Torah Stories By Hannah Parasha Chayei Sarah

This week’s story starts with the death of Sarah.  Sarah became one hundred and twenty seven years old.  Sarah died in Kiriath-arba, now Hebron, in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.  Then Abraham rose from next to his dead, and spoke to the Hittites, saying:  “I am a stranger among you: sell me a burial site, that I may bury my dead.”  And the Hittites replied: “Hear us, my lord: you are the elect of G-d among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none of us will withhold his burial place from you for burying your dead.” Abraham bowed down to the people of the land, the Hittites and said to them, “If it is your wish that I remove my dead for burial, you must be prepared to intercede for me with Ephron son of Zohar. Let him sell me the cave of Machpelah, that he owns, which is at the edge of his land.  Let him sell it to me for the full price, for a burial site in your midst.”

(Picture below found at: http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Judaism/machpelah.html )

Ephron was present among the Hittites; so Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham so that all the Hittites heard, of all that went in at the gate of his town, saying:  “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you; in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.” Then Abraham bowed low before the people of the land, and spoke to Ephron so that the people of the land all heard, saying: “If only you will hear me out! Let me pay the price of the land; accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.”  And Ephron replied to Abraham, saying to him: “My lord, do hear me! A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver - what is that between you and me? Go and bury your dead.”  Abraham accepted Ephron’s terms. Abraham paid out to Ephron the money that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites - four hundred shekels of silver, at the going merchant’s rate.

So Ephron’s land in Machpelah, near Mamre, the field with its cave and all the trees that were in the field, that were in the confines of the field – passed to Abraham as his possession in the presence of the Hittites, of all that went in at the gate of his town. And then Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah facing Mamre - now Hebron - in the land of Canaan. Thus the field with its cave passed from the Hittites to Abraham, as a burial site.

Abraham was now old, advanced in years; and HaShem had blessed Abraham in all things.  And Abraham said to the senior servant, of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Put your hand under my thigh and I will make your swear by HaShem, the G-d of heaven and the G-d of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to the country of my birth and take a wife for my son, Yitzchak.” And the servant said to him: “What if the woman does not consent to follow me to this land; must I take your son back to the land from which you came?” Abraham answered him: “On no account must you take my son back there!  HaShem, the G-d of heaven, who took me from my father's house, and from my native land, and who promised me on oath, saying, “I will assign this land to your offspring” -  He will send His angel before you, and you will get a wife for my son from there.  And if the woman does not consent to follow you, then you shall be clear from oath to me; but do not take my son back there.”  So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham, and swore to him concerning this matter.

 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and set out; taking with him all the bounty of his master; and went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor. He made the camels kneel down by the well outside the city, at evening time, the time when women come out to draw water. And he said: “Oh HaShem, G-d of my master Abraham, grant me good fortune this day, and deal graciously with my master Abraham. Here I stand by the spring as the daughters of the townsmen come out to draw water; let the maiden to whom I say: ‘Please lower your jar that I may drink,’  and who replies, “Drink, and I will also water your camels’ -  let her be the one whom You have  decreed for Your servant Yitzchak. Thereby shall I know that You have dealt graciously with my master.”

He had scarcely finished speaking when Rivkah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out, with her jar on her shoulder.  The maiden was very beautiful, a virgin, whom no man had known. She went down to the fountain, and filled her jar, and came up. The servant ran to meet her, and said: “Please let me sip a little water out of your jar.” “Drink, my lord” she said, and she quickly lowered her jar upon her hand, and let him drink. When she had let him drink until he had enough, she said: “I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking.” Quickly emptying her jar into the trough, she ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.

The man, meanwhile, stood gazing at her; silently wondering whether HaShem had made his errand successful or not. When the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets of gold for her hands weighing ten shekels.  “Pray, tell me,” he said: “Whose daughter are you? Is there room in your father's house for us to spend the night?” She replied: “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”  And she went on: “There is plenty of straw and feed at home, and also room to spend the night.”  The man bowed in honour before HaShem, and said: “Blessed be HaShem, the G-d of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His steadfast faithfulness from my master. For I have been guided on my errand by HaShem, to the house of my master's family.”

