When Sarah our mother passed away, Avraham Avinu desired to purchase the cave of Machpeilah as her burial place from Efron ben Tzochar. But we see from the pessukim that at first Avraham didn’t approach Efron. ָקָם אַ בְרָ הָם מֵעַל פְּנֵי מֵתוֹ וַי – Avraham got up from his dead, from Sarah,ֵ ר אֶ ל וַ יְ דַ ב ב – and he spoke to the Bnei Cheis (Bereishis 23:3). Instead of speaking directly to Efron he appealed to the townspeople, to Efron’s neighbors: נ ִ י שׁ ְ מָ ע ו – “If you would please listen to me,” Avraham said to them,ֶן צֹחַר ְעֶפְרוֹן ב לִי ב פִגְעו ו – “and approach Efron and make this request on my behalf” (ibid. 8).
“Be my agents,” said Avraham, “and try to get Efron to consent to the sale.” That’s what the Medrash Rabbah (58:7) says about this expression לִ י פִ גְ עו ו. Avraham was asking them, נִ י לִ י סַ רְ סְ ר ו – “Act as middlemen for me. Do what you can; apply some pressure, maybe sweet-talk him too, and make it happen.”
And we understand right away what Avraham’s strategy was. Maybe if he would have asked directly it would have been more difficult for Efron to acquiesce. He would have been more hesitant and made difficulties. But when it was the people of the community coming to make the request it would be easier for Efron to yield. Sometimes a group of people can more readily gain their request than an individual.
Whatever the reason, that’s what Avraham did. He said to the Bnei Cheis ֶן צֹחַ ר ְעֶפְרוֹן ב לִי ב פִ גְעו ו – Do me a favor and meet up with Efron on my behalf. That's what it means פגע. Like it says elsewhere about Yaakov Avinu, ַ מּ ָ ק וֹ ם ַ ע ב ִ פְ ג וַ י – and he met up with a certain place. Here too it means the same thing: לִ י פִ גְ עו ו – Meet up with Efron for me.
