91快播

Genesis Rabbah 31:5  

讘专讗砖讬转 驻专砖转 诇讱 诇讱 驻专拽 讬讘

讝) 讜址讬值旨专指讗 讛 讗侄诇 讗址讘职专指诐 讜址讬止旨讗诪侄专 诇职讝址专职注植讱指 讗侄转值旨谉 讗侄转 讛指讗指专侄抓 讛址讝止旨讗转 讜址讬执旨讘侄谉 砖指讈诐 诪执讝职讘值旨讞址 诇址讛 讛址谞执旨专职讗侄讛 讗值诇指讬讜

讘诪讚讘专 专讘讛 (讜讬诇谞讗) 驻专砖转 谞砖讗 驻专砖讛 讬

爪专讬讱 诇讛注诇讜转 注讜诇讛 诇讛’ 注诇 讘砖讜专讛 讟讜讘讛 讻砖诐 砖注砖讛 讗讘专讛诐 讘砖注讛 砖讗”诇 讛拽讘”讛 (讘专讗砖讬转 讬讘) 诇讝专注讱 讗转谉 讗转 讛讗专抓 讛讝讗转 诪讬讚 讘谞讛 讗讘专讛诐 诪讝讘讞 注诇 讘砖讜专讛 讟讜讘讛 砖讻谉 讻转讬讘 讜讬讘谉 砖诐 诪讝讘讞 诇讛’ 讛谞专讗讛 讗诇讬讜 讜讗讬谉 诪讝讘讞 讗诇讗 拽专讘谉

Genesis 12:7
And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said: ‘Unto thy seed will I give this land’; and he built there an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.

Numbers Rabbah on Parashat Naso Parashah 10
(We are taught) That one must bring a sacrifice to God on account of good news, just as Abraham did at the hour that The Holy One blessed be He said “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Immediately, Abraham built an altar on account of the good news, as it is written “And he built there an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.” There is no altar without a sacrifice.

I really like what we find here. The midrash seems to be pointing out that we can learn from Abraham: we are to give a gift to God when we receive good news. How do you give God a gift? In Abraham’s time there were sacrifices, but we no longer have such offerings. In truth, we see this type of gift giving to God all around us. When we make tribute donations to our synagogues in honor of a simhah, when we encourage b’nai mitzvah to commit to a mitzvah project, we are giving gifts to God in honor of good news.

It is lovely to find a custom where we celebrate our good fortune by sharing it with others. And while we are familiar with these customs, it is even nicer to think that they date back to the first Jew, Abraham, in the moment that he gets his charge here in Lekh Lekha, making it (midrashically, anyway) one of the first mitzvot. I hope we all have good news coming our way and that we remember to give gifts of celebration.