The Cave of Makhpela

Found 12 Search results

  1. "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?

  2. 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?

  3. "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?

  4. "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?

  5. 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.

     

  6. Ancestral Land

    Rabbi Ben-Tzion Spitz

  7. Greed or Wisdom: What is Efron Saying?

    Rabbi David Silverberg

  8. Ibn Ezra and Ramban on the Forefathers' Land in Eretz Yisrael

    Rabbi David Silverberg

  9. Makhpela: Temporary Gift or Permanent Purchase

    Rabbi David Silverberg

  10. Short Thoughts on Vayechi - Hushim son of Dan and Me'arat HaMachpela

    Rabbi Ezra Bick | 8 minutes

    Yaakov dies and is buried in Canaan. The Egyptians have a mourning ceremony for him, and then his body is brought to Me'arat haMakhpela. We will have a look at a midrash about Dan's son Hushim, and gain an interesting perspective on taking initiative.

  11. Was Me'arat HaMachpela (The Makhpela Cave) inside Hebron?

    Rabbi David Silverberg

  12. “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.