Avraham Purchases the Cave of Makhpela

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"And the field; and the cave therein; were upheld unto Avraham for a possession..."
Rabbi Amnon Bazak
The Torah places tremendous importance on the acquisition of land in Eretz Yisrael. Whenever such a transaction is mentioned; it is described in great detail; all the minutiae scrupulously recorded. What is the significance of this focus? Why is there a special emphasis on Jerusalem; Shechem; Hebron; and Samaria?
The Acquisition of the Threshing Floor
Chapter 24 (III)
Rabbi Amnon Bazak
The biblical text describes in great detail the purchase of the granary of Arvena the Yevusite. What is the reason for this lengthiness? And what is the reason for the parallels drawn between this story and Avraham's purchase of the Makhpela cave?
"There Avraham Was Buried, and Sarah His Wife"
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
The biblical narrative is generally characterized by its extreme brevity: it focuses on the information that is necessary. There are some rare instances where the biblical narrative appears to depart from this general rule, and elaborates on details that seem less than vital to the story. The beginning of our parasha details at great length the description of the negotiations between Avraham and the children of Chet. These complicated and multi-stage negotiations occupy the majority of the opening story. In what way does this account further the aims of this specific biblical story? Could it not have been shortened and its essence conveyed as follows: Avraham requested a burial plot from the children of Chet, and eventually purchased Me'arat Ha-makhpela, where he buried his wife?
"Give Me a Possession of a Burial Place with You"
Prof. Jonathan Grossman
The parasha opens with the death of the matriarch Sara. The mention of her passing is surprising, since the Torah does not provide these details concerning the other matriarchs. In fact, this phenomenon is directly related to another question that should be raised in the context of the first section of our parasha: what is the central subject of the story? Does the text really want to tell us about Sara's death and burial, or are these events the background to the real subject of the story – the purchase of Me'arat ha-Makhpela?
"Do not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites..."
Sharón Rimón
Why does the Torah describe the purchase of the Cave at Makhpela in such great detail? Who is a wife worthy of Yitzchak? Why does Avraham object to his son marrying Canaanite women? And why does he insist on Yitzchak marrying a woman from the land of his birth, when God had instructed him to disengage from their culture? These questions are explored in light of the obvious danger: that the potential wife found in Haran will not want to come to Canaan, while Yitzchak cannot leave the land. Will Avraham be willing to forgo one of these two values?
The Purchase of the "Burial Possession"
Rabbi Yehuda Rock
This lesson describes two aspects of the story of purchasing the Makhpela, based on Rabbi Mordekhai Breuer. The first aspect is the purchasing of a burial place for Sarah, and the second is the purchase of land in Israel, to pass along from generation to generation.
Eretz Yisrael
Rabbi Zeev Weitman
Why it is so important for Avraham to buy land specifically for the purpose of burying Sara? He never demonstrates such stubborn insistence on owning the land upon which he pitches his tent, grazes his flocks, builds altars, or digs wells. Is it more important to buy a plot of land in order to be buried in Eretz Yisrael than it is to buy land in order to live upon it? Is it possible that Jews who live their entire lives in the Diaspora, their only concern concerning Israel being that they will be buried there, have a point?
Ramban on Chayyei Sara: The Burial of Sarah in Eretz Yisrael - the Location of the Cave of Makhpela
Rabbi Ezra Bick | 35 minutes
In the story of Avraham buying the burial plot for Sarah in Hebron, why does one of the verses state that Hebron is located in the Land of Canaan?

Ramban notes that some view this detail as emphasizing that the forefathers were buried in Eretz Yisrael - a place ofgreater kedusha than outside Israel. In Ramban's opinion, though, the Torah is not contrasting Canaan to "Chutz La'Aretz" (outside of the Land of Israel), but rather highlighting that Avraham was buying a plot in Canaan as opposed to the Land of Pelishtim. Avraham chooses a place that is in the hills - the heartland of the future Land of Israel.
Ancestral Land
Rabbi Ben-Tzion Spitz
Greed or Wisdom: What is Efron Saying?
Rabbi David Silverberg
Ibn Ezra and Ramban on the Forefathers' Land in Eretz Yisrael
Rabbi David Silverberg
Makhpela: Temporary Gift or Permanent Purchase
Rabbi David Silverberg
Avraham's Purchase of the Cave of Makhpela: No Cutting Corners
Rabbi David Silverberg
Avraham's Epilogue - Devotion to Family
Rabbi David Silverberg
Sometimes it's Not Worth Fighting: Avraham and Ephron
Rabbi David Silverberg
The Finances of the Forefathers - Part 3
Rabbi Yaakov Beasley
We have been analyzing the specific role money performs in Avraham’s narrative. This shiur will focus on how that pertains to the last few stories of Avraham's life.

Without wealth, Avraham’s mission to spread his unique moral brand of monotheism in the world would have gone unnoticed. Ultimately, through his wealth and prestige, Avraham is able to not only attract the world’s attention, but also ensure the survival and continuity of his own unique mission.
Two Negotiations and Two Historical Struggles (Chayei Sarah)
Rabbi Moshe Taragin
תאריך פרסום: תשע"ו | |
Parashat Hayyei Sara contains two negotiation stories that parallel each other: Avraham's request to buy a burial plot in Hebron from Ephron the Hittite, and Avraham's servant's quest to find a wife for Yitzhak in Aram Naharayyim. What is the significance of the juxtaposition and of the many similarities? In this shiur, we examine the many parallels between these two stories, such as the journeys, the initial ease and then the adversity and obstacles. We discover that they complement each other, and together they raise questions about universalism vs. particularism. Though these concepts (and stories) seem to contrast and negate each other in some ways, in Avraham and his people they are interconnected.
“And if a stranger sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong" - The Purchase of Me'arat Ha-Machpela
Rabbi Gad Eldad
When Avraham seeks to purchase the Cave of Makhpela as a burial plot for Sarah, Efron, one of the sons of Chet, offers it to Avraham for free. Avraham refuses, and when he pays the full amount that Efron then suggests, the Torah has an unusually long description of this transaction. Why? We would do well to address the question of why in light of a broad perspective on the story.

Why does Efron offer the land for free? The Torah does not provide us with any information about the relationship between Avraham and the sons of Chet prior to Sarah's passing. Despite the absence of information concerning previous connections between them, Avraham is immediately referred to by the sons of Chet as "a mighty prince." What can possibly stand behind such a designation?

These designations are a cunning way to exploit Avraham's distress. It would seem that just as we are commanded to learn from the boldness and strength of our forefathers' faith in standing resolutely on their path, we are no less supposed to distance ourselves from the actions of those who stood opposite them and made their lives difficult.
Parshat Chayei Sarah Part 2: Burial Negotiations
Rabbi Alex Israel | 29 minutes
This podcast provides a deeper interpretation of the story of Avraham’s negotiations with Ephron for the purchase of the burial plot for Sarah. Through an analysis of this story we can understand the difference between the locals’ view of Avraham and his own self-identity.

Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com
Communication issues
Rabbanit Dr. Michal Tikochinsky