Orach Chayim Way of Life - Jewish Life - Torah Insights - Current Events

Parashat Summary

Sarah dies

The purchase of Machpelah

Yitzchak and Rivkah

Avraham dies

Descendants of Yishmael

23:1 Vayihyu chayei Sarah me'ah shanah ve'esrim shanah vesheva shanim shnei chayei Sarah
The lifetime of Sarah consisted of one hundred years, twenty years and seven years. [These were] the years of Sarah's life.
2 Vatamot Sarah beKiryat-arba hi Chevron be'eretz Kena'an vayavo Avraham lispod le-Sarah velivekotah
Sarah died in Kiryat-arba, which is Chevron, in the land of Kenaan. Avraham came to eulogize Sarah and to weep for her.

Sarah died in Tishrei, 2085 (Sept. 1677 b.c.e.) when she was 127 years old. She died in Chevron.

The Akeidah was the cause of Sarah's death. Sarah died immediately after the Akeidah; incidentally, it is by this fact the Akeidah is dated.  This is what happened:

Ha-satan saw that he could get nowhere in his efforts to persuade Avraham and Yitzchak, since neither of them would pay attention to his words. He therefore disguised himself as an old man riding on a camel (Sifetei Cohen), and went to Sarah, who was waiting in Beer-sheva. He said to her, "Don't you realize what has happened to you? Your husband took your precious son, built an altar, bound his hands and feet, and offered him as a human sacrifice. Yitzchak screamed and pleaded for mercy, but he had no pity."

Upon hearing this, Sarah cried out in a bitter voice, banging her head on the wall, so great was her misery. She wandered through the hill country toward Chevron, asking everyone she encountered if he had seen them. She sent her servants to the academy of Shem and 'Ever and to other places, to see if they could find them.

When Sarah arrived in Chevron, she sought out the three giants who lived there, Achiman, Sheshai and Talmai, and asked them if they had seen an old man together with three younger men. They replied, "We saw an old man and a younger man on one of the mountains. The young man was bound head and foot, and the old man had a knife in his hands. A cloud then covered the mountain and we could see no more."

Sarah was beside herself with grief. Suddenly ha-satan appeared again, in a different disguise. He asked why she was weeping so bitterly, and she told him what had happened. He said, "Don't you believe that old man (referring to his previous disguise). He's a known liar. I just saw Yitzchak alive and well."

When Sarah heard these words, she was so elated that she went into shock and died. (Rashi; Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer; Sefer HaYasher).

The Torah repeats, "[These were] the years of Sarah's life." These words appear to be redundant. The Torah is teaching us that Sarah was not meant to live longer than this. One should not think that she died only because of her shock at hearing ha-satan's words. Actually, she had been destined to live this number of years and no more. G-d allows a tzaddik to live out his allotted time; He does not take away even a single day. (Rabbi Moshe ibn Chaviv; Kli Chemdah; Sifethei Chohen. Cf. Zera Berach, Part 1) The direct cause of her death, however, was the shock. (Yafeh Toar)

King David asked G-d to tell him how long he would live. He said, "O G-d, let me know my end; what is the measure of my days?" (Tehillim 39:5).

"I have long ago decreed," replied G-d, "that no human being shall know when he will die. But I will tell you one thing. You will die on the Shabbat."

"I would much rather die on a Sunday. Then people would be able to honor me and eulogize me. If I die on the Shabbat, people will not even be allowed to touch my body. I will have to be buried immediately, without eulogy."

"It is impossible. By Sunday, it will already be time for your son Shlomo to be king. One reign cannot even take a hairbreadth from another."

"Then let me die earlier. Let it be on Friday before the Shabbat."

"That is also impossible. 'A day in your courtyards is better than a thousand' (Tehillim 84:11). I would rather have you study Torah for an additional day than have the thousand sacrifices that your son Shlomo will offer when he builds the Holy Temple."

King David therefore knew for certain that he would die on a Shabbat. Although he always studied Torah day and night, on the Shabbat he began to do so for twenty-four hours, without any interruption whatsoever. When the Angel of Death approached, it could not touch him; his mouth never stopped uttering words of Torah.

