וְיִתֶּן־לִ֗י אֶת־מְעָרַ֤ת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה֙ אֲשֶׁר־ל֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בִּקְצֵ֣ה שָׂדֵ֑הוּ בְּכֶ֨סֶף מָלֵ֜א יִתְּנֶ֥נָּה לִ֛י בְּתוֹכְכֶ֖ם לַאֲחֻזַּת־קָֽבֶר׃
pour qu’il me cède le caveau de Makpéla qui est à lui, qui se trouve au bout de son champ; qu’il me le cède pour argent comptant, comme propriété tumulaire au milieu de vous."
Tze'enah Ure'enah
“Intervene for me with Ephron son of Zohar. Let him sell me the cave of Machpelah” [23:8–9]. Abraham said to the children of Heth. Ask Ephron that he should give me the two-story cave. It was called Machpelah; This means, two-story. That is, it had two levels, one on top of the other. Another explanation is that only couples lay in the cave, Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah.15Rashi, Genesis, 23:9. It was also called Machpelah because of the height of Adam, who was doubled over in the cave.16Bahya, Genesis, 23:9. Abraham said: I will give good silver for the cave. Ephron responded: four hundred weight of silver. What is that between us? Bury your dead.
Or HaChaim
Jacob therefore made a point of reiterating מקנה השדה, the purchase of the field within which the cave is situated, from the sons of Chet, to make it quite clear that no such considerations as בר מצרא applied. The author refers the reader to what he wrote on this subject in connection with Genesis 23,9.
Ramban
AND THOU SHALT ANOINT THEM ‘UMILEITHA ETH YADAM’ [literally: “and fill their hands”]. “Every expression of ‘filling the hand’ denotes installation, when one enters for the first time into an office which one is to hold from that day onwards.” This is Rashi’s language. But I have not understood his words. How does the expression of “filling the hand” come to mean “installation?” And as to that which the Rabbi said that “in the [old] French language — when a person is appointed to be in charge of any matter, the ruler puts into his hand a leather glove which they call gant, and by means of that glove gives him the right to that matter, and it is this which is called ‘filling the hand,’” — I do not know whether the Rabbi’s intent is to state that because of that glove the installation is called “filling the hand,” and to this he brought proof from a custom [in France]! Know that this custom they derived from the Torah, as to them this form of taking possession is [what is meant by] the acquisition by exchange mentioned in connection with Boaz, for so they translated: [Now this was the custom in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging…] a man drew off ‘na’alo’ (his shoe)156Ruth 4:7. — “a man drew off his gant,” and they say157Our accepted law is that acquisition by exchange is accomplished with something that originally belongs to the buyer. Hence it was Boaz [the buyer] who “drew off his shoe” and gave it to the near kinsman. But “they say” differently, that it was the near kinsman [the seller] that gave it to Boaz. Hence they derived the custom that it is the prince [who is in the position of the bestower or seller] who pulls off his gant and gives it to the recipient. that it was the near kinsman that gave it to Boaz. This custom of theirs is mentioned in the books of their scholars. Thus we have engaged in vain talk!
The correct interpretation of milui yadayim in the Torah is that it is an expression of perfection, similar in usage to these verses: ‘ki malu yamai’ (for my days are completed);158Genesis 29:21. ‘ubimloth’ hayamim ha’eileh’ (and when these days were fulfilled);159Esther 1:5. until the days ‘m’loth’160Leviticus 8:33. — be fulfilled. Similarly, ‘b’keseph malei’161Genesis 23:9. means “for the full price.” And the reason for this expression is that one might say of a stranger [i.e., a non-priest] who cannot perform the offering for his cleansing, or of any person who is not empowered to perform some royal service, that his hand misses that function; and when he becomes empowered to do it, his hand has thereby been perfected and made fit for all kinds of work and service. Thus, ‘milu yedchem hayom’162Further, 32:29. [generally translated: consecrate yourselves today] means that: “now your hands are full with the whole service of G-d, for even every man upon his son, and upon his brother162Further, 32:29. have you served Him [that day].” Or it may be that Moses was hinting to the sons of Levi that by virtue of this merit they would be chosen to perform the Divine Service in the Tabernacle, as it is said, At that time the Eternal separated the tribe of Levi.163Deuteronomy 10:8. Similarly King David said to Israel on the occasion of the donations for the House [of G-d], Because I have set my affection on the house of my G-d, seeing that I have a treasure of mine own of gold and silver, I give it into the house of my G-d,164I Chronicles 29:3. and then he continued saying, Who then offereth willingly ‘l’maloth yado’ this day unto the Eternal?165Ibid., Verse 5. — meaning “to perfect his hand [this day unto the Eternal],” for by doanting towards the building of the House [of G-d] their hands become full with all the sacrifices and all manner of services, for Israel’s worship of G-d is only a complete one in the Sanctuary. Similarly, the ram of ‘milu’im’ mentioned in this section166Further, 29:31. is so called because the filling of the priests’ duties was accomplished through this offering, for the sin-offering and the burnt-offering167Ibid., Verse 25. were to effect atonement, and this ram was to fill the priest’s hand with [the right to] sacrifice. I have also found that in Targum Yerushalmi the ram of ‘milu’im’ is translated: d’ashlamutha, (of perfection);168This translation I found in Targum Yonathan ben Uziel to Leviticus 8:22. similarly also in all expressions of milui yadayim it translated “perfection.” Onkelos, however, [in translating umileitha eth yadam — ‘and you will bring their sacrifices’169On the seven days of installation it was Moses who acted in the role of the priest and performed the rites of the sacrifices. Hence Onkelos’ translation: “and you [i.e., Moses] will bring their sacrifices,” as during these seven days of installation you will be the priest to offer their sacrifices.] followed the sense of the subject and was not pedantic as to the literal language, as is his custom in many places. Some scholars170Found in R’dak’s Sefer Hashorashim, root male. explain umileitha eth yadam as meaning that he will fill their hands [with the gifts] from the sacrifices. Similarly: whosoever would, he [Jeroboam] ‘yemalei eth yado’171I Kings 13:33. means that he could fill his hands at will from the sacrifices. But the correct interpretation [of the term milui yadayim] is as I have explained. And the meaning of the expression, whosoever would, ‘yemalei eth yado’ that he might be one of the priests of the high places171I Kings 13:33. is that he would bring for himself an offering of installation as he devised of his own heart,172Ibid., 12:33. in order to initiate himself into his office, and thereby he became one of the priests of the high places, for they acted in a manner similar to the ways of the Torah.173See Leviticus 6:13. This is also applied to the ordinary priest who brought a meal-offering when he officiated for the first time. Ramban’s intent is thus that in the days of Jeroboam when the king installed a new group of priests in the kingdom of Israel to officiate at the sacrifices on the Bamoth (high places) he adopted the ways of the Torah as explained, in order to give the appearance of his remaining loyal to the commandments of the Torah.
