Ziv Parashat Hayei Sarah

Sister of ours, may there spring from you thousands and tens of thousands !

This reading shows two different situations where generosity is demonstrated. They seem to be alike, but their consequences are very different. We see Ephron, inhabitant of Canaan, proposing a plot of land to Abraham who is mourning Sara, the first matriarch of Israel. At first sight, this seems extraordinarily generous… and yet, Abraham refuses the proposal. Thus, he takes the risk of publicly offending the generous donor. It is noticeable that the scene is public: the text says that Ephron proposes a price to Abraham - an exorbitant amount of money: four hundred shekels, which at the time was enough to live many years. He says: what is that between you and me?.. The wise patriarch understood Ephron’s trap: while giving freely his field in the sight of all, he made Abraham his “debtor”, and himself a protector. He would thus deprive Abraham of a part of his freedom. Fortunately, Abraham sees the danger clearly, and is ready to pay the price for his freedom. It is the covenant that is at stake. Thus, for the first time, a part of the land of Canaan is bought. There are two other places in the Bible where a land is bought: in Shechem, to bury Joseph (Genesis 33:18 ff., and Joshua 24:32), and the field of Araunah the Jebusite, where the Temple will be built (2 Samuel 24:18-25). The huge amount of money that is claimed by Ephron gives us an idea of what he hoped to obtain from Abraham…

Later on, we see Rebecca drawing water from the well to give it to Eliezer’s camels, a difficult task that she accepts to perform for a total stranger… The rest of the story is well known: Eliezer is recognizes in this woman the wife that he is seeking for Isaac, son of Abraham. It is this free and generous gesture of Rebecca that will be the sign that she is the chosen one. She is chosen to “build the house of Israel” as it is said in the book of Ruth (4:11) to perpetuate the covenant concluded with Abraham.

In the stories of the patriarchs, many encounters take place near some well in the desert. According to tradition, this is a sign of the Torah, the word of life that allows us to keep the covenant. This is what the prophet Amos says (8:11) : “Not hunger for food, not thirst for water but famine for hearing the word of God” and Isaiah “The country will be full of knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (11:9) It is the patriarchs who began to dig wells i.e. to receive the revelation of the law. The well is also a sign of fecundity: it is given by God, as we see in the lives of the mothers of Israel. Rebecca herself will give birth only after the prayer of Isaac. Shabbat shalom.