Our Parasha begins by recounting that Sara passes away at the age of 127. Abraham, determined to honor his wife with the highest dignity, identifies a plot of land in the city of Hebron for her burial. The land contained a cave located in the field of Makhpela, in what today is the city of Kiryat Arba and Hebron. The land belonged to Efron, a member of the Hittites, a people who formed one of the most influential civilizations of the Middle East, whose presence extended as far as Turkey.
Abraham requests to buy the cave and the adjacent field. Efron offers to let him bury Sara free of charge. Abraham insists on formally acquiring the parcel and pays about 400 shekel of silver for the land, a high sum. In doing so, Abraham establishes a legal bond with the Land promised by God, which becomes the first documented Jewish deed of ownership in history, located precisely in Hebron.
After burying Sara, Abraham entrusts his trusted servant, Eliezer, to find an appropriate wife for his son Isaac in the region of Haran, located in the southeast of modern-day Turkey, which is where Abraham originally came from. In addition, this would prevent Isaac from assimilating by marrying a local Canaanite woman. The insistence on preserving spiritual identity and avoiding assimilation becomes, from that very moment, a central theme of the legacy of Abraham and his descendants.
Eliezer arrives in Haran and prays to God for the success of his mission. He asks God for a clear sign to recognize the woman destined for Isaac: that the young woman to whom he asks for water not only offer him a drink, but also, on her own initiative, give water to his camels. This gesture would show not only the customary hospitality but also hesed, the generosity characteristic of Abraham and his family.
At the water well, a young woman appears who fulfills exactly this behavior. Her name is Ribka (Rebecca), daughter of Betuel and granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
Ribka runs home to tell the news. Her brother Laban goes out to receive the visitor and hosts him. During dinner, Eliezer explains in detail his mission, the prayer he recited, the sign he requested, and how Ribka fulfills all the requirements. The family recognizes that this encounter is not random but part of divine providence. They accept the marriage proposal and authorize Ribka to leave with Eliezer.
After an emotional farewell, the delegation begins the journey back. When Isaac sees Ribka, he takes her as his wife.
Abraham remarries Keturah and has several more sons. However, to avoid inheritance conflicts, Abraham gives some of his possessions to them during his lifetime and sends them toward “the land of the east.” To Isaac he leaves all his possessions, including his settlements in the land of Israel, consolidating the spiritual and territorial continuity of the Divine Promise.
Abraham dies at the age of 175. Isaac and Ishmael reunite to bury him together in the cave of Makhpela, next to Sara.
