[Avodah] life donation

[Akiva Blum]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: avodah-bounces at lists.aishdas.org [mailto:avodah-
> bounces at lists.aishdas.org] On Behalf Of Micha Berger
> Sent: Friday 17 February 2012 1:17 AM
> 
> On Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 06:09:31PM -0500, Rich, Joel wrote:
> : There's literature on giving up your life for a greater person - seems
> : to start with sefer chassidim 698 and a r' akiva/ reuvain ben itztrolibi
> : which I can not trace any earlier. If anyone has earlier cite, let me
> : know please.
> 
> What about Adam donating 70 years toward David haMelekh? Yalqut Shimoni
> and Zohar, Vayishlach. Based on Tehillim 21:5. So, that pushes the date
> up before the Sefer haChassidim.
> 
> In the Zohar's version, Avraham. Yaaqov and Yoseif did as well. (I won't
> try to explain what the Zohar says about why Yitzchaq didn't.) Avraham
> gave 5 years, Yaaqov 28 years -- both "should have" lived 180. Yosef
> only lived 110 yrs out of 147 -- another 37.
> 

I wonder if perhaps this people are exceptional in that they appear to have
known, or at least might have known, how long their lives would be.
Yitzchok, Rashi tells us, didn't know how long.

Someone who is 26 years old might happily be prepared to reduce his life
from 91 to 90 for the benefit of a godol. But how does he know that he has
more than 27 years anyway.

Akiva