Deep Connection to the Land of Israel.

Just how far back does Jewish connection to the land of Israel go? For many it dates back to a moment in this week’s Torah portion, Chaya Sarah. The parsha opens with the announcement of the death of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. It teaches the idea of establishing a family burial plot. It was common in ancient Israel for people to be buried in caves. Immediately after Sarah’s death, Abraham sets out to procure a burial cave for Sarah and his family. We read about the purchase of the cave of Machpelah, found in the ancient city of Hebron. We see Abraham, a guest in the land, negotiating and insisting upon the purchase of a burial place for Sarah from Ephron the Hittite. The commentators linger over one striking detail: when Ephron offers the field and the cave “to me, my lord, as a gift,” Abraham nevertheless replies, “No, please, listen to me, I will give you the price of the field.” He pays the full price and secures the deed.

Our tradition teaches many lessons from Abraham’s insistence on buying the land outright. One is the sanctity of acting with integrity. Abraham will not accept charity when an honest transaction is possible. Another lesson is the insistence on a legal and public claim. Ownership is not only a private feeling or historic memory, but a matter established in the marketplace, in the presence of witnesses. The rabbis point to this purchase as part of the chain that links our people to the land of Israel, not just by faith or memory, but by physical deed in the sight of people who lived here.

From this narrative flows a theological and communal argument that the Jewish connection to the land is rooted in both the covenant between God and Abraham and in concrete action between the Hittites and Abraham. Abraham’s willingness to pay reflects a moral and legal claim. For many in our tradition, this episode is one of the foundational moments that demonstrate our enduring ties to Israel.

The Cave of Machpelah and the city of Hebron have, for close to 3000 years, held a holy, spiritual, and sacred place not only to Jews but also to Muslims who trace their heritage back to father Abraham. Over the past many centuries, it has been a place of both peace and conflict. In modern times, it has often been a source of violence.

It is our hope and prayer that one day the city can become an example of how two people born of the same father can honor their patriarch's memory and establish a place of peaceful coexistence.

Rabbi Bradley Tecktiel