CHAYEI SARAH 23:1-25:18
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The Parsha opens up with the death of Sarah. Many commentators juxtapose her passing with the conclusion of the previous Parsha where Abraham is commanded to sacrifice Isaac, Sarah’s only son. In the nick of time the sacrifice is prevented; both father and son go their separate ways.
Yet, Sarah dies. Is Sarah what some would call: collateral damage?
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The name of the Torah portion is Chayei Sarah, the Life of Sarah. It seems to me that Sarah’s life was filled with vicissitudes, ups and downs, many of which were unpleasant or uncertain and created feelings of anxiety: She witnessed the destruction of Sodom.
Sarah was a pioneer: Striking out on her own along with her husband Abraham she ventured into Canaan, a foreign land.
Sarah and Abraham were a perfect match, sort of a yin and yang. While Abraham reached out to everyone around, his tent was open on three sides, Sarah maintained a home for her family. Sarah was tough; she did what she had to do. It was Sarah who ordered Abraham to cast out Haggar and Ishmael, and she was backed up by Hashem
וַיִּשְׁקֹ֤ל אַבְרָהָם֙ לְעֶפְרֹ֔ן אֶת־הַכֶּ֕סֶף אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֖ר בְּאָזְנֵ֣י בְנֵי־חֵ֑ת אַרְבַּ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ שֶׁ֣קֶל כֶּ֔סֶף
...Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver...
4560 grams / 28.35 grams/ounce = 160.85 ounces
160.85 ounces X $23+/- /ounce = $3,670 ca.
For 400 shekels at 23:20 Abraham purchased a burial plot from a Hittite.
וַיָּ֨קָם הַשָּׂדֶ֜ה וְהַמְּעָרָ֧ה אֲשֶׁר־בּ֛וֹ לְאַבְרָהָ֖ם לַֽאֲחֻזַּת־קָ֑בֶר מֵאֵ֖ת בְּנֵי־חֵֽת
“And the field and the cave within it were established to Abraham as burial property from the sons of Heth”.
Who were the sons of Heth, בְּנֵי־חֵֽת?
They are often called Hittites, but this is a misnomer.
They are Canaanites, and are descended from Canaan, a grandchild of Noah.
At 10:15 -
וּכְנַ֗עַן יָלַ֛ד אֶת־צִידֹ֥ן בְּכֹר֖וֹ וְאֶת־חֵֽת
“And Canaan’s offspring were Zidon his firstborn and Heth”.
צִידֹ֥ן I guess is the city of Sidon to the north in today's Lebanon.
To be sure there was a Hittite empire, and these Canaanite Hittites may have been a Hittite outlier.
The חֵֽת are living in Hevron. The root of Hevron is חבר, friend.
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In a previous Parshah, Hashem says to Abraham, Go, for you, your family, your country, your father's house..." (Bereishis 12:1-3).
In this week's Parshah, we have Rebecca (Rivkah) at 24:58 making the same move. In this matter her personality is similar to that of her trail blazing future father-in-law and deceased mother-in-law.
וַיִּקְרְא֤וּ לְרִבְקָה֙ וַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יהָ הֲתֵֽלְכִ֖י עִם־הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֑ה וַתֹּ֖אמֶר אֵלֵֽךְ
“And they called Rebecca, and they said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go."
There is a commentary that interprets this as "I will go whether you allow me or not".
Isaac, by comparison is different. Hashem does not permit him to leave the Land. He has herds and flocks, but more importantly he is a successful farmer and grows crops. He is not a wanderer; he is a consolidator.
Isaac epitomizes the special nature of the Land. One cannot completely be a Jew outside the land of Israel.
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At 24:60 as Rebecca is about to begin her journey, her brother and father bless her:
וַיְבָרְכוּ אֶת-רִבְקָה, וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהּ--אֲחֹתֵנוּ, אַתְּ הֲיִי לְאַלְפֵי רְבָבָה; וְיִירַשׁ זַרְעֵךְ, אֵת שַׁעַר שֹׂנְאָיו.
| "And they blessed Rebecca and said to her, "Our sister, may you become countless thousands, and may your seed inherit the gate of those who hate them." This blessing is similar to the blessings given to Abraham by God in Chapter 17, particularly in verse 8 where as part of the covenant Abraham's descendent are given the land of Canaan. And for me, living in this Land today, a land once occupied by my enemies, it is my inheritance. I belong here. ----------------------------------------------------- From the World of Rabbi Avraham Kook: “If we truly look at the good side of every individual, we will develop an inherent affection for them without having to lie to ourselves about their bad traits. This is because if we take an interest in the good in them that we encounter constantly, this will truly conceal from us all their bad traits...” (Erpalei Tohar 107) adapted from Machon Meir. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Haftorah portion for the parsha comes from 1Kings: 1-31. It is filled with drama and Halachic questions, and is well worth reading. Some of the major themes are: 1. David is very old and a "bed-warmer" is selected for him. 2. Adonijah, one of David's sons, declares himself to be king. 3. Bathsheba, supported by the Prophet Nathan, wants her son Solomon to be king. By way of example the commentators have a field day with the term "bed-warmer" and all its many ramifications. So should you: Let’s explore a little deeper one of the issues: David is cold. His servants decide that he needs a “warmer”. וּתְהִי־ל֖וֹ סֹכֶ֑נֶת 1:2, and she shall be to him a warmer. There is controversy among the commentators as to what a סֹכֶ֑נֶת is. Rashi says “warmer”; others translate it as “near” or “treasurer” or “helper”. David seems to be passive in his acquiescence. Do we condone the immodest solution because it may be a medical proposal? וְהַמֶּ֖לֶךְ לֹ֥א יְדָעָֽהּ 1:4, And the king did not know her. They were not intimate…Why? David was supposed to be robust in his manhood. Was this then a self-imposed punishment or maybe he was doing teshuva for the sin with Bathsheva? Could David been suffering from Alzheimer’s or some cognitive dysfunction? Lot’s of questions…many answers. ------------------------------------------------------- |
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