(ז) וַיָּ֧קׇם אַבְרָהָ֛ם וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ לְעַם־הָאָ֖רֶץ לִבְנֵי־חֵֽת׃ (ח) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אִתָּ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר אִם־יֵ֣שׁ אֶֽת־נַפְשְׁכֶ֗ם לִקְבֹּ֤ר אֶת־מֵתִי֙ מִלְּפָנַ֔י שְׁמָע֕וּנִי וּפִגְעוּ־לִ֖י בְּעֶפְר֥וֹן בֶּן־צֹֽחַר׃ (ט) וְיִתֶּן־לִ֗י אֶת־מְעָרַ֤ת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בִּקְצֵ֣ה שָׂדֵ֑הוּ בְּכֶ֨סֶף מָלֵ֜א יִתְּנֶ֥נָּה לִּ֛י בְּתוֹכְכֶ֖ם לַאֲחֻזַּת־קָֽבֶר׃
(7) Thereupon Abraham bowed low to the people of the land, the Hittites, (8) and 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. (9) Let him sell me the Cave of Makhpelah 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.”
(א) המכפלה. בַּית וַעֲלִיָּה עַל גַּבָּיו. דָּ"אַ שֶׁכְּפוּלָה בְּזוּגוֹת.
The Cave of Makhpelah [lit., doubling] -
It had a lower and an upper cavern.
Another explanation: Because it was doubled up with pairs.
(א) בקרית ארבע. עַל שֵׁם אַרְבַּע עֲנָקִים שֶׁהָיוּ שָׁם, אֲחִימָן שֵׁשַׁי וְתַלְמַי וַאֲבִיהֶם. דָּ"אַ עַל שֵׁם אַרְבַּע זוּגוֹת שֶׁנִקְבְּרוּ שָׁם אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ, אָדָם וְחַוָּה, אַבְרָהָם וְשָׂרָה, יִצְחָק וְרִבְקָה, יַעֲקֹב וְלֵאָה (בראשית רבה):
Kiryat Arba'a [lit., city of four]- after the four giants who lived there: Ahiman, Sheshai, Talmai and their father (Numbers 13:22).
Another explanation: after the four couples who were buried there, husband and wife — Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah (Genesis Rabbah 58:4).
(8) And Abraham breathed his last, dying at a good ripe age, old and contented; and he was gathered to his kin. (9) His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the Cave of Makhpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre, (10) the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites; there Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.
(29) Then he instructed them, saying to them, “I am about to be gathered to my kin. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, (30) the cave which is in the field of Makhpelah, facing Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site— (31) there Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah— (32) the field and the cave in it, bought from the Hittites.” (33) When Jacob finished his instructions to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and, breathing his last, he was gathered to his kin.
רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר, אַבְרָהָם יָדַע בְּהַהִיא מְעַרְתָּא סִימָנָא, וְלִבֵּיהּ וּרְעוּתֵיהּ תַּמָּן הֲוָה, בְּגִין דְּמִקַדְּמַת דְּנָא עָאל לְתַמָּן וְחָמָא לְאָדָם וְחַוָּה טְמִירִין תַּמָּן. וּמְנָא הֲוָה יָדַע דְּאִינוּן הֲווּ. אֶלָּא חָמָא דִּיוּקְנֵיהּ, וְאִסְתַּכַּל וְאִתְפַּתַּח לֵיהּ חַד פִּתְחָא דְּגִנְתָּא דְעֵדֶן תַּמָּן וְהַהוּא דִּיוּקְנָא דְאָדָם הֲוָה קָאִים לְגַבֵּיהּ.
וְתָא חֲזֵי כָּל מַאן דְּאִסְתַּכַּל בְּדִיוּקְנָא דְּאָדָם לָא אִשְׁתְּזִיב לְעָלְמִין מִמִּיתָה, בְּגִין דְּהָא בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּבַר נָשׁ אִסְתַּלַּק מֵעַלְמָא חָמֵי לֵיהּ לְאָדָם וּבְהַהוּא זִמְנָא מִית. אֲבָל אַבְרָהָם אִסְתַּכַּל בֵּיהּ וְחָמָא דִיוּקְנֵיהּ וְאִתְקְיַּים, וְחָמָא נְהוֹרָא דְּנָהִיר בִּמְעַרְתָּא וְחַד שְׁרַגָּא דָּלִיק, כְּדֵין תָּאִיב אַבְרָהָם דִּיּוּרֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא אֲתַר, וְלִבֵּיהּ וּרְעוּתֵיהּ הֲוָה תָּדִיר בִּמְעַרְתָּא.
