From the Cave of Machpela to the Grotto of the Rock

(The end of Bereshit and the beginning of Sh'mot)

The conclusion of Parashat 'Vayigash' is strongly linked to the beginning of Parashat 'Vayechi'. We can see this in the writing itself – there is no break between Vayigash and Veyechi. There is no space between the ending of one parasha and the beginning of another. In the words of our sages, this is a 'Parasha s'tumah' – a closed Parasha.[1]

Today we will deal with the link between the Parshiot, and in particular the transition from Sefer Bereshit to Sefer Sh'mot.

Let's turn our attention to the text[2]:

"Israel settled in the country of Egypt, in the region of Goshen; they acquired holdings in it, and were fertile and increased greatly".

Bear in mind that this was a time when the Jewish community of Goshen was developing rapidly. Bear in mind also, that this description grates harshly in light of was happening in Egypt at the time. Joseph was appropriating Egyptian land! While the erstwhile residents were wandering from place to place, the Jewish community was settled, contented and fertile, on Egyptian territory. The continuation of the process described in Shmot[3]: "But the Israelites were fertile and prolific; they multiplied and increased very greatly, so that the land was filled with them," will culminate in: "A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph." It is only natural that when the Jewish community flourishes in Egypt, anti-Semitism rears its ugly head.

We have before us Jacob's last will and testament. It starts out in general terms, becoming more specific later in the Parasha:

"Jacob lived seventeen years in the land of Egypt, so that the span of Jacob's life came to one hundred and forty-seven years. And when the time approached for Israel to die, he summoned his son Joseph and said to him, "Do me this favor, place your hand under my thigh as a pledge of your steadfast loyalty: please do not bury me in Egypt. When I lie down with my fathers, take me up from Egypt and bury me in their burial-place." He replied, "I will do as you have spoken."

There are two aspects to Jacob's request. One is negative "please do not bury me in Egypt" and the second is positive: "When I lie down with my fathers, take me up from Egypt and bury me in their burial-place."

Further along we will again encounter Jacob's last will regarding his burial. With these words Jacob is in effect taking leave of those who surround him[4]:

"Then he instructed them, saying to them, "I am about to be gathered to my kin. Bury me with my fathers in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave which is in the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site – there Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah."

Jacob asks to be buried in the cave of Machpelah. He brings a lengthy explanation: …"there Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah" to show that the fathers, of whom Jacob is one, are all buried there. But then Jacob tacks on a rider which, taken at face value, is unclear, to say the least. Not only that, but these are the last words spoken by our father Jacob: "… the field and the cave in it, bought from the Hittites."

Immediately after that we read:

"When Jacob finished his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and, breathing his last, he was gathered to his people."

So the question arises: what is the meaning of these last few words, before Jacob departed this life? Not only that, but the plain meaning of the words is equally unclear. After all, why should this concern his sons? Why did Jacob feel it was important for them to know that the field was purchased from the Hittites? Let's leave that for now.

Jacob's sons do as he asked –the Egyptian dignitaries accompanied them as far as Goren ha-Atad, and they continued on from there, bearing their father's bier. The Torah describes it as follows[5]:

"His sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham had bought for a burial site from Ephron the Hittite."

Once again, the refrain is repeated: "which Abraham had bought for a burial site from Ephron the Hittite…" Once again the burial of Jacob in the field of Machpelah is linked to the transaction with Ephron and the Hittites.

In actual fact, the emphasis is not only on Jacob but on Abraham as well[6]:

"And Abraham breathed his last, dying at a good ripe age, old and contented; and he was gathered to his kin. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre, the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites; there Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife."

Again the emphasis: "… the field that Abraham bought from the Hittites." As it was with Jacob, so too with Abraham, these were the words that closed the chapter of his life. Immediately afterwards we read:

"After the death of Abraham, God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac settled near Beer-lahai-roi."

