Opportunism
When you see someone who is filled with a passion for something, instead of knocking it and trying to suppress it, be an opportunist and use that love for something positive.
Loving Friends?
Upon Sarah’s passing, Abraham approaches Efron, the leader of the Hittites, to purchase the Cave of Machpelah, a burial plot for his wife. At first, the Hittites, and then their leader Efron, wanted to give it to Abraham gratis. When Abraham insisted that he pay for it, Efron finally “relented” and said, “My lord, listen to me; a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and you?”
What exactly did Efron mean when he said, “what is that between me and you?” Rashi explains: “Between two loving friends as we are, what is its value?
What did Efron mean when he said that they were loving friends? After all, Abraham had just met Efron a few minutes earlier. How could Efron think that his transparent flattery would get him anywhere?
Obviously Efron and Abraham were as far apart as any two individuals can possibly be. In fact, they were diametrically opposites. One glaring example of their opposing mindsets is the fact that “Abraham would promise little but deliver a lot.” This occurred in last week’s parsha, where Abraham offers his guests just bread, but actually serves them a lavish meal with meat and other delicacies.
Efron, in stark contrast, is magnanimous in his offer to Abraham. “Have it all for nothing,” he said initially, but in the end, he demanded an exorbitant amount for the burial plot—four hundred silver coins.
Was there really anything they had in common?
Shared Passion
The answer is yes, they both had a strong passion for that which was important to them. Abraham valued the land of Israel, while Efron valued and loved money.
Efron therefore said to Abraham, “between two ‘lovers’ you who ‘love’ the land, and I who ‘love’ money - 400 shekels of silver is a minimal amount.” Their common ground was love. And when the two loves—for diametrically opposite ideals—met, they both took advantage of it.
All of Life is an Exercise in Opportunism
Sounds opportunistic? It certainly was, but upon deeper reflection all of life is a pursuit of opportunism.
When we tell a child to do something we let the child know that a reward is forthcoming if he or she complies with its parent’s wish. When we get older, we discover that nothing has fundamentally changed. There will always be things we do right and things we avoid doing wrong that are motivated by the pursuit of some selfish benefit or the avoidance of a selfish loss.
Some may say, don’t ever do something right for the wrong reason. Wait until you are really ready and willing to do the good for its own sake. The Torah tells us otherwise.
“One should always study Torah or perform a Mitzvah, even for an ulterior motive, for this will eventually lead to doing it for pure motives.”
If the selfish aspect of our nature is not permitted to do the right things, that selfishness will manifest itself in some other—perhaps, even destructive—area. When you see someone who is filled with a passion for something, instead of knocking it and trying to suppress it, be an opportunist and use that love for something positive.
This story, besides its literal meaning, conveys a profound lesson in the way we have to do business with our competing impulses.
There is a part of us that has a love of money and other material goods. Another part of us has a passion for the spiritual. On the surface it seems that there is a irreconcilable gap between the two parts of our personality.
The story of the two loves of Abraham and Efron, indicates how we need not negate either. We can utilize the passion we have for the material as a way of indulging our passion for the spiritual.
Moshiach: The Fusion of the Two Loves
Maimonides, when discussing the ultimate age of Redemption, speaks of how great life will be then in spiritual terms. But, in addition to the spiritually sublime nature of life then, Maimonides describes the Messianic Age as a time when all the physical delights will proliferate.
Why, commentators ask, did Maimonides have to add the part about the material blessings?
The answer given is that we must be motivated to work for the coming of Moshiach. It is not a passive thing where we sit back and just let someone else do the work for us— whether that “someone” is G-d or the Moshiach. The task of changing the world for the good—permanently—is a task given to each and every one of us.
But there are those who may not be motivated to do that because they are content with the life they have now and have now appreciation for the spiritual blessings of the future.
To these individuals—and to all of us who may possess just a tinge of this attitude—Maimonides states that even our material lives will be better. Even the most selfish and pleasure seeking part of our personality can motivate us to work on bringing Moshiach closer.
Moshiach is a unifier. And just as he will bring different nations together, Moshiach will also make it possible for the two loves of Efron and Abraham to work together as one.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Chayei Sarah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