Rabbi Yehudah said: Abraham knew a sign indicating that very cave, and his heart longed to be there. Because beforehand, he had entered there and seen Adam and Eve were hidden there. And how did he know that it was them? Because when he looked upon the figure of Adam, suddenly the gate to the Garden of Eden opened up before him. Then he understood that it was Adam who was there in front of him.
Come and behold, Whoever sees the figure of Adam cannot escape death, for a person sees Adam the moment that he dies and passes from the world. But Abraham looked at him, saw his figure, and lived. He saw a light shining from within the cave and a candle burning. Then he wanted to dwell in that cave, and his heart and desire were always there.
כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעוּ לִמְעָרַת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה, אֲתָא עֵשָׂו קָא מְעַכֵּב... קִרְיַת אַרְבַּע — אַרְבַּע זוּגוֹת הָיוּ: אָדָם וְחַוָּה, אַבְרָהָם וְשָׂרָה, יִצְחָק וְרִבְקָה, יַעֲקֹב וְלֵאָה. אִיהוּ קַבְרַהּ לְלֵאֶה בְּדִידֵיהּ, וְהַאי דְּפָיֵישׁ — דִּידִי הוּא. אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: זַבֵּינְתֵּהּ. אֲמַר לְהוּ: נְהִי דְּזַבֵּינִי בְּכֵירוּתָא, פְּשִׁיטוּתָא מִי זַבֵּינִי? ...
חוּשִׁים בְּרֵיהּ דְּדָן תַּמָּן הֲוָה, וְיַקִּירָן לֵיהּ אוּדְנֵיהּ. אֲמַר לְהוּ: מַאי הַאי? וְאָמְרוּ לֵיהּ: קָא מְעַכֵּב הַאי עַד דְּאָתֵי נַפְתָּלִי מֵאַרְעָא דְּמִצְרַיִם.
אֲמַר לְהוּ: וְעַד דְּאָתֵי נַפְתָּלִי מֵאַרְעָא דְּמִצְרַיִם, יְהֵא אֲבִי אַבָּא מוּטָל בְּבִזָּיוֹן? שְׁקַל קוּלְפָא מַחְיֵיהּ אַרֵישֵׁיהּ, נָתְרָן עֵינֵיהּ וּנְפַלוּ אַכַּרְעָא דְיַעֲקֹב, פַּתְחִינְהוּ יַעֲקֹב לְעֵינֵיהּ וְאַחֵיךְ....
בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה נִתְקַיְּימָה נְבוּאָתָהּ שֶׁל רִבְקָה, דִּכְתִיב: ״לָמָּה אֶשְׁכַּל גַּם שְׁנֵיכֶם יוֹם אֶחָד״. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּמִיתָתָן לֹא בְּיוֹם אֶחָד הֲוַאי — קְבוּרָתָן מִיהָא בְּיוֹם אֶחָד הֲוַאי.
When they arrived at the Cave of Machpelah, Esau came and tried to block them, saying to them.. [Because the place is called] ‘Kiryat Arba'a,’ so there should be four pairs [in the cave]: Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca…. [Now Jacob] already buried Leah in his portion and so what remains belongs to me’. They replied to him, ‘But you sold it!’ He said to them, 'It is true that I sold my birthright, but did I sell all of my basic rights as an heir?!’ …
[they continued arguing, and Esau demanded they produce a proof of sale]
Among those present was Hushim son Dan, and he was hard of hearing; so he asked them, 'What is happening?’ They said to him, ’[Esau] is preventing [the burial] until Naphtali returns from Egypt [with a bill of sale] from the land of Egypt’.
He retorted: 'Is my grandfather to lie there in disgrace until Naphtali returns from the land of Egypt?!’ So he took a club and struck [Esau] on the head so that his eyes fell out and rolled onto Jacob’s lap. Jacob opened his own eyes and laughed…
At that moment the prophecy of Rebecca fulfilled, as it is written: “Why should I mourn you both in one day?” For although the death of the two of them did not occur on one day, still their burial took place on the same day.
חושים בן דן היה פגום באזנו ובלשונו, אמ' להם מפני מה אנחנו יושבין כאן, הראהו באצבעו אמ' לו בשביל האיש הזה שאינו מניח אותנו לקבור את יעקב,
שלף את חרבו והתיז את ראשו של עשו, ונכנס הראש לתוך מערת המכפלה, ואת גוייתו שלח לארץ אחוזתו בהר שעיר.
Hushim ben Dan, had defective hearing and speech, and he said to them: Why are we sitting here? He was pointing (to Esau) with his finger. They said to him: Because this man will not let us bury our father Jacob.
What did he do? He drew his sword and cut off Esau's head with the sword, and took the head into the Cave of Machpelah. And they sent his body to the land of his possession, to Mount Seir.