The maiden ran and told all this to her mother's household.  Now Rivkah had a brother whose name was Laban. Laban ran out to the man at the spring. – When he saw the ring and the bracelets on his sister's arms, and when he heard his sister Rivkah say: “Thus the man spoke to me,” he came to the man who was still standing beside the camels at the fountain. And he said: “Come in, oh blessed of HaShem,” why do you remain outside, when I have made ready the house, and a place for the camels?” So the man entered the house, and the camels were unloaded. The camels were given straw and feed, and water was brought to wash his feet and the feet of the men with him. But when food was set before him, he said: “I will not eat, until I have told my tale.” He said: “Speak, then.”

“I am Abraham's servant,” he began. HaShem has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich: He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys.”  And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him everything he owns. Now my master made me swear, saying: “You shall not get a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell; but you shall go to my father's house, to my family, and get a wife for my son.”  And I said to my master:  ‘What if the woman does not follow me?’  He replied to me: ‘HaShem, whose ways I have followed, will send His angel with you, and make your errand successful; and you will get a wife for my son from my family, and from my father's house.   Then shall you be clear from my oath; if, when you come to my family; they refuse you – only then shall you be clear from my oath.’

I came today to the fountain, and said: O HaShem, G-d of my master Abraham, if You would indeed grant me success to the errand on which I am engaged! Do prosper my way which I go: As I stand by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, and to whom I say: ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’ and who answers, ‘You may drink, and I will also draw for your camels’ - let her be the wife whom HaShem has decreed for my master's son.’  I had scarcely finished praying in my heart, when Rivkah came out with her jar on her shoulder; and went down to the spring and drew. And I said to her: ‘Please give me a drink,’ she quickly lowered her jar and said: ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels. So I drank, and she watered the camels. I asked her, and said: ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said: The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ And I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her arms. Then I bowed my head, and worshipped HaShem, and blessed HaShem, the G-d of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right way to get my master's brother's daughter for his son. And now if you mean to treat my master with true kindness, tell me; and if not, tell me also; that I may turn right or left.”

 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said:  “The matter was decreed by HaShem; we cannot speak to you bad or good.  Here is Rivkah before you; take her and go, and let her be a wife to your master's son, as HaShem has spoken.” When Abraham's servant heard their words, he bowed low to the ground before HaShem. The servant brought out objects of silver and gold, and garments, and gave them to Rivkah; and he gave presents to her brother and mother. Then he and the men with him ate and drank, and they spent the night. When they arose the next morning, he said: “Send me away to my master.” But her brother and her mother said: “Let the maiden stay with us a few days, at least ten days, then you may go.” He said to them: “Do not delay me now that HaShem has made my errand successful. Give me leave that I may go to my master.”  And they said: “Let us call the maiden, and ask for her reply.”  They called Rivkah and said to her: “Will you go with this man?” And she said: “I will.”  So they sent off their sister Rivkah and her nurse, along with Abraham's servant and his men. And they blessed Rivkah, and said to her:

“Oh sister,

May you grow

Into thousands of myriads,

May your offspring seize

The gates of their enemies.”

 Then Rivkah and her maids arose, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rivkah, and went his way.

Yitzchak had just come back from the vicinity of Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the region of the Negeb. And Yitzchak went out to walk in the field toward evening and, looking up, he saw camels approaching.  Rivkah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Yitzchak, she alighted from the camel and said to the servant:  “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?”  And the servant said: “It is my master.” And she took her veil, and covered herself. The servant told Yitzchak all the things that he had done. Yitzchak then brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rivkah, and she became his wife; and he loved her.  And thus Yitzchak found comfort after his mother’s death.

Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And Jokshan produced Sheba and Dedan. And the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.  And the descendants of Midian were Ephah, and Epher, and Enoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. And Abraham gave all that he had to Yitzchak, but to the sons of the concubines, that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living; and he sent them away from Yitzchak his son, eastward, to the land of the East.

This was the total span of Abraham’s life: One hundred and seventy five years. And Abraham breathed his last, dying at a good ripe age, old and contented; and he was gathered to his people.  His sons Yitzchak and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre, the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites; there Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.  After the death of Abraham, G-d blessed his son Yitzchak; and Yitzchak settled near Beer-lahai-roi.

This is the line of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's slave, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, in the order of their birth:  the first-born of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, and Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedmah. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and by their encampments; twelve chieftains of as many tribes. -  These were the years of the life of Ishmael:  One hundred and thirty seven years; and he breathed his last and died; and was gathered to his people. - They dwelt from Havilah to Shur which is close to Egypt, all the way to Asshur: they camped alongside their people.