him from his son, Isaac, and it was granted him; as it is written (Gen.
xxiv. 1), "And to Abraham a beard came when he was well stricken in
age."

_Sanhedrin_, fol. 107, col. 2.

Here the word which the translators of the English version
render "was old," is taken in another of its cognate meanings as
a beard. The Midrash is a trifle more modest in this legendary
assertion. There we read, "Before Abraham there was no special
mark of old age," and that for distinction's sake "the beard was
made to turn gray."

When he died, all the chiefs of the nations of the world stood in a line
and exclaimed, "Alas for the world that has lost its leader! Alas for
the ship that has lost its helmsman!"

_Bava Bathra_, fol. 91, col. 2.

As Rabbi Banna went about to measure and to mark off the outward and
inward dimensions of the different caves, when he came to the cave of
Machpelah he found Eliezar, Abraham's servant, at the entrance, and
asked him, "What is Abraham doing?" The answer he received was, "He is
asleep in the arms of Sarah."

Ibid., fol. 58, col. 1.

Abraham being greater than Moses, for while the latter is only
called by God "My Servant" (Mal. iv. 4), the former is called
"My Friend" (Isa. xli. 8), we devote a little more space for a
few more extracts from other Jewish sources than the Talmud, in
order to make the picture they supply of Abraham's character a
little more complete.

Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri says:--"The Holy One--blessed be He!--took Shem
and separated him to be a priest to Himself, that he might serve before
Him. He also caused His Shechinah to rest with him, and called his name
Melchizedek, priest of the Most High and king of Salem. His brother
Japheth even studied the law in his school, until Abraham came and also
learned the law in the school of Shem, where God Himself instructed
Abraham, so that all else he had learned from the lips of man was
forgotten. Then came Abraham and prayed to God that His Shechinah might
ever rest in the house of Shem, which also was promised to him; as it is
said (Ps. ex. 4), 'Thou art a priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek.'"

_Avodath Hakkodesh_, part 3, chap. 20.

Wherever Jacob resided he studied the law as his fathers did. How is
this, seeing the law had not yet been given, it is nevertheless written
of Abraham (Gen. xxvi. 5), "And he kept my charge"? Whence then did
Abraham learn the law? Rabbi Shimo