אדני שמעני ארץ ארבע מאת שקל כסף ביני …

My lord, listen to me; a land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is it between me and you? (23:15)

Efron’s Desire for Money:

Efron first said that he would give the property to Avrohom for free. This seems to indicate that he was a giving, kind, humble person. thereafter, he changed his tone and pompously asked for 400 shekel kesef. What caused this sudden change of heart?

Almost immediately

The Alter of Kelm zt”l answers with a story regarding the Rambam (some say this story about Rav The zt”l): Rambam was once debating a group of non-Jewish scholars. They etiquette and behavior could be taught to a cat. They said that, with enough training, a cat could change its nature and act like a human being. The Rambam disagreed and said that it is impossible to change the nature of any animal. The non-Jewish Yonason Eibeschutz claimed that proper wise men said that they would prove that they were right. They said that they only needed a few months to train a cat, and, at the end of that time, they would show off their success.

The day arrived for the scholars to display what they had done. They arranged a meal, with the cat serving as the waiter. To everyone’s amazement, it set the tables, bowed to each guest, and seated them at their designated spots.

The cat-waiter then served a glass of wine to each guest. As it was serving the wine, the Rambam container he had with him. Inside the container was a small mouse, which he threw onto the serving tray that the cat was holding. As soon as the cat saw the mouse, it dropped the tray and began to chase it. All the glasses broke, opened a small and wine spilled everywhere. The wise men then were forced to admit that an animal cannot change its nature.

Efron was just like that cat. Before he saw the money, he was However, once Avrohom showed him the money, he was just like the cat seeing the mouse. He reverted to his true nature and focused solely on the money. a refined gentleman.