Since his time had come, the Angel of Death went out to the courtyard behind the palace and started to shake the trees violently. Still reciting Torah by heart, David went out to see what was wrong. Hearing a noise in the trees, he took a ladder and climbed up to investigate. Ha-satan, however, had loosened one of the ladder's rungs, and when it fell out under his weight, David stopped reciting words of Torah for a moment. At that instant he died. (Shabbat, Chapter 2)

This is very similar to what happened to Sarah.

We also learn an important lesson from the grammar of this verse. [In Hebrew, the plural is only used for less than ten things. For more than ten, one reverts to the singular.] In this verse, the Torah says, "Sarah's life was one hundred years ( shanah, in the singular), twenty years (shanah, in the singular), and seven years (shanim, in the plural)." For "one hundred," the Torah uses the singular שָׁנָה (shanah) for "years," while for seven it uses the plural שָׁנִים (shanim).

This teaches us that he who is small in this world will be great and honored in the Olam Habah. One who considers himself big will be small there. Therefore in the case of "one hundred" and "twenty" the Torah uses the singular. One thinks that these are large numbers - but they are actually small. "Seven" on the other hand, takes the plural. If one makes himself small in this world, considering himself little and avoiding pride, in the Future world, he will be great and important. (Zohar, Shelach).


Vatamot Sarah beKiryat-arba  - Sarah died in Kiryat-arba

The main thrust of the verse is to alert us to the fact that this righteous woman died and was buried in Eretz Yisrael.  The Torah emphasizes that the place called Kiryat-arba at that time was renamed Chevron afterwards in order that no one should forget that we speak about a town inside Eretz Yisrael.  At the conclusion of Sarah's burial in v19, the Torah repeats once more that the Cave of Machpelah where she is buried is situated  "which is Chevron, in the land of Kenaan." 

The Torah teaches that it was a great privilege to be buried in the same burial ground reserved for such outstanding individuals as Adam, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, a place which would later on be called "the gate of heaven." (28:17)   (Note: The author apparently views the site where Yaakov had the dream as being Chevron rather than Mount Moriah)

The reason the town was called Kiryat-arba (the City of Four) is because four pairs of outstanding human beings were buried in the Cave of Machpelah there - Adam and Chavah, Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivkah, and Yaakov and Leah.  The mystical dimension of the name Chevron is that the soul of everyone buried in that cave joins the celestial city of G-d, i.e. the four encampments of the Shekinah.  Our Patriarchs would not have made great efforts to be buried there had they not been aware of a profound spiritual dimension involved.  They knew that transfer to the Olam HaEmet (World of Truth) from that site would be a crucial experience from them.  It is the place from which the souls return to their origin, the Throne of G-d's Glory.


vayavo Avraham lispod le-Sarah velivekotah -.Avraham arrived to eulogize Sarah and to weep for her.

All the Torah had to write was that Avraham set out to "weep for her, and to bury her."  After all, burial is the principal act of kindness one performs for one's dead and concludes the acts of eulogizing and weeping.  Burying a human being is one of the great acts of kindness which G-d Himself performs on occasion.  Had the Torah written the sequence of the words we mentioned, the impression this would have created among readers would be that all these activities occurred one immediately after the other.  The truth is that whereas eulogizing and weeping occurred consecutively, there was quite an interval before Sarah was finally laid to rest.  Avraham first had to secure a plot of land in which to bury Sarah.

Mourning

The Torah teaches how important it is to mourn a good person and eulogize him.  When a person sheds a tear for the death of a virtuous individual G-d counts it and places it in His treasury.  The person is then amply rewarded for it.

When Yehoshua died, an earthquake threatened to kill many people because they did not mourn him properly.

In David's time there was a serious famine and plague because Shaul was not properly mourned.

