Ephron's Grudging Eye and the Field That Shrank to Its Tithe

"You shall surely tithe" (Deuteronomy 14:22). [1] "A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth, and does not know that want will come upon him" (Proverbs 28:22). Rabbi Chanina applied the verse to Ephron, for Rabbi Chanina said: every "shekel" stated in the Torah is a sela, in the Prophets a litra, and in the Writings a centenarius (a large weight). Said Rabbi Yudah son of Rabbi Pazi: except for the shekels of Ephron, which were centenarii, as it is written, "for the full price let him give it to me" (Genesis 23:9). And because he cast a grudging eye upon the money of our father Abraham, Scripture deducted a letter vav from his name. This is what is written, "My lord, hear me: a land of four hundred shekels of silver, between me and you, what is that?" (Genesis 23:15), meaning: if you wish to give me four hundred centenarii of silver from the doorposts of your house, you are able to give it to me. And because he cast a grudging eye upon the money of our father Abraham, Scripture deducted a vav, as it is written, "And Abraham weighed out for Ephron" (Genesis 23:16). "Ephron" is written there spelled deficiently [without the vav]. Rabbi Ammi applied the verse to a man who was too stingy to hire two cows, so he borrows one and hires one, "and does not know that want will come upon him" (Proverbs 28:22), for it is written, "if its owner is not with it, he shall surely make restitution" (Exodus 22:13). Rabbi Yitzchak applied the verse to one who lends to an Israelite at interest, and was too stingy to lend to him without interest, so he lends at interest, "and does not know that want will come upon him" (Proverbs 28:22), for it is written, "He who increases his wealth by interest and usury gathers it for one who is gracious to the poor" (Proverbs 28:8). And who is the one who is gracious to the poor? This is wicked Esau. But is wicked Esau not an oppressor of the poor? It is like those guardians who go out to the village and plunder the tenant farmers, and yet to the city they say, "Gather the poor, for we wish to do a charitable deed with them." There is a proverb that says: he steals from the orchards and distributes to the beggars. Rabbi Levi applied the verse to one who does not bring out his tithes as is fitting, for Rabbi Levi said: there was a case of a man who used to bring out his tithes properly. He had one field that produced a thousand measures, and he would set aside a hundred measures from it as tithe. From it he was sustained all his days, and from it he was supported all his days. At the hour of his death he called his son and said to him, "My son, give your attention to this field. So much it produced, and so much I would set aside from it as tithe, and from it I was sustained all my days, and from it I was supported all my days." In the first year the son sowed it and it produced a thousand measures, and he set aside a hundred measures as tithe. In the second year he cast a grudging eye upon it and reduced the tithe by ten, and it reduced its yield by a hundred; he reduced by ten and it reduced by a hundred, until it stood at the level of its tithe alone. When his relatives saw what had happened to him, they put on white garments and wrapped themselves in white and came in to him. He said to them, "Why have you come to rejoice over a man who has been brought low?" They said to him, "Heaven forbid, we have come only to rejoice with you. Formerly you were the householder and the Holy One, blessed be He, was the priest; now you have become the priest and the Holy One, blessed be He, has become the householder." Said Rabbi Levi: who diminished it year by year? The year, in its own due season. Therefore Moses warns Israel and says to them, "You shall surely tithe all the produce of your seed" (Deuteronomy 14:22).