Parashat 5 - Ber/Gen 23:1 – 25:18
“Chayei Sarah” - Sarah’s life or years of life.
This Torah portion is about LIFE – “CHAI”. The life of Sarah is the life of the “kehelat”- congregation of YHVH.
This Torah portion gives us instructions on how to understand, approach, maintain and walk in the life of the Ruach/Spirit of YHVH.
Our Messiah said – Yochanan/Joh 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to slaughter, and to destroy. I have come that they might possess life, and that they might possess it beyond measure.
Joh 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
Joh 10:12 “But the hireling, and not being a shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them.
Joh 10:13 “Now the hireling flees because he is a hireling and is not concerned about the sheep.
Joh 10:14 “I am the good shepherd.1 And I know Mine, and Mine know Me, Footnote: 1Ezek. 34:11-12, Heb. 13:20, 1 Peter 2:25, 1 Peter 5:4.
Joh 10:15 even as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep.
Joh 10:16 “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold – I have to bring them as well, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one shepherd.1 Footnote: 1Ezek. 34:23, Ezek. 37:24.
Joh 10:17 “Because of this the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, in order to receive it again.
Joh 10:18 “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to receive it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
This life is the “zoe” kind of life. (“Zoe” is the Greek word for the higher form of life and is comparable to three Hebrew words – chai (life), nephesh (being) and Ruach (spirit/wind)) This life is also at times complex and painful. Yahshua came that we may have this life and have it in abundance. One of the keys to living this life is found in Phil 4:
Php 4:4 Rejoice in יהוה always, again I say, rejoice!
Php 4:5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Master is near.
Php 4:6 Do not worry at all, but in every matter, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to Elohim.
Php 4:7 And the peace of Elohim, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Messiah יהושע.
Php 4:8 For the rest, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is righteous, whatever is clean, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there is any uprightness and if there is any praise – think on these.
Php 4:9 And what you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, practice these, and the Elohim of peace shall be with you.
Php 4:10 And I rejoiced in יהוה greatly that now at last your concern for me has revived again – though you were concerned, but had no chance.
Php 4:11 Not that I speak concerning need, for I have learned to be content in whatever state I am.
Php 4:12 I know what it is to be humbled, and I know what it is to have in excess. In any and every situation I have learned both to be filled, and to be hungry, both to have in excess, and to be in need.
Php 4:13 I have strength to do all, through Messiah1 who empowers me. Footnote: 1John 15:5, 2 Cor. 3:5-6, 2 Cor. 12:9, Eph. 3:20, Philip. 2:13, Heb. 13:20-21, 1 John 4:4.
Blessing for the Torah:
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-O’lam, asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim,
v’natan lanu eht Torah-to. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us your Torah. Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
(Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim , King of the Universe, you have selected us from among all the peoples, and have given us your Torah. Blessed are you, YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
Torah Readings:
- 23:1-16
- 23:17 – 24:9
- 24:10-26
- 24:27-52
- 24:53-67
- 25:1-11
- 25:12-15
- Maftir: 26:16-18
Haftarah: 1 Kings 1:1-31
Aliyah Rishon 23:1-16.
Gen 23:1 And Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.
The Torah expresses this verse as follows: She was one hundred years old and 20 years old and seven years old.
We are meant to pause and consider the significance of this. This emphasis possibly refers to the blessedness of the life that was granted her - One hundred years speaks of a long life where much maturity and wisdom was gained; twenty years speaks of the youthfulness and vigour of this life and seven years old speaks of the innocence of this life.
Gen 23:2 And Sarah died in Qiryath Arba, that is Hevron, in the land of Kena'an, and Avraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
The book of Yasher suggests that Sarah died as the result of hearing the news that her son Yitschak/ Isaac had come so close to death when his father was willing to offer him as a offering.
Gen 23:3 Then Avraham rose up from beside his dead, and spoke to the sons of Hĕth, saying,
Gen 23:4 “I am a foreigner and a sojourner among you. Give me property for a burial site among you, so that I bury my dead from my presence.”
Gen 23:5 And the sons of Hĕth answered Avraham, saying to him,
Gen 23:6 “Hear us, my master: You are a prince of Elohim among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us withholds from you his burial site, from burying your dead.”
Gen 23:7 So Avraham rose and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Hĕth.
Gen 23:8 And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your desire that I bury my dead from my presence, hear me, and approach Ephron son of Tsohar for me,
Gen 23:9 and let me have the cave of Makpĕlah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me for the complete amount of silver, as property for a burial site among you.”
Gen 23:10 And Ephron dwelt among the sons of Hĕth. And Ephron the Hittite answered Araham in the hearing of the sons of Hĕth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,
Gen 23:11 “No, my master, listen to me! I shall give you the field and the cave that is in it. I shall give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I shall give it to you. Bury your dead!”
Gen 23:12 And Avraham bowed himself down before the people of the land,
Gen 23:13 and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If only you would hear me. I shall give the amount of silver for the field, take it from me, and let me bury my dead there.”
Gen 23:14 And Ephron answered Avraham, saying to him,
Gen 23:15 “My master, listen to me! The land is worth four hundred sheqels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.”
Gen 23:16 And Avraham listened to Ephron, and Avraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Hĕth, four hundred sheqels of silver, currency of the merchants.
In this Torah portion we see the first mention of burial. It is noteworthy that Avraham did not cremate his deceased wife. Cremation was a heathen pagan practice.
The commentators also inform us that Avraham paid an excessive amount of money for the burial plot. Why would this be so?
Is it not possible that these Hittites did not actually want Avraham to have any kind of claim to the land. Avraham now had a title deed which in the age to come will give the Hebrews legitimate ownership of this land.
The sons of Chet or the sons of “terror” the descendants of these citizens of Canaan would always be a terror to the seed of Avraham.
“Ephron” means “fawn like” and he may have had a gentle and kind approach, however we see later on in this Torah portion that his name is deliberately misspelled when the “vav” is omitted.(25:9) This could refer to a diminished state of the person and a prophetic warning to never trust any kind of future covenant with his seed. (Palestinians)
The number 400 is possibly significant as it appears three times in Torah portions in Beresheet/Genesis.
The first time in Ber/Gen 15:13 where Yisrael/Israel would be enslaved in Mitsrayim/ Egypt 400 years.
Then here in Ber 23:16 the price Avraham paid for the burial ground would be 400 shekels.
The third time here in Ber 32:6 where Esau comes to meet Yakov with 400 men.
The gematria of “tav” is also 400 and this letter in the ancient Paleo Hebrew was a symbol of the covenant and
looked like a cross. This could refer to the opposition and price that YHVH’s covenant people would face in their life -times.
Appearance of a Tittle: * “ve livkotah” or “and to weep for her”, vs 2, the letter “kaph” is diminished. There are many