Mishnah
Mishnah

Midrash for Pirkei Avot 6:10

חֲמִשָּׁה קִנְיָנִים קָנָה לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְעוֹלָמוֹ, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, תּוֹרָה קִנְיָן אֶחָד, שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ קִנְיָן אֶחָד, אַבְרָהָם קִנְיָן אֶחָד, יִשְׂרָאֵל קִנְיָן אֶחָד, בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קִנְיָן אֶחָד. תּוֹרָה מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (משלי ח), ה' קָנָנִי רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכּוֹ קֶדֶם מִפְעָלָיו מֵאָז. שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (ישעיה סו), כֹּה אָמַר ה' הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדֹם רַגְלָי אֵי זֶה בַיִת אֲשֶׁר תִּבְנוּ לִי וְאֵי זֶה מָקוֹם מְנוּחָתִי, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים קד) מָה רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ ה' כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶךָ. אַבְרָהָם קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (בראשית יד), וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ וַיֹּאמַר בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ. יִשְׂרָאֵל קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (שמות טו), עַד יַעֲבֹר עַמְּךָ ה' עַד יַעֲבֹר עַם זוּ קָנִיתָ, וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים טז) לִקְדוֹשִׁים אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ הֵמָּה וְאַדִּירֵי כָּל חֶפְצִי בָם. בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קִנְיָן אֶחָד מִנַּיִן, דִּכְתִיב (שמות טו), מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ פָּעַלְתָּ ה' מִקְּדָשׁ ה' כּוֹנְנוּ יָדֶיךָ. וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים עח) וַיְבִיאֵם אֶל גְּבוּל קָדְשׁוֹ הַר זֶה קָנְתָה יְמִינוֹ:

Five acquisitions did the Holy One Blessed be He acquire in His world. They are: Torah — one acquisition; heaven and earth — one acquisition; Abraham — one acquisition; Israel — one acquisition; the Temple — one acquisition: Torah — one acquisition. Whence is this derived? From (Proverbs 8:22): "The L rd acquired me (Torah), the first of His way, before His works of yore." Heaven and earth — one acquisition. Whence is this derived? From (Isaiah 66:1): "Thus says the L rd: 'The heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What is the house that you can build for Me and where is the place of My rest?'" And (Psalms 104:24): "How many are Your works, O L rd. You made all of them in wisdom. The earth is full of Your acquisitions." Abraham — one acquisition. Whence is this derived? From (Genesis 14:19): "And he blessed him and he said: 'Blessed is Avram to G-d on high, acquirer of heaven and earth.'" Israel — one acquisition. Whence is this derived? From (Exodus 15:16): "Until there pass over Your people, O L rd; until three pass over this people whom You have acquired." And (Psalms 16:3): "For the holy ones (of Israel) in the earth, and the mighty — all my desire is in them." The Temple — one acquisition. Whence is this derived? From (Exodus 15:17): "A place for Your dwelling have You made, O L rd; the Temple, O L rd, have Your hands established." And (Psalms 78:54): "And He brought them to the bound of His holiness, this mountain, which His right hand acquired."

Midrash Tanchuma

Is He not your Father, your Maker (kanecha): He is the one who acquired (kana) you. [It is] as we have found in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer: When the Holy One, blessed be He, came to mix up the generation of the dispersion (of the Tower of Babel), the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the angels, the ministers of all the nations, "Come and we will choose lots, to whom the nations will come up" - a nation for each one of them, and which will come up to [be] His lot. [So] they picked lots, and Israel fell to the portion of the Holy One, blessed be He. As it is written, "When the Highest One gave inheritance to the peoples." And so [too,] does it state, "For the portion of the Lord is His people, Yaakov the lot of his inheritance." Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, called Israel, 'the exchange of other nations.' And that is what the Sages said (Avot 6:10), "Israel is one acquisition." And that is [the meaning of] "Is He not your Father, your Maker."
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