The correct interpretation of milui yadayim in the Torah is that it is an expression of perfection, similar in usage to these verses: ‘ki malu yamai’ (for my days are completed);158Genesis 29:21. ‘ubimloth’ hayamim ha’eileh’ (and when these days were fulfilled);159Esther 1:5. until the days ‘m’loth’160Leviticus 8:33. — be fulfilled. Similarly, ‘b’keseph malei’161Genesis 23:9. means “for the full price.” And the reason for this expression is that one might say of a stranger [i.e., a non-priest] who cannot perform the offering for his cleansing, or of any person who is not empowered to perform some royal service, that his hand misses that function; and when he becomes empowered to do it, his hand has thereby been perfected and made fit for all kinds of work and service. Thus, ‘milu yedchem hayom’162Further, 32:29. [generally translated: consecrate yourselves today] means that: “now your hands are full with the whole service of G-d, for even every man upon his son, and upon his brother162Further, 32:29. have you served Him [that day].” Or it may be that Moses was hinting to the sons of Levi that by virtue of this merit they would be chosen to perform the Divine Service in the Tabernacle, as it is said, At that time the Eternal separated the tribe of Levi.163Deuteronomy 10:8. Similarly King David said to Israel on the occasion of the donations for the House [of G-d], Because I have set my affection on the house of my G-d, seeing that I have a treasure of mine own of gold and silver, I give it into the house of my G-d,164I Chronicles 29:3. and then he continued saying, Who then offereth willingly ‘l’maloth yado’ this day unto the Eternal?165Ibid., Verse 5. — meaning “to perfect his hand [this day unto the Eternal],” for by doanting towards the building of the House [of G-d] their hands become full with all the sacrifices and all manner of services, for Israel’s worship of G-d is only a complete one in the Sanctuary. Similarly, the ram of ‘milu’im’ mentioned in this section166Further, 29:31. is so called because the filling of the priests’ duties was accomplished through this offering, for the sin-offering and the burnt-offering167Ibid., Verse 25. were to effect atonement, and this ram was to fill the priest’s hand with [the right to] sacrifice. I have also found that in Targum Yerushalmi the ram of ‘milu’im’ is translated: d’ashlamutha, (of perfection);168This translation I found in Targum Yonathan ben Uziel to Leviticus 8:22. similarly also in all expressions of milui yadayim it translated “perfection.” Onkelos, however, [in translating umileitha eth yadam — ‘and you will bring their sacrifices’169On the seven days of installation it was Moses who acted in the role of the priest and performed the rites of the sacrifices. Hence Onkelos’ translation: “and you [i.e., Moses] will bring their sacrifices,” as during these seven days of installation you will be the priest to offer their sacrifices.] followed the sense of the subject and was not pedantic as to the literal language, as is his custom in many places. Some scholars170Found in R’dak’s Sefer Hashorashim, root male. explain umileitha eth yadam as meaning that he will fill their hands [with the gifts] from the sacrifices. Similarly: whosoever would, he [Jeroboam] ‘yemalei eth yado’171I Kings 13:33. means that he could fill his hands at will from the sacrifices. But the correct interpretation [of the term milui yadayim] is as I have explained. And the meaning of the expression, whosoever would, ‘yemalei eth yado’ that he might be one of the priests of the high places171I Kings 13:33. is that he would bring for himself an offering of installation as he devised of his own heart,172Ibid., 12:33. in order to initiate himself into his office, and thereby he became one of the priests of the high places, for they acted in a manner similar to the ways of the Torah.173See Leviticus 6:13. This is also applied to the ordinary priest who brought a meal-offering when he officiated for the first time. Ramban’s intent is thus that in the days of Jeroboam when the king installed a new group of priests in the kingdom of Israel to officiate at the sacrifices on the Bamoth (high places) he adopted the ways of the Torah as explained, in order to give the appearance of his remaining loyal to the commandments of the Torah.