Kommentar zu Bereschit 23:11

לא אדני NAY, MY LORD — You are not to buy it with money.

IN THE PRESENCE OF THE SONS OF MY PEOPLE. The intent thereof is to state: “Behold, all the people are present, and they are knowledgeable witnesses to the sale. Therefore do not fear denial or retraction, and so bury thy dead from now on, for it is yours and I cannot retract.” But Abraham did not do so for even after he paid its full value in silver he first took symbolic legal possession of the field and the cave. He established them as his possession in the presence of the people of the city, and all those who came in at the gate of the city,³³Verse 18 here. the merchants and the residents who happened to be there, and after that he buried her.

לא אדוני, "No my lord." The word "no" means that Abraham could not merely acquire the cave but had to buy the field it was situated on. Efron indicated that the reason he had decided to give the whole field to Abraham was that once it served as a cemetry it could not longer serve its original purpose. He implied all this by using the word שמעני, "listen to me carefully."

לא אדוני שמעני, not like you say that you want to pay the full value of the property. Take it for free, as a gift, and not only the cave, but I am also donating the field to you.

No, my master, hear me. There is no need for the leaders of the community to intercede with me.

לעיני בני עמי, “in full view of all my people.” He called upon everyone present to be a witness to the transaction. He implied that everyone knew that he, Avraham, would not renege on an offer made by himself. In fact, as soon as he had handed over the money he took possession of both the field and the cave adjoining it. This act of taking possession was performed in full view of the people assembled be they rich, poor, tourists passing through, or local residents.

Efron hat den Abraham nicht verstanden, oder will ihn nicht verstehen, um Abraham zum deutlichen Ausspruch zu vermögen. Es ist die Feinheit nicht zu übersehen, mit welcher man schon damals und dort sein Interesse unter den ausgesuchtesten Höflichkeitsformen wahrzunehmen gewohnt gewesen war. Der Sinn dieser Äußerung ist wohl: Ich habe dir das Feld zugedacht, die Höhle aber ist bereits dein, sie habe ich dir hiermit öffentlich geschenkt, begrabe darum nur sofort erst deinen Toten, wir werden uns schon wegen des Übrigen verständigen. Abraham hatte nur um die Höhle angesucht. Efron aber deutet ihm an, dass er die Höhle nur mit dem Felde zusammen veräußern würde.

השדה נתתי לך, “I have given you the field;” Efron pointed out that unless he gave Avraham not only the cave of Machpelah but also his adjoining field, Avraham would have no access to the cave. (without asking permission to visit there each time).

נתתי לך I HAVE GIVEN IT TO THEE (a perfect tense) — See, it is as though I have already given it to you.

(2) AND THE CAVE THAT IS IN IT. You are asking only for the cave that is at the end of the field, and by sale; I am giving you as a gift the whole field and the cave.

Listen to me;

נתתי, I have already given it to you as a gift,

והמערה אשר בו, "as well as the cave situated on it." He meant that already at the very beginning of the discussions when the local people had indicated their willingness to relinquish their own burial plots in favour of Abraham, he, Efron had decided that the cave and the field were a single unit. The reason he repeated the fact that the transaction took place in full view of all the people was to make plain that no דין מצר could be invoked by anyone in the future.

I have given you the field. In my mind I gave it to you the moment you spoke.

לעיני בני עמי, in front of the members of my people who are all witnesses to this transaction between me and you.

והמערה אשר בו, “and the cave which is in it, since it is not proper that you should have to cross someone else’s property in order to get to the grave of your wife. Therefore,

לעיני בני עמי נתתיה לך קבור מתך, I am telling you in the presence of all my people that I have given it to you in order that you may bury your dead there, just as you asked when you referred to אחוזת קבר.”