Sarah's Parasha About her Death

27 Genesis 23 - Sarah
Rabbi Wolf
Name of the parasha is “the Life of Sarah”. It is about her death.

full of ironies.
Span of her life 100 years and 20 years and 7 years. Odd way to say it. 127 significant. Fullness.
Why years repeated. At 100 she had the beauty of a 20 year old

Theories of why she dies:
Satan tells her Isaac killed. She dies
Satan comes looking like Isaac looking terrible
Isaac comes to her and tells her what happened
She dies because of the Akidah

Aviva Zornberg. Writes of this.
She dies of grief Or When she sees him
Illu lay.
Sarah dies of the knowledge that Isaac came close to death. And Abraham's willingness to kill his son.
Shofar symbol of redemption. Of the ram. Here Sarah's wails remind the sound of the shoffar.

Abraham buys a burial plot. V 3,
She dies in Hebron. First time Abraham owns land
17verses on the negotiation for the burial plot. Only 2 verses on her death.
Abraham speaks to the Hitites. He needs to buy the land he cannot accept as a gift. Must buy it. Specific location of this cave.
No question about who owns the land. All details of the transaction is recorded.
The detail is important. It is the beginning of the promise of the land. But it shows Abrahams humility in how it is done.

Question if it is happening as God promised or not...
Ownership of the land is still a debate.
Continues the issues of faith... The promised land is bought.
Irony as this is a family burial spot.
The whole family is buried there except Rachel. (also the word for a hem to hide loose threads.)
Machmellah. Double.. Pairs of graves. Or two caves. Adam and Eve are buried there.

Talmud. How to acquire a wife. Word take is the same in take money and take wife...
Hirsch. Jew buys his bride. He takes her but treats her a ps a precious possession.
Abrahams buying the burial place is a symbol of his love.

Traditions around death. Abraham gives a eulogy. Jacob builds a monument to Rachel the Egyptians mourn Joseph for a stated time period. Patriarch deaths are detailed.

Isaac gets married three years after Sarah's death.