Torah Commentary Archives
Chayei Sarah (Sarah's Life)
Gen 23:1-25:18
1Kings 1:1-31
Matthew 8:19-22; 27:3-10
Luke 9:57-62
Why That Piece of Dirt?
The joy Abraham experienced after the “Resurrection” of Isaac was short lived by the news of the death of his wife Sarah. He had never known a time that Sarah was not by his side, as maybe some of his first memories of life were playing next to a well with Sarah as their mothers drew water for the day. Now that chapter of his life has come to an end. Commentators have and will continue to argue if her death was in some way tied to the news she had received regarding the purpose of Abraham taking Isaac for the yearly sacrifice. The fact he is facing is that she has passed on, and the job at hand is to find a proper burial place for his wife.
The account continues with negotiations being made with Efron the Hitti who owns a cave in the field of Makhpelah. In the end, Abraham will pay top dollar plus for this piece of land and the cave. Why? It is just a piece of dirt and just another cave. Anyone who has been to Israel knows that caves are not uncommon.
Tradition tells us that this was not just any old cave, though. It was the cave Adam and Eve were buried in. It may have been easier to know this than one would think. If you look at a timeline of the patriarchs, Abraham probably knew Shem who had visited the site prior to the flood. But why were Adam and Eve buried there? Again, tradition tells us that the cave of Makhpelah was the entrance to the Garden, which had been buried during the flood. Adam and Eve had been buried next to the place the family covenant had began.Abraham, now walking in that covenant, desired his wife to be buried there, and in the future, himself as well.
Was the cave in the field of Makhpelah just a piece of dirt? I guess you would say so if you had no family ties. Consider a cemetery today. It is just another cemetery unless you have family or friends buried there. If you have family or close friends buried there, then you have ties that not only link you to your past, but also to your future as the DNA of your past continues to future generations.
For Abraham, the cave was a link to his past through a DNA called faith. Faith in the covenant of a coming redeemer. As a side note, this cave is in modern day Hebron. The population of Hebron today is about 700 Jews surrounded by over 250,000 Palestinians, most of who would just as soon see all those Jews not only leaving Hebron, but doing so in body bags. So much for Jews not having any faith! Which brings me to my main point.
My desire this year is to bring forth the person of Messiah in the Torah. But can we focus on Messiah without focusing on the place He walked and will walk? In my mind, no! For us to focus on the person of covenant, but not focus on the place the covenant was made and will in the end culminate is to only have a part of the story and only be walking in a part of the message Abraham walked in.
The balance of this Torah portion deals with finding a wife for Isaac. Isaac being a shadow of Messiah, the DNA of the covenant spoken to Adam will end without a bride to bear children. To Abraham, a bride for his son is not just about having grandchildren, it is about the covenant being passed on. It is about the promise of the stars in the sky and the sands of the sea coming to pass through his seed. This brings me to my last point.
What are we as Torah pursuant followers of Messiah focusing on today? Is our focus on:
A. Messiah?
B. The Land where the covenant began and where it will culminate in the end?
C. The continuation and addition to a DNA called covenant faith? If you were hoping to see the last answer of:
All the above, then you are on the same track as one called “Our father Abraham.”
So what does Abraham teach us about Messiah in this Torah portion? He teaches us to never forget the covenant which brought us into the family, to never forget the place that covenant began and will culminate, and never forget we have a job to pass the covenant on to others.