(Genesis 23:1-25:18)

Haftara (Kings I  1:1-31)

1. [23:3]  “And Avraham came to eulogize Sara and to cry for her.”  Do we eulogize at a funeral for the sake of the mourners or for the sake of the deceased?  How truthful should a eulogy be? There are joyful times during the Jewish year when Jewish Law tells us not to say eulogies at funerals. Is it realistic to expect mourners to do without eulogies?

2.  [24:1]   “…and God blessed Avraham bakol—“with everything” or “in everything”. We know that Avraham was still lacking things.  What does it mean that “God blessed Avraham bakol—‘with everything’ or ‘in everything’ ”?

3. [24:15]  “…and behold, Rivkah came out…”  There are many people who find the story of Rivkah and Eliezer at the well to be an appealing and  charming story. What makes this story so charming?

4. [24:67] “…and he took Rivkah and she became his wife and he loved her…” The Ramban says that Yitzchak loved Rivkah because she was righteous like Sara.  Is it “true love” if somebody loves someone because she reminds him of someone else?

5. [1:5] Then Adoniyya…exalted himself saying I will be king.”  It seems that almost from the beginning of  the Israelite Kings, there was intrigue and trouble.  If so, why did God allow kings?  What advantages are there to having a king and  kingdom?

Commentary

All the spiritual work  for a person should be an involvement in the present moment—to try with his whole heart not to waste one moment of the world which is in front of him.  He should think that all that exists in his world is this day and this hour and his heavenly responsibility at this time.

–based on Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, 1772-1810, Ukraine.

This study page is dedicated to the memory of Rivkah Rochel bat Ya’akov haLevi and Chaya Kornberg, and Yechiel Eliezer ben Yitzchok Meir and Rochel Laya Kornberg

And this study page is also dedicated to the memory of Gad Eliahu ben David and Kochava–Eli Zucker