Give of yourself

Hi,

[Mishlei 18:16 says, "A person's gift will broaden for him."]

"'A person's gift will broaden for him' - This is Avraham. When he pursued the kings [to save Lot], the king of Sdom came out to greet him and offered, 'Give me the lives, and take the property for yourself.'

"Avraham then replied, 'I raise my hand before Gd, I will not take from a thread to a shoelace.' HaShem said to him: You say you will not take a thread - by your life, I will praise your children with that exact language, saying (Song of Songs 4), 'Your lips are like a red thread.' You say you will not take a shoelace, and I will praise your children with that exact language, saying (Song of Songs 7), 'How beautiful are your feet in their shoes.'

"And so [Avraham's gift of aid to Lot, and his generosity in declining human gifts], 'A person's gift broadens for him.'"

(Midrash, Shemot Rabbah 41)

Have a great day,
Mordechai