The Radak comments on the fact that each mention of the cave is followed by a description of how it was purchased[7]:

"The field – wherever the burial is mentioned so, too, is the transaction."

He explains as follows:

"This is to show the fondness of our father Abraham, who did not find a fitting burial place until he purchased it. He did not think about the words of G-d who told him: All the land that you behold will I give unto you and your descendents for ever."

So according to the Radak, the purchase is mentioned to tell us that despite the fact that Abraham could not find a burial place, and despite the fact that the Almighty told him that the whole land is his, he did not think about the words of G-d. And so, in the opinion of some of our sages, Abraham's tenth test was the burial of Sarah.

But some things must still be clarified: what links this test to Abraham's other tests, which repeatedly affirm his virtues?

Something else which must be addressed, which also touches on this issue, is the story of Joseph's burial. Joseph instructs the Children of Israel as follows[8]:

"So Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, 'When G-d has taken notice of you, you shall carry up my bones from here.' Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt."

But the actual burial of Joseph is only described in the Book of Joshua[9]:

"After these events, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten years. They buried him on his own property, at Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. Israel served the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and the lifetime of the elders who lived on after Joshua, and who had experienced all the deeds that the Lord had wrought for Israel."

This is followed by the description of Joseph's burial:

"The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought for a hundred kesitahs from the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, and which had become a heritage of the children of Joseph."

Once again, the text emphasizes that the place where he was buried was purchased by Jacob for one hundred kesitahs.

From all that we have seen, it is clear that when Hebron and Shechem are mentioned, mention is also made of the fact that they were purchased from the local inhabitants. We will explore this further.

Our sages discuss the matter in light of the words spoken by Moses to the Almighty[10]:

"Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'O Lord, why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did You send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse with this people; and still You have not delivered Your people.'"

And G-d replies:

"Then the Lord said to Moses, "You shall soon see what I will do to Pharaoh: he shall let them go because of a greater might; indeed, because of a greater might he shall drive them from his land."

But His next words apparently have no connection with the foregoing:

"G-d spoke to Moses and said to him, 'I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name Elokim.'"

Moses comes to complain before G-d, who replies "You shall soon see….". Our sages interpret this to mean "You will see what I will do to Pharaoh in Egypt, but not what I will do to the thirty one kings of Canaan…"

Our sages enlarge on this[11]:

"Rabbi Eliezer said in the name of Rabbi Yossi: 'Once I visited Alexandria in Egypt. There I saw an old man who said he would show me what his ancestors did to mine: some were drowned, some put to death by the sword, some crushed by buildings."

The old man in Alexandria shows Rabbi Eliezer what his forefathers did to ours in Egypt, how some were drowned, others crushed.

Our sages add: "It is for this that our teacher Moses was punished, as it is said: Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has dealt worse with this people."

If so, Moses protested the killing of the Israelites. The Almighty replied:

"The Almighty said to him: it is a shame that they were destroyed and are not alive. How many times did I reveal myself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as El Shaddai, yet they did not think upon Me or ask My name."

A more detailed explanation follows:

" I said to Abraham, Arise and walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you – he sought a place to bury his wife but did not find one until he purchased it with four hundred shekels of silver, and did not think upon Me. I said to Isaac, Dwell in this land. I will be with you and I will bless you. His servants sought water to drink but found none until they quarreled, as it is written: "the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen saying, 'the water is ours.' Yet he did not think upon Me. I said to Jacob: the ground on which you are lying I will assign to you – he sought a place to pitch his tent but did not find one until he purchased it with a hundred kesitahs. Yet he did not think upon Me or ask My name."

From here we move on to the complaint against Moses:

"At first you asked My name, but now you said, You have not saved Your people. Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh in battle, but not what I will do in battle with the thirty one kings of Canaan…"

The charge against Moses is twofold: first, that he sought to ask G-d's name when the Almighty sent him to the Israelites. And second, that he thought upon Him. In contrast, our forefathers did neither of these things. All the examples pertaining to the faith of the fathers and the fact that they did not think upon the Almighty relate to their connection with the Land. Clearly, the central factor here is the land itself.

