Bar’chu
et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed! Baruch ata YHVH
Eloheinu
melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu eht Torah-to.
Baruch
atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH,
the blessed One for all eternity. 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.)
Gen 23:1 And
Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.
א וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה
The
numerical value of the opening term of this Parasha (vayih’yu) adds up to the
sum of 37, which is the same as the difference between the age of Sarah from
when she gave birth to Yichak at 90 years old and her death at 127. This means that Yitchak was 37 years when she
died. She is the only
woman whose age is mentioned in Scripture
It is said that
Sarah was one hundred years old and twenty seven years old. The Torah mentions this age by stating the 100 and the 20 and the 7 separately. 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. Sarah lived a long and blessed
life. She may have been barren for many years but she was richly rewarded for
her patience. This is true for all those who are on the journey of Messianic
restoration.
This Torah portion is titled “Chai Sarah” or the life of Sarah.
It may appear strange to call this section the life of Sarah when it actually
tells us about her death.
Gen 23:2 And Sarah
died in Qiryath Arba, that is Ḥeḇron, in the land of Kenaʽan, and Aḇraham
came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
There is an
appearance of a Tittle(marking) over “ve livkotah” or “and to weep for her”, vs
2, the letter “kaph” is diminished. There are many possible interpretations;
this could possibly suggest that this diminished “kuph” from the root word
“bakah” or “weep” points to the resurrection. Death for those who have the life
of YHVH is not final; it is merely a state of rest in which one waits for YHVH
for the resurrection at the appointed time when Yahshua comes back. Our
weeping, for those who have died, however sad is not so sad when we have within
us the hope of the first resurrection.
The “kuph” could be a hand over a weeping face. This is a small hand which speaks of a lesser
grief than the one Yahshua (or His Father) would have experienced at the
rejection of a “bride” who was refusing to recognize her Bridegroom.
Luk 19:41 And as He came near, He saw the city and
wept over it,
Luk 19:42 saying, “If you only knew even today, the
matters for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
“There
is a custom at the Friday night Shabbos table to sing the ancient hymn known as
"Eshes Chayil" - A Woman of Valor - which is found in the concluding
chapter of the Book of Proverbs. The Midrash cites a tradition that it was
composed by Avraham as a eulogy to Sarah, and it later became part of the Book
of Proverbs (Midrash Tanchuma on Genesis 24:1). Within this eulogy to Sarah, we
find the following words of praise:
"She spreads out her palm to the poor and extends her
hands to the destitute." (Proverbs 31:20)
The Midrash teaches that the doors of Sarah's tent
"were open wide" - a metaphor for her warm hospitality; moreover,
"a blessing was bestowed upon her dough" (Genesis Rabbah 60:16). In his
commentary on this Midrash, the Tiferes Zion, a 20th century sage of Jerusalem,
explains that the "blessing" on her dough means that she was able to
feed all the needy guests; there was always enough for everyone.
Gen 23:3 Then
Aḇraham rose up from beside his dead, and spoke to the sons of Ḥĕth, 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.”
Heth or Cheth in
Hebrew means “terror” sons of terror. We learn from this that Hebrews will face
opposition and even “terror” from the people of this world. We will also be
exploited as Avraham was by paying as much as 25 times more for the burial plot
than he should have.
This
is the first time we encounter a Hebrew burial. Hebrews did not
cremate their dead as the heathen nations did. To this day the dead are treated
with great respect. We see that Avraham is sitting or lying on the ground next
to Sarah (today this is still a custom for people who mourn to sit and sleep on
the ground) We come from the ground and we return to the ground.
Gen 23:5 And the
sons of Ḥĕth answered Aḇraham, 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
Aḇraham rose and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Ḥĕth.
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 Tsoḥar for me,
Gen 23:9 and let
me have the cave of Maḵpĕlah 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 Ḥĕth. And Ephron the Ḥittite answered Aḇraham
in the hearing of the sons of Ḥĕth, 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
Aḇraham 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 Aḇraham, 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
Aḇraham listened to Ephron, and Aḇraham weighed out the silver for Ephron
which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Ḥĕth, four hundred sheqels of
silver, currency of the merchants.