end of a business deal. A man walks into a business meeting with Microsoft and announces with confident chutzpa, “To discuss anything less than 8-figure sums would be a waste of time for me and for you, eh Bill?” Upon closing the sale for the purchase of the Caves of Machpeila Mr Ephron the Hittite made a similar statement; “Shall we call it 400 (Kikar Kessef) million dollars and go home Avraham? Between me and you that’s pocket change!”
Rashi comments that 400 Kikar Kessef was an outrageous sum that could have purchased one of the Trump towers in Manhattan. It is interesting to note that Ephron had previously offered to gift the Caves of Machpeila to Avraham, as a gesture of respect (and to retain bragging rights that the Jewish people were indebted to the Hittite nation). Avraham, with tremendous foresight, understood that the Jewish people would need a documented historic transaction to buttress their claim to the Caves of Machpeila and therefore insisted on paying Ephron for them. Ephron’s counter offer: “400 million is no big deal right?” Our sages all comment on Ephron’s dramatic change of tune: From free, no strings attached, to ‘400 lifetimes of mortgage!’ Was Ephron a slick business tycoon with a serious dose of bipolar chutzpa, or is the Torah perhaps teaching us all a potential pitfall in human nature?
The Mishna in Ethics of the Fathers (5,13) explains that there are 4 mindsets that a person can have in life:
1) ‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine;’ The immoral sense of entitlement of the wicked.
2) 1‘What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is yours;’ The perfect altruism of the righteous.
3) ‘What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine;’ The naivety of a communist.
4) ‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours;’ The standard law abiding citizen.
The Mishna continues; But according to some, the stance of ‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours’ is the corrupt nature of the Sodomite. Let’s analyze this perplexing statement. This person is someone who never took a penny from anyone – ‘What’s yours is yours!’ True he feels ‘What’s mine is mine’; “Don’t ask me for handouts for the money that I worked hard for. Get yourself a job!” But nonetheless, calling him a Sodomite is a bit harsh and unfair, don’t you think?
There’s a Gemara in Bava Metzia that discusses a case that may help shed light on the matter. Two people are walking down the street and notice a 50-pound note. The old man, seeing it first, starts hobbling painfully towards it. The youngster, realizing that the old man can’t match his speed, decides to make a dash for it. The old man, wagging his finger bellows, “I saw it first young man, don’t even think about it!” Ignoring the man’s plea, the youngster pounces on the note and holding it up triumphantly responds “First come, first served!” Our sages tell us that the young man is in fact the rightful owner since the old man hadn’t made a proper acquisition of the item yet.
This is the attitude of ‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours;’ “I would never dream of taking something from you, but as long as the law states that this is mine I am entitled to act as I please with it.” This was the same response as Ephron. “Either I will give my land to you as a gift and retain bragging rights for it OR I have the right to name any price for it. After all Avraham, What’s mine is mine to do as I please with!”
Avraham is suffering from the bereavement of his beloved wife, give him a stress free transaction Ephron! Yet Ephron feels that all Avraham is entitled to is what Avraham already owns. Ephron’s Estates is ‘Ephron’s business!’ We can hear the sinister underpinnings of a Sodomite over here.
Rabbeinu Bachye teaches us in his classic work, Chovos Halevovos, that man is given money and health as a collateral from Hashem. Each day, Hashem is watching how we use our assets to determine whether we are utilizing them to do mitzvos, thereby making the world a better place. After all, that is the sole reason why He gives us all that we have. When Avraham approached Ephron to purchase the Caves of Machpeila, Ephron had an opportunity to do good with his assets. Instead of realizing that Hashem had given him this collateral to do kindness for the greatest man of his generation, all he saw was his piece of real estate and the potential to make big bucks.
We see that the mindset of ‘What’s mine is mine’, the mindset of entitlement, is diametrically opposed to Judaism. What’s yours is a deposit into your account from Hashem to ensure that family, friends, Shul and in fact the entire Jewish people, have the wherewithal to thrive. We need to utilize our money in a way that shows Hashem what a good investment we are! In doing so, Hashem will continue to deposit health and wealth into our lives.
Have a great Shabbos,
Menachem