Efron who sold Avraham his Cave and the field, originally offered it to Avraham for free however at the time of acquisition he charged Avraham Avinu the exorbitant price of four hundred shekalim. Rashi comments "Efron says a lot but in action offers a little". Efron was not at all embarrassed or ashamed at his price gouging even though he announced his gifting of the entire plot of land to Avraham publicly to the Bnei Cheis community? Also strange was the silence of the Bnei Cheis who were the middlemen between Avraham and Efron why they did not harass Efron for his reneging on his original free offer to Avraham, who they held in the greatest esteem?
Also, a close observation of the wording in the pessukim concerning the sale of Efron's property to Avraham, presents a glaring difficulty. Six times the term of רבק is followed by מת. They are ואקברה מתי, קבור את מתך, מקבור מתך ,יתמ תא רובקל , קבור מתך, ואקברה את מתי. However, the seventh time the word מת precedes the word of קבר as the Torah writes ."ואת מתך קבור" Why is there a seemingly deliberate alteration for the last time?
Thirdly, once Efron decided to change his property from being a gift to a regular sale, from where did he arrive at the price of 400 Shekalim?
First let us deal with the change of the order of death before the burial. This is superbly answered by the Vilna Gaon. When Avraham bought the Meoras Hamachpeilah he purchased it to bury three couples, himself and Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivka, Yaakov and Leah. The head of Aisav was also buried there as the Gemarah in Sota 13b relates, and thereby altogether Avraham needed seven spots. With this we can understand why six times the expression of burying the deceased was introduced with first mentioning the word קבר to be followed by מת. For tzaddikim even when they are dead they are alive. It is only a short time before Techiyas Hameisim that they must die and turn into dust in order for Hashem to resurrect them with a body of complete shelaimus and purity (Shabbos 152). Therefore they are described as קבר first, to bury them "alive" only to die מת right before Techiyas Hameisim. This is in contrast to Eisav, who corresponds to the seventh lashon "your dead you should bury". Eisav at death was really dead רשעים בחייהם נקראים מתים . Therefore concerning Eisav, Efron refers to ואת מתך קבור. (even if Efron did not have this consciously in mind, Hashem orchestrated that he should say in this manner because this was the truth).
Using the interpretation of the Gaon the Ostrovtzer Rebbe answers our first question. Efron from the very beginning intended to give the Meoras Hameichpaila free of charge to Avraham Avinu only for the six places of the Avos and Imahos. For them, death is still called chayim. Their only death is right before Techiyas Hameisim. However, for the spot of Eisav's head, Efron charged him 400 Shekalim for he was brought into the Cave dead as door nail.
Now we will answer the last question how did Efron arrive at the figure 400. When Yaakov received the berachos of Yitzchak instead of Aisav, he ran away from fear that Aisav was out to murder him. Aisav possessed an ayin harah towards Yakkov for stealing his berachos. When he came to meet Yaakov (Vayishlach) he came with four hundred men which frightened Yaakov. The number 400 is significant because it is gematriah רע עין . Aisav understood that to defeat Yaakov he had to come with an ayin rah an evil eye towards him. Yet his own ayin harah was not enough. So he gathered together exactly 400 men to have 400 physical ayin rah towards him. Even the number ד מאות (400) can be read as דלית תאום to remove the twin (Yaakov). For that is the power of an ayin harah to kill and remove someone else's possession even life itself.
Efron shared the same evil eye of Aisav as his name עפרן is also gematriah 400. One who possesses an evil eye cannot see good or positive in anything or anybody, just the negative. That is why he never saw the spiritual light of splendor which lay in the Meoras Hamachpeilah otherwise he never would have sold it for any amount of money. Efron charged Avraham for Aisav's head. The price was for his powerful evil eye which can cause so much destruction עין הרע 400. Efron knew the worth of that eye because he and Aisav were alike in this matter. Aisav's four hundred men took the form of 400 Shekels for Efron's as he placed an evil eye on the Meroas Hamachpeilah under the new ownership of Avraham. Little did he know that Avraham's ayin tovah (Avos 5,19) would block his own ayin raah. Chazal say that Avraham discovered the Meorah while he was occupied with Hachnasas Orchim in the most highest level as the passuk says ואל הבקר רץ אברהם read it as ואל הקבר רץ אברהם by running after the cattle he found the grave. His purchase of Meoras Hameichpalah was rooted with an ultimate ayin tovah the opposite of Efron and Aisav.
