Jewish%20thought for Eduyot 2:9

הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, הָאָב זוֹכֶה לַבֵּן, בַּנּוֹי, וּבַכֹּחַ, וּבָעֹשֶׁר, וּבַחָכְמָה, וּבַשָּׁנִים, וּבְמִסְפַּר הַדּוֹרוֹת לְפָנָיו, וְהוּא הַקֵּץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה מא) קֹרֵא הַדֹּרוֹת מֵרֹאשׁ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית טו), וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה, וְנֶאֱמַר (שם), וְדוֹר רְבִיעִי יָשׁוּבוּ הֵנָּה:

He [R. Akiva] was wont to say: A father endows his son with beauty, strength, wealth, wisdom, and years [i.e., long life. Because the nature of the son is likely to be similar to that of the father, from the beginning of his creation he is endowed with beauty, strength, wisdom, and years; and wealth is bequeathed him by his father. To me, the Mishnah seems to mean that if a man merits it, his sons come to acquire all of these things], and (he endows him) with the number of generations before him. [Sometimes, the Holy One Blessed be He assures the father that He will grant some favor to his children in the third or fourth generation, and it is the father's merit that secures that favor for his children]; and that is the "ketz" ("ending"). [i.e., that is the meaning of the "ketz" assigned by the Holy One Blessed be He to arrive at a certain time or at a certain generation], as in (Isaiah 41:4): "He calls out the generations from the beginning." Even though it is written (Genesis 15:3): "And they will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years," it is written (afterwards, Ibid. 16): "And the fourth generation will return here." [so that the number of generations, which is "the fourth generation," is the ketz of the "four hundred years" (referred to above).]

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