It seems that this feeling, envy, is as old as the hills – or at least as old as the stories in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Let's delve into one fascinating little snippet.

Our story revolves around Avimelekh and Isaac. Remember Isaac? Son of Abraham, inheritor of the covenant? Well, he's doing pretty well for himself. In fact, he's thriving. Genesis 26:13 tells us, "The man grew wealthy, and continued to grow until he became very wealthy."

How wealthy? Rabbi Ḥanin puts it in perspective. He says that Isaac's wealth was so immense that people would say, "The manure of Isaac’s mules [was worth more than] Avimelekh’s silver and gold!" Imagine that! Your mule poop being more valuable than a king’s treasure. Talk about a flex.

But here's where things get interesting. Genesis 26:14 continues, "He had livestock of flocks, and livestock of cattle, and a great household, and the Philistines envied him." Envied him. That little phrase packs a punch. It sets the stage for what’s to come.

Vaavuda – "and a great household" – is how the text describes Isaac's… well, household. But Daniyel the tailor offers a different reading. He points out that the word is written ve’avda, which he connects to the idea of servitude. He says, "If a person does not render himself like a slave with his slave, he does not acquire it." In other words, you can’t just be a hands-off boss. You have to be involved, working alongside your people, to truly benefit from your property. There is a price to pay for wealth. As Proverbs 12:9 puts it, "Better to be lightly esteemed with a slave." It’s better to work like a slave when you have a slave, otherwise you will only lose.

The Midrash observes that it’s the way of the world for a person to toil and seek the expenditures of his household, while the household staff sits idly at home.

Back to our main characters. All this wealth and success doesn't sit well with Avimelekh. He’s feeling the sting of envy, big time. So what does he do? He tells Isaac to leave! "Avimelekh said to Isaac: Leave us, for you have grown much mightier than we" (Genesis 26:16).

But here's the kicker. Avimelekh can't resist taking a little jab on the way out. He reminds Isaac that all this growth, all this wealth, came from them. "All that growth that you have grown, did it not come to you from us? In the past you had only one flock and now you have many flocks." It's like he's saying, "You owe us your success!"

What a fascinating glimpse into human nature, right? The envy, the resentment, the need to take credit. It's all there, laid bare in this ancient text.

It makes you wonder, doesn't it? How often do we look at someone else's success and feel that twinge of envy? How often do we try to diminish their accomplishments, to remind them (or ourselves) that they didn't do it all alone? Maybe, just maybe, this little story from Bereshit Rabbah can be a reminder to celebrate the success of others, without letting it diminish our own sense of worth. After all, there's enough "mule manure" to go around, right?