Comentário sobre Gênesis 23:16

וישקל אברהם לעפרן AND ABRAHAM WEIGHED TO EPHRON [THE SILVER] — The name Ephron is written defectively (without the ו) to indicate that there was something missing in Ephron viz, sincerity — because he promised much but did not do even the very least (Bava Metzia 87a): He took from him big Shekels, viz., centenaria (worth a full 100 smaller units) as it is said, “money current with the merchant” which means, such coins as were everywhere accepted as worth a full Shekel — for there are places where their Shekels are of large size, centenaria; old French Centenars (cf. Ruth R. 7).

וישמע אברהם, he understood what Efron was hinting at and did not want to spell out.

וישקל אברהם לעפרן: The name עפרן is missing a 'ו'. The Ba'al Haturim explains that he had an evil eye, and the name of עפרן without a 'ו' adds in gematria to ר״ע עי״ן (evil eye). The reason for this comes from a statement in Bava Batra (9B) which states that whoever gives a coin to a poor person is blessed with 6 blessings, and whoever is stingy with the poor is not blessed with these 6 blessings. It is for this reason that Efron lost his 'ו' (which has the numerical value of 6) - as he was stingy he lost 6 blessings. Our sages also tell us (Sotah 36B) that we give the glass of blessing to a generous spirit, as the verse states טוב עין הוא יבורך (with a 'ו') - Don't read 'he is blessed', but rather 'he will bless'. Both the literal reading and the way it is read are true - someone who blesses others generously will be blessed with the six blessings (as depicted by the 'ו' in יבורך).

וישמע...עובר לסוחר. Silver coins acceptable by the most discriminating merchants who weighed each coin to assure themselves that they were not being short-changed.

Without a vav because he said much... [You might ask:] Are not יעקב and אהרן also spelled without a vav? [The answer is:] עפרון is spelled with a vav throughout the parshah, and only here is written missing a vav. Therefore, it is to be expounded. But יעקב and אהרן are always without a vav. Where they have a vav, it is to be expounded.

וישמע אברהם אל עפרון, “Avraham listened to Efron (accepted his conditions), i.e. he accepted Efron’s evaluation of the value of the field, i.e. that to him it was worth 400 shekel of pure silver;

עובר לסוחר, silver minted into coins, refined silver acceptable without question anywhere. The expression עובר in that sense occurs also in Kings II 12,5 in connection with Yehoyakim, i.e. כסף עובר, as well as in Song of Songs 5,5 ואצבעותי מור עובר, “ a reference to the best quality of myrrh.

Furthermore, know that the numerical value of רע עין = 400. We find 400 in 4 different places specifically with regards to stingy people. The first is Efron who was stingy and therefore took 400 Silver shekels. The second place relates to the brothers of Joseph had a bad view of Josef the righteous and they were jealous of him because of the coat of many colours. The result of this was that the Jewish people were exiled for 400 years as strangers, affliction and servitude. The third place relates to Esau who had a bad view of his brothers, and he was jealous of him because of the blessings which Isaac blessed Jacob. It is for this reason that Jacob placed a space between each flock to fill the eyes of that evil man (that was to be given to Esau), because he came with 400 men. The fourth place relates to Naval, because he was a stingy man. It was for this reason that David approached him with 400 men.

וישקול אברהם לעפרן, “Avraham weighed the amount of silver;” you will note that in this verse the name “Efron” is spelled without the letter ו. The reason the sages spelled it thus is so that the numerical value of the letters in his name should add up to 400, i.e. the amount of silver pieces he had charged Avraham for burying Sarah in that cave.(Compare Baal Haturim)

כסף עובר לסוחר, “silver,” i.e. pure silver acceptable by any merchant. The word: עובר means “passable;”