Parshat Chayei Sara: Satisfaction
by Rabbi Lobel

(Genesis; Chapter 28, Verse 8) "And Abraham expired and died at a good old age, an old man and content."

The Ramban (Nachmandies), explains that the verse is praising Abraham. Abraham received all of his heart's desires. And, most of all, Abraham was content with what he had.

The Ramban continues to quote the Medrash Koheles ( 1:13 ), "A person does not leave this world with half of his desires satisfied. If he has one hundred he will yearn to get two hundred. If he receives two hundred he will look for four hundred, as the verse in Koheles (Ecclesiastes 5:9) states, 'whoever loves silver will not be sated with silver.'"

But how could this verse in Koheles apply to Abraham? G-d gave him everything he wanted. He was fabulously wealthy as the Torah testifies "Now Abraham was very heavy with livestock, silver, and gold." (Genesis 13:2) He was powerful, mightier than the combined strength of four kings in Canaan . Abraham received G-d's promise that he would father a new nation, G-d's chosen people, who would be as numerous as the stars. He had lived a righteous life and had a special relationship with G-d. How could he not have been satisfied?

Our question relies on a false assumption, specifically that a person could only want so much. The Ramban teaches us that, to the contrary, the more a person has, the greater his desires. The Torah praises Abraham for being satisfied despite all he had and all he achieved; not falling to the pressures of the words of King Solomon in Koheles. As laymen, we cannot fully appreciate Abraham's internal struggle to conquer his desires but we can share his goal - to be content with what G-d gives us.