Our Sages teach that as a punishment for not grieving for a virtuous person, one's children can be taken away. (Shabbat 105b)

Every good Jew should therefore strive to keep this precept.  When one hears that a good person has died, even if he does not know him, he must realize that since the deceased was virtuous, he brought good to the world. One must therefore grieve his death and honor him.  This is especially true when the person who died was a Torah scholar.  One must grieve for his loss, eulogizing him and mourning him. (Moed Katan Chapter 3)

One should also mourn when a tzaddik dies.  Although the tzaddik is actually going to a higher level of existence, and for him there is no loss, the survivors suffer the loss.  A diamond remains a diamond wherever it is - still its owners grieves its loss.  One must therefore mourn the death of a tzaddik, since those who remain have lost someone who could intercede for them. (Megillah Chapter 1)

When we mourn a tzaddik or a Sage we do not mourn the fact that he died, but the fact that we ourselves have lost the benefits that he conferred.  While alive, he taught the people Torah and encouraged them to do good and to avoid sin.  He can also intercede on high for his contemporaries.  When he dies all this is lost, the world remains desolate until the new tzaddik has matured.  It is therefore proper to mourn the tzaddik who has passed away.  The archangel Micha'el, who oversees Yisrael, accepts the soul of the tzaddik and offers it as a sacrifice on the altar on high.

The death of a tzaddik can be good or bad.  It depends on us.  Sometimes when a tzaddik dies, people mourn him and grieve for his passing.  They awaken from their complacency and assume that their sins were the cause of his death.  They change their ways. The tzaddik then prays for the people, and G-d accepts his prayer, annulling the evil decree.  It is evident that the tzaddik's death was then a benefit for the world.  As a result, people repented and escaped the evil that was destined to come.

Obviously, however, a tzaddik's death does not atone unless people repent.  If people are unmoved by the tragedy, and sy that it is nothing more than a natural event, it is totally ineffective.  They may claim that the tzaddik was old and that he died naturally, or that he had an attack or other sudden illness; that the death is nothing unusual - no different from that of numerous other people.  By such false arguments, they are not concerned with the death, and do not use it as a change to repent.

As a result, the tzaddik is not concerned with the troubles of such people, and does not pray for them.  Since there is no one to intercede beforeG-d, the Attribute of Justice becomes strong, and they are punished as they deserve.

One must therefore be careful to live among virtuous people.  If one is among sinners and the wicked, he can die because of them.

Before troubles are sent from on high, the people are warned and given a chance to repent.  G-d does not want the wicked to die, but to change their ways.  One way He warns them is by taking away the tzaddikim who live among them.  This is meant to awaken them to rectify their ways.  If one lives among virtuous people, however, he can obtain good even when he does not deserve it.   This explains the verse, "The tzaddikim perrish, and no man takes it to heart.  Saintly men are taken away with no one understanding.  Before the evil, the tzaddik is taken" (Yeshayahu 57:1)  The phrase "Before the evil, the tzaddik is taken," can be interpreted in two ways.  First, it can mean that the tzaddik is taken because of the evil, to atone for the sin of the generation, thus annulling the evil decree.  Second, it can mean that hte saint is taken away before evil strikes:  G-d takes away the tzaddik so that he will not suffer from the evil decree that is about to come.  Both explanations are actually true.  Which of the two comes to pass depends upon whether or not people repent.

23:3 Vayakom Avraham me'al penei meto vayedaber el-bnei-Chet lemor
Avraham rose from the presence of his dead, and spoke to the sons of Chet saying,
4 Ger-vetoshav anochi imachem tenu li achuzat-kever imachem ve'ekberah meti milefanai
"I am a foreigner and a resident among you. Grant me the possession of a grave site with you, so that I may bury my dead from my presence."

