Did Abraham Overpay for the Cave of Machpela?

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?

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?

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...
Do Camels Prove the Bible is False?

Do Camels Prove the Bible is False?

A 2014 article in the New York Times, “Camels had no Business in Genesis” argues that although camels appear frequently in Genesis, they weren’t even domesticated until several hundred years after the Patriarchs lived, implying that the Bible can’t be true.  The...