EMOR

In the midst of this parsha which speaks of appropriate animals for sacrifice, the Midrash tells a story of fairness. Someone sells his farm, and the buyer finds a pile of buried gold on the farm. The buyer feels that it is inappropriate for him to keep it, as it was not part of the deal, so he offers the gold to the seller, but the seller too feels since he didn’t know this gold was there, that it now is the property of the buyer. This issue is brought before the king of Carthage where the story was happening. The king asks if each party has a child, and then suggests that they may marry and then share this gold. Visiting the king was Alexander the Great who was shocked by this thoughtful decision.  Alexander said that had the case come before this culture, they would have beheaded both men and kept the money for the king.