY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED NEXT WEEK
1) There is something very particular about Abrahams personal life that he only
shares with one other person (as far as I know) in Tanakh. What is that personal
detail and who is the other person Abraham shares it with?
2) If you know the answer to #1, how does this detail get developed in the teaching
of the Apostle Paul?
3) Why did Abraham insist on getting a wife for his son Isaac from his original
country of Ur rather than the Promised Land of Canaan? Wouldnt Abba YHWH
want Abraham to put down roots in the land that was go to his descendants
forever?
4) Laban does something in this parsha that has very likely been condemned by his
descendants for thousands of years since, right up until the present day. What is
it?
5) What does this Haftorah portion teach us about David and Bathsheba in their
twilight years?

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Torah Thought for the Week:

What Todays CEOs and Bankers Could Learn from Abraham
We usually think of Abraham as a great prophet, a man of Elohim and as a man of
righteousnesssurely all these things are truebut Abraham the Entrepreneur?
Abraham the CEO?
Yes actually. Abraham comes down to us as a very gifted leader. And, while the spiritual
aspects of that leadership are critical to us, I think what often gets lost is how good a
manager, employer and investor Abraham was. I want to do this in particular because
this is the Torah portion Abraham dies and leaves the stage of history, so lets TAKE
STOCK (pun intended) of ALL the great attributes of this man, especially since I kind of
ragged on him last week with his big mistake. So Abe (may I call you Abe?), heres
my way of making it up to you.
The first great attribute of a gifted financial leader is being proactive, or nipping small
problems in the bud before they become massively costly. Abraham shows this gift over
and over again. In Lech Lecha he corrects a dispute with Lot before it gets out of control.
When word reaches him that Lots workers and his are clashing over land, Abraham
humbles himself before his subordinate.
Specifically, Abraham in no way needs to give Lot an inch of land. Abraham is the
absolute tribal authority and until Isaac is born not one scrap of Canaan has to pass from
him.
Understanding all that, why does Abrahamnot only give land away to Lot for freebut
even lets Lot choose the land he will take? Absolutely stunning! The answer is, of course,
to avoid even greater (and more expensive) problems down the road. By giving Lot the
choice, Lot takes ownership of his own territory and separates from Abraham, making it
crystal clear to all parties who is in charge of what. So what could have turned into intertribal warfare is settled up front for a pretty small piece of real estate. Score 1 for
Abraham!
Next great attribute: Knowing when to aggressively negotiate and when to stop. In
Genesis 18, Abraham does the unthinkable: He bargains with YHWH. How Abraham
does this is in itself a great case study in negotiation tactics, even if it is Yahweh Himself
sitting at the other end of the proverbial table.
First Abraham does what we call in the sales trade (yes I was in sales) FAB or FeatureAdvantage-Benefit. Here is what he says:
Abraham came near and said, "Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with
the wicked? "Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed
sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in
it? "Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked,

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so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall
not the Judge of all the earth 2deal justly?" (Gen 18:23-25 NAU)
So the FEATURE is: There COULD be 50 righteous people in Sodom that can be spared
by saving the whole city!
The ADVANTAGE is: You wont slay the righteous with the wicked! Yay!
The BENEFIT is: All will know you deal justly and make a clear distinction between the
righteous and the wicked.
RESULT: Abraham works YHWH down from sparing the city for 50 righteous all the
way down to 10, INCLUDING Lot and his family.
Pretty effective pitch Id say. In fact, it is so effective that Moshe will use a very similar
argument to get YHWH not extinguish IsraelTWICE. But once Abraham gets YHWH
down to 10, he knows he cant go further than that. He knows that YHWH is determined
already that Sodom is doomed and there is no point trying to remit the destruction of
those who are deserving, so the negotiations end from a point of strength for both sides,
and any business expert will tell you thats the way to go. (I know because I have read
just about every sales/negotiation book known to man. I had to, which is why I got out of
sales!)
Okay, two down. Great attribute #3: Abraham looks ahead of the short term gain.
Sometimes a windfall comes your way and you might be tempted to take it, but you
shouldnt, because the long term risk exceeds the short term gain. When Sarah dies and
Abraham is of course grief stricken, he is still able to keep his head and make careful
judgments on the gifts he receives.
Ephron the Hittite wants to give Abraham Macphelah for free. Perhaps this is because
Ephron calls Abraham a mighty prince among us and it will be good PR to have
Abrahams family plot in his territory.
But what may be good for Ephron is not good for Abraham, because Abraham knows if
he doesnt PAY for the land AND sign a contract for it, Ephrons descendants may
dispute the claim. So they sign on the bottom line, as they SHOULD have.
Finally, even though many rabbis believe Abraham got gouged for the price of the cave, I
still think in the end it was a small price for Abraham to pay out of his vast fortune to
prevent costs from future litigation or even a land war. The sons of HethHeth-ites
are actually the forbears of warrior people we call the Hittites. Considering what happens
in later history, this is a good investment!
Another thing with respect to Ephron and Abimelech, great attribute #4: The first person
who names the price LOSES. In particular with Abimelech, Abraham doesnt set the

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price of praying for him. Rather, he lets Abimelechs own fear dictate the price, and does
very well as a resultmore than making up for the cost of Machpelah.
And finally, Abraham practices humility when dealing with powerful people or those
below him. As a result, he always impresses his negotiation counterparts with his
wisdom and grace. Since they know they can trust Abraham they give him lots of cash
when they need to. Translation: People by from whom they LIKE and people LIKE those
they can TRUST.
Do todays financial leaders, bankers and CEOs understand these things? Im no
economistmy Dad of blessed memory was the finance genius in the familybut I
would say no. If the current stewards of our economy were really paying attention a few
years back, none of these economic woes we are under would have happened. Abraham
simply wouldnt have stood for it.
Im Andrew Gabriel Roth and thats your Torah Thought for the Week!
Next week we will be exploring Toldot or Genesis 25:19-28:9. Our Haftorah portion will
be Malachi 1:1-2:7 and our Renewed Covenant reading will be from Romans 9:6-16.
Stay tuned!

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