The Portion of Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1-25:18)
This portion of Chayei Sarah focuses on the death of Sarah and Abraham’s quest to find a wife for their son, Isaac. Although Abraham disapproves of the local women, he does not want Isaac to leave the Land of Israel to find his wife. Abraham thus sends a servant in...
Did Abraham Overpay for the Cave of Machpela?
My grandfather, Rabbi David Stavsky always loved sharing his insights into the weekly Torah portion. Every year, when we would read about the burial of Sarah in Hebron, my grandfather would ask, how did Abraham and Ephron settle on the price of 400 silver shekels for...
Why Do So Many Bible Stories Take Place at a Well?
This is the first story in the Torah to take place at a well, but not the last. Here, Eliezer travels to a foreign land, stops at a well where he encounters a future bride, a series of hurried movements, and running around to bring news of the stranger’s arrival,...
Do Jews Believe in the Afterlife?
After 175 years, Abraham passes away and the Torah uses a very specific formula to describe what happens to him: he was gathered to his kin. Isaac (Genesis 35:29) and Jacob (Genesis 49:33) are similarly described, as are Moses (Deuteronomy 33:50) and Aaron (Numbers...
