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TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Chapter 23

Translation and Transliteration of 

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1Sara's lifetime—the span of Sara's life—came to one hundred and twenty-seven years.

אוַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה׃

2Sara died in Kiryat Arba—now Chevron—in the land of Canaan; and Avraham proceeded to mourn for Sara and to bewail her.

בוַתָּמָת שָׂרָה בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע הִוא חֶבְרוֹן בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן וַיָּבֹא אַבְרָהָם לִסְפֹּד לְשָׂרָה וְלִבְכֹּתָהּ׃

3Then Avraham rose from beside his dead, and spoke to the Hittites, saying,

גוַיָּקָם אַבְרָהָם מֵעַל פְּנֵי מֵתוֹ וַיְדַבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי־חֵת לֵאמֹר׃

4“I am a resident alien among you; sell me a burial site among you, that I may remove my dead for burial.”

דגֵּר־וְתוֹשָׁב אָנֹכִי עִמָּכֶם תְּנוּ לִי אֲחֻזַּת־קֶבֶר עִמָּכֶם וְאֶקְבְּרָה מֵתִי מִלְּפָנָי׃

5And the Hittites replied to Avraham, saying to him,

הוַיַּעֲנוּ בְנֵי־חֵת אֶת־אַבְרָהָם לֵאמֹר לוֹ׃

6“Hear us, my lord: you are the elect of Hashem among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places; none of us will withhold his burial place from you for burying your dead.”

ושְׁמָעֵנוּ אֲדֹנִי נְשִׂיא אֱלֹהִים אַתָּה בְּתוֹכֵנוּ בְּמִבְחַר קְבָרֵינוּ קְבֹר אֶת־מֵתֶךָ אִישׁ מִמֶּנּוּ אֶת־קִבְרוֹ לֹא־יִכְלֶה מִמְּךָ מִקְּבֹר מֵתֶךָ׃

7Thereupon Avraham bowed low to the people of the land, the Hittites,

זוַיָּקָם אַבְרָהָם וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לְעַם־הָאָרֶץ לִבְנֵי־חֵת׃

8and he said to them, “If it is your wish that I remove my dead for burial, you must agree to intercede for me with Ephron son of Zohar.

חוַיְדַבֵּר אִתָּם לֵאמֹר אִם־יֵשׁ אֶת־נַפְשְׁכֶם לִקְבֹּר אֶת־מֵתִי מִלְּפָנַי שְׁמָעוּנִי וּפִגְעוּ־לִי בְּעֶפְרוֹן בֶּן־צֹחַר׃

9Let him sell me the cave of Machpelah that he owns, which is at the edge of his land. Let him sell it to me, at the full price, for a burial site in your midst.”

טוְיִתֶּן־לִי אֶת־מְעָרַת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ אֲשֶׁר בִּקְצֵה שָׂדֵהוּ בְּכֶסֶף מָלֵא יִתְּנֶנָּה לִי בְּתוֹכְכֶם לַאֲחֻזַּת־קָבֶר׃

10Ephron was present among the Hittites; so Ephron the Hittite answered Avraham in the hearing of the Hittites, all who entered the gate of his town, saying,

יוְעֶפְרוֹן יֹשֵׁב בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי־חֵת וַיַּעַן עֶפְרוֹן הַחִתִּי אֶת־אַבְרָהָם בְּאָזְנֵי בְנֵי־חֵת לְכֹל בָּאֵי שַׁעַר־עִירוֹ לֵאמֹר׃

11“No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and I give you the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

יאלֹא־אֲדֹנִי שְׁמָעֵנִי הַשָּׂדֶה נָתַתִּי לָךְ וְהַמְּעָרָה אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ לְךָ נְתַתִּיהָ לְעֵינֵי בְנֵי־עַמִּי נְתַתִּיהָ לָּךְ קְבֹר מֵתֶךָ׃

12Then Avraham bowed low before the people of the land,

יבוַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַבְרָהָם לִפְנֵי עַם הָאָרֶץ׃

13and spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If only you would hear me out! Let me pay the price of the land; accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.”

