Recently, the economic news in our country is that the job market is full of job opportunities. Everywhere you go you see signs reading “We are hiring,” yet businesses cannot find people willing to work. Businesses are willing to pay more salary than in the past, yet some workers are not after only money, but after a job that will give them satisfaction. The flip side of those reports state that workers are saying; "If I am already going to go to work, I want to make a lot of money and fast." What is it about money and satisfaction? What is the connection between money and any transaction?
In this week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah, after Sarah dies, Abraham researches where to bury her. Abraham approaches Ephron the Hittite and offers to buy a parcel of his land. Ephron offers the land, which includes a burial cave for free -- as a gift. But Abraham refuses the gift—not only does he offer to pay him for the land, but he also uses the phrase “I will pay you in full.” The meaning of this phrase indicates that he is not looking for a deal or a discount, let alone a favor. He wants to pay the going rate, so that there should be no disputes whatsoever as to who owns this land going forward.
The lesson that we can take from Abraham is that although he could have easily taken the land as a gift—and even if he insisted on paying for it, he could have gotten a “good deal,”—he didn’t want that. His attitude was that we must put in the effort, we must earn what we acquire. When we receive something for free, or too easily, we don’t respect the thing that we have, and others don’t respect that the item is ours. Abraham wanted this specific burial land for his wife and for his family. He also wanted the Hittites not to challenge the ownership of the land in the generations to come.
Our generation can take a lesson from Abraham: When we put in the effort instead of looking for the easy way, the reward will stay with us for a long period of time.