Chaye Sarah

Ephron replied to Abraham, saying to him: “My lord, listen to me. Land worth four hundred silver shekels; between you and me – what is it? Bury your dead.”

23:14

Abraham is so distraught in his mourning that he does not begin to bargain with Ephron the Hittite for possession of the Cave of Machpelah. He pays the first price mentioned, an exorbitant price, for he is eager to honor his wife with a quick burial.

Emanuelle Katz (Contemporary)

Yet, it is obvious that the purpose of the encounter between Abraham and the sons of Heth was not merely to secure a burial plot for one person. The laying to rest of the first one to die in the Promised Land was also an act of striking roots. The resting place of the first mother of the people of Israel would also serve as an eternal tie for the living, who would keep coming back to visit their matriarch’s tomb.

Pinchas Peli (20^th Century)

When Abraham realizes he will have to pay a steep price for the field in which Israel’s founding families will be buried, he doesn’t argue with God about why he must endure the humiliating experience of being cheated on the purchase of a small field when he and his descendents have already been promised the entire Land…God’s promise ties us eternally to the land of Israel…but we have to demonstrate love, sacrifice and commitment in order to keep the promise viable.

Shlomo Riskin (Contemporary)

Throughout history, in Israel and diaspora, the embattled Jewish people fought to maintain a piece of land upon which they could live in peace. Often, in return for limited rights, the Jews paid dearly: physically, economically, and emotionally…Nevertheless, when Ephron and the sons of Het generously offered Abraham a free piece of land and a welcome mat into the community, Abraham refused... (and he finally) bought property at the edge of town…He refused to obscure the distinctions between the lifestyle of the local populace and his own…From Abraham, we must learn a lesson which is both somber and controversial. If total acceptance requires abandonment of Judaism then we must have the courage, and guts, occasionally to distance ourselves from general society.

Michael Klayman (Contemporary)

I wish I were Ephron – not to be confused with Enron…In ancient Israel, land was more than earth and acreage. It was sacred trust bequeathed in perpetuity. Selling it was akin to sacrilege. No wonder Ephron drives a hard bargain; no wonder Abraham pays heavily. This is not just land. It is honor…But I wish I were Ephron, a man for whom land alone is at stake…With Ephron…land is land, all pretty much the same. Its worth is easily evaluated. It has a market price. But how do you price out the worth of Shabbat? Or of Jewish peoplehood?

Lawrence Hoffman (Contemporary)