My Musing
Never rest on your laurels. Simple enough. Because you never know what will in the end be your claim to fame.
Never rest on your laurels. Simple enough. Because you never know what will in the end be your claim to fame.
מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת חיי שרה סימן ו
(בראשית כה:א) "וַיֹּסֶף אַבְרָהָם וַיִּקַּח אִשָּׁה וּשְׁמָהּ קְטוּרָה"
"And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah"
"וַיֹּסֶף אַבְרָהָם" זה שאמר הכתוב (איוב ח:ז) "וְהָיָה רֵאשִׁיתְךָ מִצְעָר וְאַחֲרִיתְךָ יִשְׂגֶּה מְאֹד" מדבר במשה. אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמן, 'ז' ימים היה הקדוש ברוך הוא מפתה למשה בסנה והוא בורח שנאמר, (שמות ד:יג) "וַיֹּאמֶר בִּי אֲדֹנָי שְׁלַח נָא בְּיַד תִּשְׁלָח" וכתיב, (שמות ד:י) "וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל יְדֹוָד בִּי אֲד-ֹנָי לֹא אִישׁ דְּבָרִים אָנֹכִי גַּם מִתְּמוֹל גַּם מִשִּׁלְשֹׁם גַּם מֵאָז דַּבֶּרְךָ אֶל עַבְדֶּךָ כִּי כְבַד פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן אָנֹכִי" ואומר, (שמות ג:ו) "וַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי אֱלקֵי אָבִיךָ אֱלקֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב וַיַּסְתֵּר מֹשֶׁה פָּנָיו כִּי יָרֵא מֵהַבִּיט אֶל הָאֱלֹקִים"
"And Avraham added" this is what the Scripture said, "And thy beginning was small, yet thy end should greatly increase." This is referring to Moshe. Said Rabbi Samuel bar Nachman, seven days the Holy One, blessed be He, enjoined Moshe at the bush and he fled, as it says, " And he said: 'Oh Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send.'" And it is written, " And Moses said unto the LORD: 'Oh Lord, I am not a man of words, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.'" And it says, " Moreover He said: 'I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God."
"וְאַחֲרִיתְךָ יִשְׂגֶּה מְאֹד" דכתיב, (במדבר יב:ח) "פֶּה אֶל פֶּה אֲדַבֶּר בּוֹ וּמַרְאֶה וְלֹא בְחִידֹת וּתְמֻנַת יְדֹוָד יַבִּיט וּמַדּוּעַ לֹא יְרֵאתֶם לְדַבֵּר בְּעַבְדִּי בְמֹשֶׁה"
אמר רבי שמעון בר יוחאי, 'שהיה רואה את הדמות מיד.'
"yet thy end should greatly increase." As it is written, " with him do I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD doth he behold; wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?'" Said Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, ' that he saw the visage immediately"
דבר אחר "וְהָיָה רֵאשִׁיתְךָ מִצְעָר" זה אברהם שהיה לו מאה שנה ולא היה לו בן ואחר כך פייסו הקדוש ברוך הוא. רבי יהודה בר סימון ורבי חנן בשם רבי יוחנן אמרי, 'העלהו למעלה מכיפת הרקיע שנאמר, (בראשית טו:ה) "וַיּוֹצֵא אֹתוֹ הַחוּצָה וַיֹּאמֶר הַבֶּט נָא הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וּסְפֹר הַכּוֹכָבִים אִם תּוּכַל לִסְפֹּר אֹתָם וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ כֹּה יִהְיֶה זַרְעֶךָ" אין אומרין הבט אלא מלמעלה למטה. אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'מי שתחת המזל מתירא הימנו, אתה שאתה עליו הרם ראש עליו'.
Another idea, ""And thy beginning was small," this is Abraham who had lived 100 years and he did not have a son. And after he was pacified by the Holy One blessed be He. Rabbi Judah bar Simon, and Rabbi Chana in the same of Rabbi Yochanan, said, "bring him up above the atmosphere (the cap of the heaven)" as it says, "And He brought him forth abroad, and said: 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them'; and He said unto him: 'So shall thy seed be.'" The usage of the word "look', habet, is only used to denote looking down from a high perch. Said to Him the Holy One, blessed be He, "one who is beneath the constellations is subject to it, but you who have travelled above it, raise up your head.