When Jacob is asked what characterizes his grandfather Abraham, he does not pinpoint the Akeda or the souls that Abraham made in Haran. He does not even mention the battles Abraham fought. Instead he focuses on the purchase of the field of Machpelah. The same thing holds true of Joseph. When he requests that his bones be taken up with the Israelites he asks to be buried in the place where his father Jacob purchased land.

What does this teach us? It would appear that one of the key verses reflecting the virtues of the forefathers after Moses complains — "Why did You bring harm upon this people? Why did You send me?" is God's reply, "You shall soon see…". It continues as follows:

"G-d spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name Elokim.'"

The books of Bereshit and Sh'mot are two forms of revelation, of G-d revealing Himself in His world. The book of Bereshit[12] does not describe evident miracles, at least insofar as the plain meaning of the text is concerned. And yet our sages reveal to us several obvious miracles, such us the incident of Abraham in the fiery furnace. But herein lies the problem. The very fact that the text is silent perforce gives us to understand that this book does not concern itself with explicit miracles. 

Avraham Avinu embarked on a quest, until ‘the Almighty looked upon him.’ There was famine in the land, so Abraham departed and returned to the Land. The tale of Sodom actually describes a tremendous earthquake. The only event with a Heavenly connection is Jacob’s struggle with the Angel. Even here, some of the Rishonim claim that it occurred in a dream. The story of Joseph, too, is seen as manipulations by Egyptian ministers, and so on.

In contrast, the miracles in Sh’mot are clearly evident. The pillars of fire and cloud, the ten plagues inflicted on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, Manna and the well… Rabbi Yehuda Halevi dealt admirably with these matters in Sefer Hakuzari[13]:

“This is possibly what the Almighty  meant by the words: I appeared to Abraham… as El Shaddai. In other words: through strength and dominion, as it is written: He allowed no one to oppress them; He reproved kings on their account. Not through a miracle, which is G-d’s creation, such as those which He wrought for Moses and for Israel.”

This is El Shaddai through whom G-d revealed Himself to our fathers, an expression of strength and dominion that permitted no one to oppress them. But this is not the manner in which the Almighty revealed Himself to Moses and to Israel in Egypt:

“For Moses and Israel the Almighty wrought miracles that left no doubt in any one’s heart that the Creator of the Universe alone created those things. They were a new creation, specifically intended, original – such were the plagues of Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea, the Manna and the Pillars, and more.”

This then, is the difference between Bereshit and Sh’mot. Bereshit deals with hidden miracles that transpired for our forefathers, while Sh’mot concerns itself with clear, explicit miracles for Moses and Israel. Rabbi Yehuda Halevy describers the essential difference between them:

“All these came about for Israel not because they were greater than Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but because they were a great multitude and there was doubt in their hearts. In contrast, our forefathers believed with perfect faith and pure hearts. It is only when evil befell them that their belief in the Almighty was harmed. Until then they had no need of signs.”

So we are faced with a very clear division.  Up until the death of Jacob and the descent to Egypt, the miracles occur in hidden form, in accordance with nature. This is, in fact, the test of Eretz Israel. After the descent to Egypt, miracles contravene the laws of nature.

The Ramban dwells on this point when he discusses the difference between the generation of the fathers and the conduct of their sons’ generation in Egypt[14]:

“As it is written, He appeared to the fathers by this name, prevailing upon the heavenly scheme in order to perform for them great miracles that did not contravene the order of the world. In famine He redeemed them from death, and in war He redeemed them from the sword, providing them with wealth, honor and all that is good.  Yet, like all those in the Torah they were destined for both blessings and curses. For no man receives his reward for good deeds or his punishment for transgressions except through a miracle. If it be left to mankind through his nature or his good fortune he would neither increase his deeds nor take away from them. But the reward and the punishment of the Torah in this world come only through concealed miracles. The onlooker will think that it is the way of the world, but in truth it is reward and  punishment. It is for this reason that the Torah dwells at length on what is destined in this world. It does not illustrate what is destined for a the soul in the world of the spirit, for these are wonders that go against the natural order. The existence of the soul and devotion to G-d are matters deserving of consequences, for the soul will return to the Almighty who gave it.”

