Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/133

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Abrahmn and Lot

Who And

is

the

man

115

that desireth Hfe,

may

loveth days, that he

see

good therein?

Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy hps from speaking guile. Depart from evil and do good Seek peace and pursue

ancient times,

In

it.

and even

still

today,

one Jew would

upon and the answering greeting would be, alecha shalom, "and upon thee be peace". And in departing from the house of God the priests would invoke the divine blessing upon the

greet another with the words, shalom alecha, "peace be thee",

faithful worshipers, closing with the beautiful words.

The Lord (Numbers V,

And

lift

up His countenance upon thee and give thee '

the pious

Psalmist pictured the supreme good which

can come to Israel and Mercy and

jK-ace.

26.)

truth are

to all

men, as the time when

met together

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Truth springeth out of the earth

And

righteousness looketh

down from

heaven.

(Psalm

LXXXV,

11-12.)

Such is the teaching of peace, which Israel, foHowing the example of Father Abraham, has ever proclaimed to the

And through this teaching all the children of the world. one Father must in the end be united into one loving family, even as (jod intended. Again we find evidence of true greatness in Abraham's answer to the king of Sodom. He had done the right and fought for the weak, and had rescued Lot and the other captives, not thinking of reward, but only of duty.

It

was

reward which the king of Sodom offered, and many might think that Abraham was entitled to it, and might have taken it without compunction. But Abraham did not hesitate an instant. Of course he had no right to refuse the a rich