אף על פי כן למאה שנה הוליד בן. הוי אומר "וְהָיָה רֵאשִׁיתְךָ מִצְעָר" זה אברהם. וְאַחֲרִיתְךָ יִשְׂגֶּה מְאֹד" שנשא אשה והוליד עוד עמה כמה בנים באחרונה שנאמר "וַיֹּסֶף אַבְרָהָם". זה שאמר הכתוב, (קהלת יא:ו) "בַּבֹּקֶר זְרַע אֶת זַרְעֶךָ וְלָעֶרֶב אַל תַּנַּח יָדֶךָ כִּי אֵינְךָ יוֹדֵע אֵי זֶה יִכְשָׁר הֲזֶה אוֹ זֶה וְאִם שְׁנֵיהֶם כְּאֶחָד טוֹבִים:
Despite this, at 100 years old, he had a son. That is the fulfillment of the verse, """And thy beginning was small," which refers to Abraham. "yet thy end should greatly increase." Refers to his marrying another wife and had with her more children in the end as it says, "And Abraham increased" that is what the Scriptures say, "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good."
Rabbi Eliezer said, 'with regards to agriculture the scriptures are speaking. Said Solomon, 'If you sow during the season, you will not stand during the harvest'. As it says, "and in the evening withhold not thy hand" Why? " for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good."
Rabbi Yehoshua said, If comes before you in the morning the opportunity to fulfill a commandment, do it, and in the evening, if the opportunity comes before you "withhold not your hand". Why? For thou knowest not which of them will stand for you, either the morning opportunity or the evening opportunity or "whether they both shall be alike good." Rabbi Akiva said, ""In the morning sow thy seed" If you develop many students do not rest on your laurels and neglect to develop students in your old age. It happened to Akiva that he had 300 students in his youth and they died. And if he had not developed students in his senior years he would have had no students recall his name as their source of Torah knowledge.
דבר אחר "בַּבֹּקֶר זְרַע אֶת זַרְעֶךָ" אמר רבו יוסי, 'אם לקחת אשה בבחרותך וילדה ומתה, קח אשה אחרת בזקנותך, "כִּי אֵינְךָ יוֹדֵע וגו'. וממי אתה למד? מאברהם, שבנערותו לא הוליד אלא שנים ובזקנותו הוליד י"ב.
Another idea "In the morning sow thy seed" said Rabbi Yosi, If you take a wife in your youth, and she gives birth and then dies, take another wife later in life, "for thou knowest not…" and from who do we learn this? From Abraham, who in his youth he did not have any children save two and in his old age had 12.
אמר רבי לוי הוא שאמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, (בראשית יח:יח) "וְאַבְרָהָם הָיוֹ יִהְיֶה לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וְעָצוּם וְנִבְרְכוּ בוֹ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ" שיצא הים בדור הפלגה והפיץ מבני חם שלשים משפחות שנאמר, (בראשית יא:ח) "וַיָּפֶץ יְדֹוָד אֹתָם מִשָּׁם עַל פְּנֵי כָל הָאָרֶץ וַיַּחְדְּלוּ לִבְנֹת הָעִיר" אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'ממך אני מעמידן שנאמר(בראשית יח:יח) "וְאַבְרָהָם הָיוֹ יִהְיֶה לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וְעָצוּם וְנִבְרְכוּ בוֹ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ" העמיד משפחות ואלו הן י"ב נשיאים שהעמיד מישמעאל וט"ז מכאן ושני גוים בבטנך הוי אומר "וְנִבְרְכוּ בוֹ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ"
Said Rabbi Levi, this is what the Holy One, blessed be He, said , ""seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?" that the sea went out during the generation of the bifg split (following the tower of Babel) and dispersed from the sons of Ham 30 families, as ti says, "So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city." Said to him the Holy One, blessed be He, 'from you, I am going to establish families and they are the 12 leaders from Yishmael and the 16 from here and the 2 nations from Isaac. That is the fulfillment of " and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him"
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