The earlier the dead are buried, the greater their peace.  Avraham therefore hurried to make perparations for Sarah's burial. (Ralbag)

He spoke to the citizens of Chevron, who were the children of Chet. He said, "[I am a foreigner and a resident among you.] If you accept me as a foreigner, it will be best. But if not, I will be a 'resident' among you since G-d has already given me the land." (Bereishit Rabbah; Rashi)

As long as the Kena'anim were in the land, Avraham did not actually take possession of it (Parashat Lech Lecha; Mizrachi) This, however, only was true of the land of Kenaan as a whole. As long as their measure had not been filled, Avraham had no right to take their land against their will. But he had the right to take what he needed, such as property for a burial ground. (Yafeh Toar p. 348)

This was especially true after Yitzchak was born. Then the condition that G-d had made with Avraham was fulfilled: "To your offspring I have given this land" (12:7) (Chizzkuni)

Avraham said, "Now all I want is a small piece of ground that I may own as a burial site. There I will bury my dead, and remove it from my presence."

Some explain Avraham's statement somewhat differently. Avraham said, "Both you and I are foreigners in this world, although we consider ourselves residents and own homes and property. In the end we will all die, and one must think about this in advance. Therefore give me property for a burial site, since I want to be ready when my time comes to die. Now, however, I merely want to bury my dead - Sarah, who lies before me." (Rabbi Eliahu ibn Chaim; Raanach)

23:8 Vayedaber itam lemor im-yesh et-nafshechem likbor et-meti milfanai shma'uni ufig'u-li be'Efron ben-Tzochar
Avraham spoke to them, saying, "If it is really your will that I bury my dead from my presence, listen to me and intercede for me with Efron, son of Tzochar.
9 Veyiten-li et-me'arat haMachpelah asher-lo asher biktzeh sadehu bechesef male yitnenah li betochechem la'achuzat kaver.
Let him give me the Machpelah cave, which belongs to him, which is at the end of his field. Let him give [sell] it to me for its full value, as a grave site among you."

Avraham was aware that the Chittim did not want to take money for a gravesite. But Avraham did not like to take gifts. He therefore, told them that he would purchase the site for whatever price was asked. (Yafeh Toar, p. 48)

There was a man there by the name of 'Efron son of Tzochar, who owned Machpelah Cave. It was called מַכְפֵּלָה (Machpelah) from the root kaphal meaning "double" because it had two levels. Others say that it was a cave within a cave. It was a safe place, perfect for a sepulcher. (Rashi)

Avraham knew that Adam and Chavah were buried in this cave. He realized that it would be a great merit to be buried there. (Bereishit Rabbah)

Avraham found out about the cave when the three angels visited him. He had gone to the flock to choose three cattle to prepare for his guests. One of them ran away, and Avraham had to chase it. The cow ran into Machpelah Cave, and when Avraham followed it, he saw Adam and Chavah buried there. The fragrance of the cave refreshed his spirit, and he made it a habit to worship there each day. It was also the place where G-d would speak to him. Knowing that it was a holy place, Avraham longed to be buried there. (Pirkei rabbi Eliezer; Zohar, VaYera; Yalkut Reuveni)

Another reason that Avraham wanted Sarah buried in this cave was because one should avoid burial among the wicked. Since the Chittim were immoral, Avraham did not want to bury Sarah with them in the same cemetery. (Ralbag)

Avraham asked the people to go to 'Efron and make a deal so that he would sell the field. Avraham was willing to offer a good price. He made the people his agents and instructed them that they should try to convince 'Efron if he does not want to sell. (Bereishit Rabbah)

Of course, Avraham could have made the deal without even consulting the other citizens, much less making them his agents. But had he done so, they would have had a claim to the field, saying that since they owned neighboring fields, they should have had the first chance to buy the cave. Avraham therefore consulted with them and made them his agents. he would then not have to be concerned that they would later challenge his purchase. (An original explanation. Cf. Chen Tov; Rabbi Yosef of Trani)

17 Vayakom sedeh Efron asher baMachpelah asher lifnei Mamre hasadeh vehame'arah asher-bo vechol-ha'etz asher basadeh asher bechol-gevulo saviv
The field of 'Efron was established, which was in Machpelah, facing Mamre; the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field that were in the entire circumference of its boundaries.
18 Le-Avraham lemiknah le'eynei venei-Chet bechol ba'ei sha'ar iro
This became Avraham's through a purchase before the eyes of the sons of Chet, all who had come to the gate of his city.
19 Ve'acharei-chen kavar Avraham et-Sarah ishto el-me'arat sedeh haMachpelah al-penei Mamre hi Chevron be'eretz Kena'an
After that Avraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the Machpelah field, which faces Mamre, which is Chevron, in the land of Kenaan.

