Midrash su Genesi 23:12

JACOB AND LABAN
"WHEN thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and if thou runnest, || thou shalt not stumble" (Prov. 4:12).

Rabbi Jehudah said: Three forefathers made covenants with the people of the land. (With reference to) Abraham (the circumstances were as follows). When the angels were revealed unto him, he thought that they were travellers (from among) the people of the land, and he ran to meet them, and he wished to prepare for them a great banquet, and he told Sarah to prepare cakes for them. When Sarah was kneading, she perceived that the manner of women was upon her, therefore he did not hand them any of the cakes. He ran to fetch a calf. But the calf fled from before him, and went into the Cave of Machpelah, and he went in there after it, and he found Adam and his help-meet lying there upon their beds, and they slept, and lights were kindled above them, and a sweet scent was upon them like a sweet savour, therefore he desired to have the Cave of Machpelah as a burial possession. He spoke to the sons of Jebus, in order to purchase from them the Cave of || Machpelah by a purchase with gold, and by a perpetual deed for a possession of a burying-place. Were they Jebusites? Were they not Hittites? But they were called Jebusites according to the name of the city of Jebus. The men did not accept (this request). He began to bow down and prostrate himself unto them, as it is said, "And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land" (Gen. 23:12).

And Avraham rose from his dead (Genesis 23:3) - it teaches us that he was able to see the angel of death defying him. Rabbi Yochana said: from here we teach: 'a person whose dead lies before them is exempt from saying the Shema, from Prayer and from putting tefilin and from all the mitzvot contained in the Torah - this comes from here, he rose and spoke. 'A stranger and a resident' - a stranger that lives there, a resident that is the master of this house. If you want, I am a stranger, if not, I am a master of this house, since the Holy One of Blessing said to me "this land I will give to your seed" (Genesis 15:18). "Give me a piece of burial to bury my dead" - I only request space for one dead, as it is written "give me one piece for burial place." "And the children of Chet answered to Avraham... listen to us, lord, etc" (Genesis 23:5-6): you are a king for us, you are a prince for us, you are a god for us. He said to them: do not detract His kingship from this world, do not detract His Divinity from the world. "in our choicest plots, bury your dead" - many dead. "And Avraham prostrated" - from here you learn that we give thanks for good news.