Friday, October 29, 2010

Daily Aliya for Chaye Sarah, Shishi (6th Aliya)

Aliya Summary: Avraham remarried and fathered several more children. Before his death, however, Avraham gave gifts to his other children and sent them all away, and bequeathed all the rest of his possessions to Isaac. Abraham died at the age of 175, and was buried by Isaac and Ishmael in the cave of Machpela beside his wife, Sarah.

To honor the memory and legacy of his father, Ishmael allowed Isaac to take the lead, understanding that the future of the Jewish people would come from him. That deferral was important to Avraham, and the Gemara deduces is the reason why Avraham lived to a "good" old age. Making peace with family and friends doesn't just affect the parties directly involved, but those around us/them. This aspect of forgiveness is often overlooked, especially while conflict exists. Sometimes only once we resolve conflict do we really see who we were hurting all along.

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