 Avraham purchased the field and cave for the above mentioned price.  The deal was closed publicly, in the presence of all who had assembled at the city gate.

Attending Sarah's funeral were Noach's son Shem, 'Ever, Avimelech, Aner, Eshkol, Mamre and the other importan personages of the time.  They had all come to pay respects to Sarah. (Sefer HaYashar)

20 Vayakom hasadeh vehame'arah asher-bo le-Avraham la'achuzat-kaver me'et benei-Chet
The field and its cave was established as Avraham's possession as a gravesite, by the sons of Chet.

The words "vayakom hasadeh vehame'arah" literally mean "The field and its cave became elevated" to Avraham.  When the field and cave became Avraham's property, they became elevated and holy. (Zohar, p. 128)

The Torah relates this entire episode in detail to teach us that during Avraham's lifetime, he saw the fulfillment of G-d's promise, "I will make your name great" (12:2).  We thus see that the people here called him "a prince of G-d" (23:6)   Although 'Efron was governor, whenever he spoke to Avraham, he addressed him as "my master."  Avraham, however, did not use such an address when replying to 'Efron.  This gives us an idea of the status that Avraham enjoyed. (RaMBaN)

This also teaches where the Patriarchs and Matriarchs are buried.  We must therefore constantly keep in mind the people who live in the Land of Yisrael, since this is the place where our ancestors are buried.  If Jews did not live there, the Gentiles would come and dig up the ancient graves, plowing over their graves of the tzaddikim and sages who are buried there.  We must also be concerned with the ancient synagogues and Torahs that are there   Since so much of our history is tied up with the Holy Land, each individual should support it to the best of his ability.

24:3 Ve'ashbiacha ba'HASHEM Elokei hashamayim ve'Elokei ha'aretz asher lo-tikach isha livni mibenot haKena'ani asher anochi yoshev bekirbo
I will have you swear by HASHEM, G-d of heaven and G-d of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Kenaani, among whom I live.
4 Ki el-artzi ve'el-moladeti telech velakachta ishah liveni le-Yitzchak
Instead, to my [native] land, to my birthplace, shall you go, and take a wife for my son, for Yitzchak."
5 Vayomer elav ha'eved ulai lo-toveh ha'ishah lalechet acharai el-ha'aretz hazot hehashev ashiv et-bincha el-ha'aretz asher-yatzata misham
The servant said to him, "perhaps the woman will not want to come back with me to this land? Shall I bring your son back to the land from where you came?"
6 Vayomer elav Avraham hishamer lecha pen-tashiv et-beni shamah
Avraham said to him, "Take care, not to bring my son back there.
7 HASHEM Elokei hashamayim asher lekachani mibeit avi ume'eretz moladeti va'asher diber-li va'asher nishba-li lemor lezar'acha eten et-ha'aretz hazot hu yishlach mal'acho lefaneycha velakachta ishah liveni misham. 
HASHEM, G-d of heaven, Who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my birth, Who spoke to me, and Who swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I will give this land' - He will send His angel before you and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
8 Ve-im lo toveh ha'ishah lalechet achareicha venikita mishvuati zot rak et-beni lo tashev shamah
If the woman does not want to come back with you, you are absolved from this oath to me. But do not bring my son back there."
9 Vayasem ha'eved et-yado tachat yerech Avraham adonav vayishava lo al-hadavar hazeh
The servant placed his hand under the thigh of Avraham, his master, and swore to him regarding this matter.

This entire section teaches us how careful a person must be when choosing a spouse.    Here Avraham warned Eliezer not to take a wife from a nation which was cursed . When a woman is predestined for destruction, she is apt to drag her husband in the same general direction.  This is what happened to Shlomo who married a number of alien women (1Melachim 11:1).  The prophet testifies there that it was these women who turned his heart from being completely loyal to G-d.

