Parshat Chayei Sara
22 Cheshvan 5768
November 3, 2007
Daf Yomi: Kesovos 63
by:
Shlomo Z. Mostofsky
National President
National Council of Young Israel
Two real
estate transactions. In one transaction the purchaser pays less
than market value for the property. In the other, the full value
of the property is demanded and paid by the purchaser. In the
former deal there is no deed to prove the transaction and there
are no known witnesses to the transaction. In the latter, the
terms of the transaction, and the fact that the transaction took
place in front of an entire town, was recorded for prosperity in
the most authoritative best selling non-fiction book of all
time. Both of the properties that were purchased became the
capital of the country in which it was situated. In the former
case the transaction has never been challenged. In the latter
case the transaction has beeen challenged, not only by the
descendants of the sellers, but by the purchasers own
descendants. Of course, I am referring to the purchase of
Manhattan by Peter Minuit and the purchase of Chevron by Avrohom
Aveinu.
Manhattan Island was allegedly purchased from the Indians for
$24.00. The only existing record of the transaction is a letter
sent by Peter Minuit himself.
In contrast, the purchase of the Meoras Hamachpelah / Chevron by
Avrohom Aveinu was far above market value. The land was so
barren that the seller recognized the unfairness of the deal, so
he threw in the fields surrounding the caves that Avrohom
purchased into the sale price. Once Ephron and Avrohom agreed on
the deal the purchase was consummated before all of the
townspeople. The transaction was recorded in the Torah which is
accepted by Jews, Christians and Muslims, as authoritative as to
the events recounted therein.
While on its face it would appear that Ephron got the best of
Avrohom, he was not exactly sold a bill of goods. The Me'am
Lo'ez notes that when Avrohom went to prepare the meal for the 3
malachim who visited him, one of his herd of cattle entered the
Meoras Hamachpelah. Upon entering the cave to retrieve the
animal he realized that Adam and Chava were buried there and the
smell of the cave refreshed him. Avrohom would go there each day
to daven to Ha-Shem. It is also the place where Ha-Shem spoke to
Avrohom. Avrohom also heard Malachim sing that this was the
place that Yitzchak, Yaakov and he would be buried. Each thought
he got the better deal since when he entered cave all he saw was
darkness.
When the Meraglim were sent to spy on Eretz Yisroel, only Calev
and Yehoshua returned with favorable reports. Rashi notes, that
when the passuk says "Vayovo ad Chevron" that Calev went to
daven at the Meoras Hamachpelah that he should not join the
conspiracy against the land. Why did Calev choose to go
precisely to the Meoras Hamachpelah to daven? Surely, he could
have gone to Har Homoriah where the Akeida took place, where
Yaakov had his dream & where the Bais Hamikdash would one day
stand. Obviously, there was some type of mesorah that this was
"the" place to pray.
In Shemen Hatov, Rabbi Bernard Weinberger - former Mora d'asra
Young Israel of Brooklyn, writes that the city was called
Chevron based the word "chibur" to connect. He maintains that
although the souls of the Avos were no longer attached to their
bodies, the Meoras Hamachpelah is a place that connects this
world and the next. Perhaps, this is a further reason for Calev
to have gone there to daven. He knew that this was the place to
go for his prayers to be answered.
Calev was rewarded for his defense of Eretz Yisroel by Chevron
being awarded to him as his portion when the Jews crossed the
Jordan River and divided the land. The Torah states that Calev
was to get the "land he walked on." Sefer Yehoshua states that
Calev was given Chevron according to what Ha-Shem told Yehoshua,
and in Sefer Shoftim it states he was to be given Chevron
"according to the words of Moshe." While, as noted above,
Chevron was not "quality" real estate, Calev was also given the
surrounding fields and cities. Kiryat Arbah was given to the
children of Kehas, the city also served as one of the Arei
Miklat, cities of refuge.
After the death of Shaul Hamelech and his son Yehonoson, Ha-Shem
tells Dovid Hamelech to go to Chevron where he is anointed, or
according to some, re-anointed as king of Klal Yisroel. The
Zohar states that Chevron became the seat of political power and
Dovid was sent there so that his kingdom would be established in
the merit of the Avos who were buried there.
Avrohom knew that one day his children's claim to Chevron would
be challenged. The Ramban states that Avrohom did not bury Sarah
until his transaction with Ephron took place in front of the
entire town. Thus, unlike the purchase of Manhattan Island, the
purchase of Chevron was above fair market value, was witnessed
by an entire town and was recorded in the most respected
historical record of all time.
I doubt, that even through prophecy, Avrohom never thought that
his own children would question their claim to Chevron and limit
the right of Jews to pray at the Meoras Hamachpelah. One can
scarcely imagine the U.S. government entering into negotiations
with any American Indian tribe over the ownership of Manhattan
Island despite the fact that the early "settlers" (even America
had its own settler's movement) sole claim to Manhattan was
based on a self-serving letter sent by Peter Minuit.
As I started drafting this D'var Torah I was reading the
biography of Rabbi Meir Chodosh ZT'L (The Mashgiach), who was
the Mashgiach at the Chevron Yeshiva during the 1929 Arab
massacre. Rabbi Chodosh survived the attack by playing dead.
One of his students questioned him about the "land for peace
policy." He ultimately responded: "What is clear, is that the
hatred will not go away through the return of land. It's not the
territory that caused the Arabs to hate us; we experienced this
massacre in Chevron even before the State of Israel was founded,
when we lived in apparent friendship with our Arab neighbors. It
is known that Eisav hates Yaakov. There's no way to prevent
that."
The fate of the Jewish Gaza refugees and the people of Sderot
has shown the fallacy of "land for peace." Yet, even as I write
these words, the Arabs are destroying the Temple Mount that
Israelis are contemplating placing under official Arab
sovereignty at upcoming "peace" talks. Now more than ever we
need to hold on tight to Chevron and pray at the Meoras
Hamachpelah and elsewhere for the redemption of all Jews, and
the renewal of the kingdom of David through the coming of
Moshiach.
Shabbat Shalom.
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