יגוַיְדַבֵּר אֶל־עֶפְרוֹן בְּאָזְנֵי עַם־הָאָרֶץ לֵאמֹר אַךְ אִם־אַתָּה לוּ שְׁמָעֵנִי נָתַתִּי כֶּסֶף הַשָּׂדֶה קַח מִמֶּנִּי וְאֶקְבְּרָה אֶת־מֵתִי שָׁמָּה׃

14And Ephron replied to Avraham, saying to him,

ידוַיַּעַן עֶפְרוֹן אֶת־אַבְרָהָם לֵאמֹר לוֹ׃

15“My lord, do hear me! A piece of land worth four hundred shekalim of silver—what is that between you and me? Go and bury your dead.”

טואֲדֹנִי שְׁמָעֵנִי אֶרֶץ אַרְבַּע מֵאֹת שֶׁקֶל־כֶּסֶף בֵּינִי וּבֵינְךָ מַה־הִוא וְאֶת־מֵתְךָ קְבֹר׃

16Avraham accepted Ephron's terms. Avraham paid out to Ephron the money that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites—four hundred shekalim of silver at the going merchants' rate.

טזוַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָהָם אֶל־עֶפְרוֹן וַיִּשְׁקֹל אַבְרָהָם לְעֶפְרֹן אֶת־הַכֶּסֶף אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּאָזְנֵי בְנֵי־חֵת אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שֶׁקֶל כֶּסֶף עֹבֵר לַסֹּחֵר׃

17So Ephron's land in Machpelah, near Mamre—the field with its cave and all the trees anywhere within the confines of that field—passed

יזוַיָּקָם שְׂדֵה עֶפְרוֹן אֲשֶׁר בַּמַּכְפֵּלָה אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵי מַמְרֵא הַשָּׂדֶה וְהַמְּעָרָה אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ וְכָל־הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר בְּכָל־גְּבֻלוֹ סָבִיב׃

18to Avraham as his possession, in the presence of the Hittites, of all who entered the gate of his town.

יחלְאַבְרָהָם לְמִקְנָה לְעֵינֵי בְנֵי־חֵת בְּכֹל בָּאֵי שַׁעַר־עִירוֹ׃

19And then Avraham buried his wife Sara in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre—now Chevron—in the land of Canaan.

v'-a-kha-ray KHAYN ka-VAR av-ra-HAM et sa-RAH ish-TO el m'-a-RAT s'-DAY ha-makh-pay-LAH al p'-NAY mam-RAY HEE khev-RON b'-E-retz k'-NA-an

יטוְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן קָבַר אַבְרָהָם אֶת־שָׂרָה אִשְׁתּוֹ אֶל־מְעָרַת שְׂדֵה הַמַּכְפֵּלָה עַל־פְּנֵי מַמְרֵא הִוא חֶבְרוֹן בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן׃

 23:19   Now Chevron

The names of many Israeli cities have profound sigificance. According to a Midrash quoted by the Ramban, the Hebrew name for Hebron, ‘Chevron’ (חברון), is a contraction of the word chaver (חבר), ‘friend,’ and the word na-eh (נאה) ‘beloved.’ Thus, the very name of the city of Chevron alludes to its most famous resident Avraham, who was the first beloved friend of the Lord, as Hashem says in Sefer Yeshayahu (41:8), “Seed of Avraham My friend.”

Israeli soldiers descending the stairs in front of the Cave of Patriarchs in Chevron.

Kiryat Arba with Chevron in the background

20Thus the field with its cave passed from the Hittites to Avraham, as a burial site.

va-YA-kom ha-sa-DEH v'-ha-m'-a-RAH a-sher BO l'-av-ra-HAM la-a-khu-zat KA-ver may-AYT b'-nay KHAYT

כוַיָּקָם הַשָּׂדֶה וְהַמְּעָרָה אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ לְאַבְרָהָם לַאֲחֻזַּת־קָבֶר מֵאֵת בְּנֵי־חֵת׃

 23:20   Passed from the Hittites to Avraham, as a burial site

Rabbi Moshe Lichtman (b. 1964)

At the time of Sara’s death, Avraham had been living in the Land of Israel for over sixty years, yet this is the first mention of him actually purchasing land. Rabbi Moshe Lichtman, in his book Eretz Yisrael in the Parasha, notes that purchasing the land for Sara’s burial highlights the fundamental truth that one must sacrifice for Eretz Yisrael. It was only after Avraham experienced the hardship of the loss of his wife that he acquired his first piece of property. Lest this be discouraging, Jewish tradition teaches that “the reward is proportionate to the effort” (Ethics of the Fathers, 5:26). Because of the great sacrifice and effort the Jewish people have made in reclaiming Eretz Yisrael, we can be assured that the reward will likewise be great.