The gemarah in Kiddushin 2 learns out from Avraham's purchase of the Meoras Hamachpeilah that the medium of money can be used to marry a wife. One might ask what is the connection of marriage to buying a cave and burial ground? We suggest that the shidduch between the Meoras Hamachpeilah and Avraham Avinu was built on the tremendous chesed and middos tovos displayed by Avraham Avinu for others even when it was very challenging on the third day of his Milah. So too one's marriage must be built on the devotion and dedication of each spouse to one another to perform acts of chesed for each other even when it is uncomfortable and challenging. Coupled with this is the flexing of the middah of ayin tovah one must have for one another, to view one's spouse in a positive outlook, to be מלמד זכות and too be mevatair whenever it is possible. Only then one can bring into the marriage the light of the Meroas Hamachpeilah that Avraham saw and desired so much, in contrast to the darkness of an Efron whose ayin harah only brought to him selfishness and an unfulfilled unhappy life.
Another possible interpretation how Efron arrived at 400 Shekel or Hashem orchestrated the event that Avraham should pay 400 Shekalim, is to understand what what was so special about Aisav's head that it merited a place in the Meoras Hamachpeilah. The passuk says that Yitzchak loved Aisav because ציד בפיו Aisav would feed Yitzchak from his hunting and capturing of animals. The deeper sefarim interpret דיצבפיו to mean Aisav possessed "captured" souls in his mouth, particularly of Rabbe Akivah and Rabbe Meir from whom the foundations of our Torah שבעל פה emerged. They both descended from geirim of Aisav's lineage. Yitzchak's love of Aisav was because of these giant Torah Neshamos that were carried in the head of Aisav. That is the reason why the head of Aisav found its spot in the Meoras Hamachpeila as well.
The number 400 is associated with the Torah .שבעל פה This association begins with Galus Mitzrayim and the Bris Bein Habasarim ועבדום ארבע מאות שנה servitude to Mitzrayim for 400 years. The Medrash at the beginning of Shmos opens with the Chazal התורה וארץ ישראל ועולם הבא נקנית ביסורים. Torah and Eretz Yisrael can only be acquired through suffering and affliction. Chazal are thereby alluding to the fact that Galus Mitzrayim was a preparation and prerequisite for Matan Torah and Eeretz Yisrael. In the Lechem Shlomo he writes that רכוש גדול the great wealth with which Yisrael will leave Mitzrayim is hinting to the receiving of the Torah שבעל פה.
דרשות לחם שלמה דרוש קד והנה מבואר במעשה רוקח שהתורה שבעל פה דהיינו ששה "כקת םהב שי הנשמ יררסג "כקת ואד פרקים ואני מצאתי בהקד ךוניחה רפסב ל"ז ה"ארה תמ שהם תקכ"ב פרקים עיי"ש וכתבתי מזה בהקדמתי לספרי שו"ת לחם שלמה או"ח עיי"ש והנה תבית ש"כרב בג אירטמיתקכ"ב הפ לעבש הרות רפסמכששה סדרי משנה ויצאו בזכות קבלת תורה שבעל פה שהיא גדולה מתורה שבכתב וזה ברכ"ש גדול והבן
It comes out that the 400 years of Galus Mitzrayim was for the Torah שבעל פה . This concept is repeated in Chazal on the passuk of וימררו את חייהם ב רמוחב השק הדובע ובלבנים ובכל עבודה בשדה את כל עבודתם אשר עבדו בהם בפרך (Shmos 1,14) בזוה"ק "וימררו אה חייהם בעבודה קשה " קושיא, "בחומר " אדקל וחומר , "ובלבנים " אד ןוביל הלכה, "ובכל עבודה בשדה " דא ברייתא, "את כל עבודתם אשר עבדו בהם בפרך " דא תיקו.
We see that the hard servitude and embitterment of their lives of galus was for the purpose of Torah שבעל פה .
Even the gemarah in Chagigah 17 states that before the Churban Beis Hamikdash there were 400 Sidrei Mishnayos not only the six Sedarim with which we remained. The galus of Mitzrayim was also to merit Eretz Yisrael which is 400 parsa by 400 parsah to learn and observe the Torah שבעל פה.
This is what the passuk alludes to בית יעקב אש בית יוסף להבה בית עשו לקש . While Yaakov and Yosef are the fire, Aisav is the ק ש the straw which is the gematriah of 400. For the fire of Torah שבעל פה to continue burning, it requires fuel which is the straw of Aisav, referring to the neshamos of Rabbe Akivah and Rabbe Meir who were stored in his head..
As the Ostrovtzer said there was no price to be paid for the Avos and Imahos because they were considered alive even while lying in the cave. The only charge of Efron was for the head of Aisav in honor of the Torah שבעל פה. The number 400 personified it to its fullest.
Gut Shabbos
Rav Brazil