So the Ramban is telling us that the great miracle lies in the fact that that the natural order of the universe has not been contravened. To the onlooker it often seems that this is the way of the world, but the truth is that “the Torah’s reward and punishment in this world all come by way of hidden miracles, which are regarded by the observer as the natural order of the world.”

The very fact that one awakens and rises from one’s bed is no less of a miracle than any other clearly apparent miracle.

Elsewhere the Ramban relates to the mitzvah of tefillin, and here again he refers to the same concept[15]:

“Because the Almighty does not perform signs and miracles in every generation in the sight of every wrongdoer and unbeliever, He has commanded us to make a perpetual reminder and sign for our eyes to behold. This we will imprint upon our children, and their children to their children, and so on to the last generation.”

The tefillin, therefore, bear testimony to the miracles performed by the Almighty in our sight and the sight of Israel. This is the testimony for the generations that in every generation He performs signs and miracles. The Ramban continues:

“Through great renowned miracles mankind gives thanks for the concealed miracles that constitute the foundation of the whole Torah.”

If so, explicit miracles are merely a testament to the existence of concealed miracles, those that hide themselves in nature. They are the foundation of the whole Torah. This is the purpose of the Torah. The Ramban goes on to explain the reason for concealed miracles:

“No one has a portion in the Torah of Moshe Rabbenu until he believes that every one of our matters and occurrences is a miracle. They are not natural consequences of the way of the world, whether many or individual. He who performs mitzvoth will benefit from his reward, but if he transgresses he will be punished. All is decreed from Above, as I have said previously.”

So we see that ‘every one of our matters and occurrences’, everything that happens to us, according to the Ramban,  is a miracle. Nothing happens as a natural consequence of the way of the world!! This is the purpose of the Torah – those hidden miracles, that awareness the entire life of man and his deeds on earth – they are all miracles, from the time he awakens from his slumber, through all that befalls him until he again rests his head on his pillow – concealed miracles throughout the day.

These hidden miracles are immeasurably greater than the obvious ones, for they also perceive the Almighty in the hidden place where He is concealed.

It is said, moreover, that he who experiences an explicit miracle but never in his life perceives the hidden miracle, has a problem. As far as he is concerned, miracles and nature are not one and the same. His spiritual world may falter in the absence of an explicit miracle, as indeed was the case with the Children of Israel when they realized that Moshe Rabbenu tarried. The fear of losing explicit miracles drove them to seek an ‘alternative’ in the form of the Golden Calf.

Our entire lives are played out against a backdrop of miracles. And the purpose of explicit miracles is to cause us to contemplate their purpose, which is those miracles that are concealed.

When Israel battled Amalek in the desert, the actual battle was made up of explicit miracles. Whenever Moses raised his hands Israel prevailed, but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed. But in Eretz Israel, the land of hidden miracles, the battles waged by our forefathers seemed perfectly natural. And yet they were blended with concealed miracles.

When Israel entered Eretz Israel the first battle was fought at Jericho. There, concealed miracles and the great, obvious miracle were tangential. This represents the transition from outside the land, where miracles are explicit, to Eretz Israel, the land of hidden miracles. During this battle the Children of Israel encircled Jericho and raised a mighty shout, in the manner of warriors. The walls of Jericho crumbled and only then did the battle ensue according to the natural order of things.

So was it with our fathers. When there was a famine in the land, Isaac did not find bread raining down upon him from the heavens. He sowed in that land, and in that year, “and he reaped a hundredfold.” The blessing was to be found in his natural actions. This is the way of Eretz Israel.