It is customary to read this section when a bridcegroom is called up to the Torah.  It teaches that one should be carful when marrying, and not be misled by mere physical attraction.  It is written, "False is grace, vain is beauty; a woman who fears HaShem, she shall be praised" (Mishlei 31:30)

The prevalent custom (in some Sefardic communities  is to take out a special Torah in which to read this section.  The bridegroom holds this Torah until he is called up for the reading.  He brings the Torah with him, and the cantor reads this portion from it.  The people assembled repeat it in translation, chanting each verse.  This is an ancient custom, set up because people did not understand Hebrew; it is translated so that all should understand it.

24:10 Vayikach ha'eved asarah gemalim migmalei adonav vayelech vechol-tuv adonav beyado vayakom vayelech el-Aram-naharayim el-ir Nachor
The servant took ten camels from his master's camels and departed. All the best of his master was in his hand. He rose and went to Aram Naharayim; the city of Nachor.
11 Vayavrech hagemalim michutz la'ir el-be'er hamayim le'et erev le'et tzet hasho'avot
He made the camels kneel outside the city, beside a well of water, in the evening, at the time the women go out to draw water.
12 Vayomar HASHEM Elokei adoni Avraham hakreh-na lefanai hayom va'aseh chesed im adoni Avraham
He said, "HASHEM, G-d of my master, Avraham, be present before me today, and act kindly with my master, Avraham.
13 Hineh anochi nitzav al-ein hamayim uvenot anshei ha'ir yotze'ot lish'ov mayim Behold, here I stand by this well of water, and the daughters of the townsmen are coming out to draw water.
14 Vehayah hana'arah asher omar eleyha hati-na chadef ve'eshteh ve'amerah sheteh vegam gemaleycha ashkeh otah hochachta le'avdechah le-Yitzchak uvah eda ki-asita chesed im-adoni
Let it be that the girl to whom I say, 'Please, tip over your pitcher that I may drink' and she will say 'Drink, and I will also water your camels,' will be the one whom You have determined for your servant, Yitzchak. With her I will know that You have dealt kindly with my master."
15 Vayehi hu terem kilah ledaber vehineh Rivkah yotzet asher yuldah li-Vetu'el ben-Milkah eshet Nachor achi Avraham vechadah al-shichmah
He had not yet finished speaking, and behold Rivkah came out. She had been born to Betuel, the son of Milkah, the wife of Nachor, Avraham's brother. Her pitcher was on her shoulder.

Rivkah was such a  tzaddeket (righteous woman) that her parents had never even tried to make a match for her.  Normally, when there is a daughter in a family  her parents are constantly trying to match her up.  But Rivkah was so virtuous that none of the immoral people in the area wanted to have anything to do with her.   This is what the Torah meant when it says, "no man had known her" (v16)   It obviously does not mean that she had not had relations with any man, as a similar expression implied with regard to Lot's daughters (19:8).  In the case of a virtuous girl like Rivkah, this was quite obvious.  It means that no man had even become acquainted with Rivkah for the purpose of marriage. (Ahavat Tziyon)

Rivkah was Betu'el's daughter, a grandaughter of Avraham's brother Nachor.  She thus came from a very wealthy family.  She had many servants and di not normally go out to draw water.  On this day, however, Providence saw to it that she went out to draw water along with all the other town girls. (Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer)

21 Veha'ish mishta'eh lah macharish lada'at hahitzliach HASHEM darko im-lo
The man, wondering at her, remained silent, waiting to determine whether HASHEM had made his mission successful, or not.

Eliezer stood silently, contemplating the situation.  He was not sure that she was one of Avraham's relatives.  He observed her carefully, looking for some telltale sign.

22 Vayehi ka'asher kilu hagemalim lishtot vayikach ha'ish nezem zahav beka mishkalo usneh tzmidim al-yadeyha asarah-zahav mishkalam
When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold nose ring, weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her arms, weighing ten gold shekel.
23 Vayomer bat-mi at hagidi na li hayesh beit-avich makom lanu lalin
He said to her, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there place in your father's house for us to spend the night?"