FROM THIS WEEK’S TORAH PORTION - CHAYYEY SARAH:

Proof of Purchase!

“And Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years, the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Qiryath Arba, that is Chevron, in the land of Kena’an, and Avraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Then Avraham rose up from beside his dead, and spoke to the sons of Cheth, saying, ‘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.’ And the sons of Cheth answered Avraham, saying to him, ‘Hear us, my master: You are a prince of Elohim among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial-sites. None of us withholds from you his burial-site, from burying your dead.’ So Avraham rose and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Cheth. 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 Tsochar for me, and let me have the cave of Makpelah 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.’ And Ephron dwelt among the sons of Cheth. And Ephron the Chittite answered Avraham in the hearing of the sons of Cheth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying, ‘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!’ And Avraham bowed himself down before the people of the land, 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.’ And Ephron answered Avraham, saying to him, ‘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.’ And Avraham listened to Ephron, and Avraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Cheth, four hundred sheqels of silver, currency of the merchants. Thus the field of Ephron which was in Makpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Avraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Cheth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. And after this Avraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Makpelah, before Mamre, that is Chevron, in the land of Kena’an. Thus the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Avraham by the sons of Cheth as property for a burial-site.”