And Avraham listened to Efron, and Avraham weighed out to Efron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the sons of Ches, four hundred shekels of silver, accepted by the merchant.(23:16) There is a difficulty in this Posuk: Why does it say the word oŸ½x §t¤r without a Ÿe, just as it says the first time in the Posuk ¼oŸex §t¤r with a Ÿe?
Another difficulty is: We see when Avraham came looking for a burial place for Sarah (4,5,6), the people of Ches were willing to give Avraham any plot he desired for free. Yet when Avraham meets with Efron, all of a sudden the price rises to an astronomical value of 400 Shekel. Why did Avraham agree to the price, after he was offered the plot for free? Another difficulty in this Posuk that stresses “and Avraham weighed out to Efron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the sons of Ches,”. Where does the sons of Ches come into the picture of 400 Shekel, when they were willing to give it for free?
To better understand this we see that the Midrash on this Posuk connects Efron to a Posuk in Mishlei 28:22, which Shlomo Hamelech states: i ¦M r ©c¥i `Ÿl §e o ¦i ̈r r ©x Wi ¦` oŸed ©l l ̈d §a ¦p EP ¤`Ÿa §i x ¤q ¤g / (cf jf hkan) He who hastens to acquire wealth is a man with an evil eye, and he does not know that deprivation will come upon him.
The commentaries ask on this Midrash, that we see that Efron was a winner, as he was able to extract 400 shekel from Avraham, for something that had no real value to him. The answer is that the Torah states: Avraham said to the people of Ches, Ÿe ½l x ¤W £` Æd ̈l ¥R §k ©O ©d z ³©x ̈r §n z ¤` i À¦l o ¤Y ¦i §e That he -Efron- may give me the Machpelah (double) Cave, which belongs to him, Ed®¥c ̈U d ́¥v §w ¦A x−¤W £` “which is at the end of his field”; for a full price let him give it to me in your midst for burial property." This plot had no real value to anyone! Therefore when we analyze the dialogue between Avraham and Efron, we can clearly understand the Midrash. Avraham was was aware that in the Machpelah cave, were buried Adam and Chava, and Hashem informed Avraham that he too will be buried there with Sarah as well as Yitzchok and Yaakov. For Avraham, the Machpela was worth a vast fortune, and he was willing to pay any price that was asked from him i²¦N d ̈P¬¤p §Y ¦i ` ¹¥l ̈n s ¤q ̧¤k §A Ed®¥c ̈U d ́¥v §w ¦A x−¤W £` Ÿe ½l x ¤W £` Æd ̈l ¥R §k ©O ©d z ³©x ̈r §n.
Now when Efron was approached about selling the Machpela, he saw an opportunity to become wealthy, and asked an exorbitant price of 400 shekel, even though it was worthless.
The proof is that he even added i ¦Y ́©z ̈p Æd ¤c ̈V ©d i ¦p ½¥r ̈n §W i ́¦p Ÿc £` ` «Ÿl ̈di®¦Y ©z §p ́L §l Ÿe −A x ¤W £` d ¬ ̈x ̈r §O ©d §e K ½ ̈l "No, my lord, listen to me. I have given you the field, and the cave that is in it, I have given it to you. Avraham was ready to pay 400 shekel for the Æd ̈l ¥R §k ©O ©d z ³©x ̈r §n alone. Yet Efron conceded and threw in the field for the same 400 shekel, thinking that he outsmarted Avraham! The Torah concludes oŸe Àx §t¤r d ́¥c §U m ̈w ́ ̈I ©e 'eke Ÿe ½A x ¤W £` d ́ ̈x ̈r §O ©d §e Æd ¤c ̈V ©d `®¥x §n ©n i ́¥p §t ¦l x−¤W £` d ½ ̈l ¥R §k ©O ©A Æx ¤W £` d− ̈p §w ¦n §l m¬ ̈d ̈x §a ©` §l And so the field of Efron which was in Machpelah, facing Mamre, was established as Abraham's possession. “This included the field” and the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within its entire border around. It was to Abraham as a possession.
This is what Shlomo Hamelech meant He -Efron- who hastens to acquire wealth is a man with an evil eye, and he does not know that deprivation will come upon him. In his haste and evil eye, he relinquished and lost the field at no gain. This is why it says oŸ½x §t¤r without a Ÿe. Afterwards Efron did his research and found that the cave was very important to Avraham, which was really worth more then the 400 shekel. Then he also gave away the field for free, and Efron now realized that he was outsmarted by Avraham. But he was helpless and could not do anything avout it, as the sons of Ches were willing to give him everything for free. Besides Efron himself offered the field as a throw in. Hence, Efron could not renege on the price and the cave and the field became Avraham’s property.
After Efron received the money, the Torah concludes m ̈w ́ ̈I ©e m¬ ̈d ̈x §a ©` §l 'ebe oŸe Àx §t¤r d ́¥c §U The word m ̈w ́ ̈I ©e can also be used a stood up. Therefore Tzaddikim explain here that the field became elevated in Kedusha as it became the property of a Tzaddik. Whereas the cave was already elevated by Adam and Chava. An object of a tzaddik carries the Kedusha of the Tzaddik for eternity.
This is a powerful lesson, when someone sells or gives to another with an evil eye, deprivation will ensue. o¦i ©−r aŸe «h K ® ̈xŸa §i `E ́d He who has a generous eye will be blessed, Mishlei 22:9 Be generous to another and be blessed. (Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