From here we return to our opening theme, Jacob requested before dying that he would be brought up for burial. Bear in mind that this field in the Land of Israel must be bought! It must be worked for! Because it belongs to us! We will not slacken. We will not wait for divine intervention, because it is already there, it is concealed in the work of our hands. Bear in mind that we bought this field from the Hittites. With this understanding before you, return to Egypt. While it is true that there were some good times in Egypt, the intention was always to return to the Land which you purchased in blood and toil, the Land where the Almighty is El Shaddai, where miracles are blended under every stone and in each tree and shrub.

This message is constantly repeated with regard to the land. It is certainly easy to serve the Almighty when faced with astounding phenomena, but the truly holy work, that which is most noble and great, is to discover the name of G-d where it hides in nature, especially in the Land which has ‘the Lord your G-d from the beginning of the year to the year’s end.’

We will close with the words of the Kli Yakar on the verse which we quoted at the beginning:

"Israel settled in the country of Egypt, in the region of Goshen; they acquired holdings in it, and were fertile and increased greatly".

According to the Kli Yakar, this is not an idyllic description of the Children of Israel dwelling in Goshen. It is in fact a scathing criticism of Israel’s holdings in Egypt[16]:

“Israel settled in the country of Egypt – this entire verse comes in blame of the Children of Israel. For the Almighty decreed that their children would be strangers, and yet they sought to dwell in the very place where they were condemned to be strangers. As it is written for Jacob: And Jacob dwelt – he sought to live in peace. But the anger of Joseph sprang upon him. The verse blames them for acquiring holdings in a land that was not theirs. This is not what they said to Pharaoh: We have come to sojourn in this land. This teaches that from the first they did not go there to settle but rather to sojourn, in the manner of a lodger. Yet they took back their words and settled so firmly that they did not want to go out from Egypt, until the Holy One, Blessed Be He, took them out with a strong hand. And those who did not wish to leave died during the three days of darkness.”

The People of Israel intended to stay temporarily in Egypt. They certainly had no intention of settling permanently, but they acquired holdings in the land. According to the Kli Yakar, the verse blames them for acquiring holdings, and ultimately a strong hand was needed to take Israel out of Egypt. And even then some, who did not want to leave, died in the darkness.

Another approach, the complete opposite from that suggested by the Kli Yakar, is brought by the Shem Mishmuel[17]:

He asks the forgiveness of Heaven for the Kli Yakar’s opinion of those holy souls. He feels that the purchase of holdings in Goshen was a positive act:

“The fact that they originally said they had come to sojourn in the land and subsequently took back their words, does not pose a problem. Their holdings in Goshen served to help them so that they would not settle in Egypt, but to underscore that they had come to sojourn in the land. As it is said, our father Jacob did not go down to Egypt to settle there but only to sojourn there.”

These words were written some 25 years before the Holocaust. Alas, how great was the destruction visited upon those with holdings in Poland and the rest of Europe when the tyrant arose, the new king who did not know their father.

And so we see that there are two types of leadership in the world. The lesser form appears in the expulsion of Egypt. It takes the form of overt, explicit miracles. The more exalted form is that according to which our forefathers lived. They lived the reality. They were constantly aware of the miraculous light that illuminated every nook and cranny. The purpose of explicit miracles is, in fact, to arouse in man the ability to see God’s miracles which are always with us, every minute of the day.

The lesson Jacob and Joseph wished to teach their descendents is that this Land, the land of hidden miracles, is acquired through natural toil. Sometimes this involves rubbing up against the Hittites, but nevertheless, all our dealings are, in fact, miraculous. When desolate land blossoms, when the desert and the wilderness bloom, when barren sand, like the soil of Gush Katif, produces magnificent agricultural crops – all of this attests to the presence of the Creator. It is a manifestation of His presence on earth.