When Abraham purchases the Cave of Machpela, in the city of Hebron, to bury Sarah and our ancestors, the Rabbis ask, “What type of coin did he use?”
We know it was not a quarter or silver dollar. The answer… It was a coin accepted by each and every merchant. On one side was inscribed, “for our elders.” On the other side was inscribed, “for our children.”
Abraham was not solely purchasing a piece of property. Rather, he was honoring the elders, providing for them an eternal resting place, and ensuring it for future generations.
Abraham was teaching us the same lesson: Notice those who brought us to the place we are today, and plan for those who will come after us.
Next Thursday, we will sit at our Thanksgiving tables and recite what we are grateful for: this country of America, our home today. The land of Israel, our ancestral home. And our Judaism, the gift that keeps on giving.
