Ridzav, the Cave and Overpaying For What We Value
Adapted from Rabbi Braun’s sermon in 5772
Rabbi Yaakov David ben Zeev Wilovsky was a monstrous scholar and sage. (And a great grandfather to our own, Norman Konvitz) He wrote a commentary to the Torah called Nimukei Ridzav and I was fascinated by his attention to detail as he read the story of the Cave of Machpela. I would like to take you through his analysis and then try and find a relevant message for us today.
Questions:
- Why at the beginning of this parsha does Avraham not ask for the cave of Machpela? He only requests a burial plot and later specifically asks for the cave of Machpela.
- Why initially does the Torah call it the cave of Machpela while later it is called the field of Machpela?
- In the verse, if my master will listen it says “the field I will give to you and the cave that I gave you that is on the land to you I will give.” With regard to the field “I will give” precedes “to you” while regarding the cave “to you” precedes “I will give”. Why is that?
- Why initially is it called a field and later it is called “land”, as it says “a land worth 400 silver shekel?
- Why is it called “the field of Ehpron that is in Machpela” while originally it was called the cave of Machpela and later the field of Machpela? And other small details…
Answer: Avraham thought that if he asked for the cave immediately everyone would understand that the cave was important. Ehpron did not value the cave at all. Our sages explained that Ephron never saw anything but darkness and chaos in that field, and the field was worth nothing to him. The holiness of the cave was not apparent to him. It was not a place that anything could grow, and because of the darkness, it was not a good place to store items.
To Avraham, however it was valuable because of its holiness. And if Avraham began by asking for the cave specifically, Ephron would have realized that it was for some reason desirable to Avraham and he would have asked for a lot of money. Therefore Avraham asked just for a burial plot, tenu li achuzat kever imachem- amongst the Hittite burial plots.
Avraham assumed that there was no way that the Hittites would allow an alien (a ger) to be buried amongst them as it was against local law and custom, and he would then be “forced” to purchase the cave because it stood alone and was not among the other burial plots. Ehpron, not understanding how valuable the cave actually was to Avraham would sell it to him at a reduced cost.
Avraham did not anticipate they would respond “you are a prince among us; in the choicest of our grave you may bury your dead.” That left Avraham with no choice but to specifically request the cave. At first he asked for just the cave at the end of his land but did not ask for the land itself. To that Ephron responded, no my master, listen I will give you the field- I will give you more than you asked for- the whole field as a gift and the cave that is on it to you I will give it, in other words, the cave that is upon it is not worth anything, and would not be considered a present to anyone but you. For any other person this would not be considered a present at all.
“To you I will give it” signifies the value of the land only to Avraham. (I will give IT to you puts the focus on “it”(the field), while to YOU I will give it puts the focus on you and not the field. Avraham hated presents and therefore requested that Ephron sell him the field.
At that point he also revealed his true desire which was to purchase the field for the burial cave. Ephron now understood that if Avraham was willing to buy the entire field just for the cave, it must be worth a lot to him and therefore he names an exorbitant price, 400 silver shekels.
The use of the word,” land” as opposed to field or cave indicates that Ephron understood that he was overcharging. He was embarrassed to use either specific term because neither was worth anywhere near that amount. He did not have the chutzpah to ask for that money for the specific items and instead charges for the land.
In order to illustrate that the value is in the cave and not the land, the Torah calls the field by the (name of the cave. It is the cave that gives the field importance and not the other way around. (Answer to question 5 above)
The continuation of the verse, “in front of Mamre, the land and the cave that is upon it and every tree” is the perspective of the Hittites. For them the value is in the land, and then comes the cave and the trees. Those same perspectives are captured in the next verse as well and are illustrated by the way in which the cave and land are referred to.
“After this Avraham buries his wife in the cave of the field of Machpela; the field is named for the cave which is the critical piece. “and the field, and cave that was upon it were established as a burial plot for Avraham from the people of Chet. For the people of Chet, it was the field and then the cave.
I was impressed. He manages to take one idea and use it to explain all the changes and anomalies in the text. But I was left with one last question.
What is the point? Why does the Torah include these varying perspectives and the negotiation that ensues based on them? At first I was baffled but on further reflection I think that it speaks to us today in a two very real ways.
- How valuable Me’arat Hamachpela is, and in general the spiritual quality of the land of Israel and our attachment to it is a real issue today. Our relationship to the other people living in the land and our respective feelings toward the land is a real issue today. We can only hope that Avraham’s love for the land and his appreciation of the holiness of the land has become a part of our collective Jewish DNA.
- When the “other” becomes aware that we value something or someone, they know that we will pay an exorbitant outrageous price for it, and we do. This really hit home with the release of Gilad Schalit. The “other” knew how much we valued each and every Jewish soldier, they asked for an exorbitant and outrageous price for it, and we paid it. In this regard there are two differences between then and now, one good and the other bad.
At least amount. No such luck today. - Avraham was trying to hide appreciation of the land Ephron was embarrassed to ask for an obscenebecause he was the foreigner. We thankfully no longer need to hide that as we are full sovereign residents nor should we ever hide the value that we place on each Jewish soldier and life. Those are things that we should broadcast to the world with great pride.
