Берешит 23:11 Мидраш: Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Midrash Tanchuma & Bereshit Rabbah

R. Huna had wine in a room which was in an unsafe condition, and the walls of which were momentarily expected to fall. He wished to remove the wine, [but was afraid to enter the room]. So he got R. Ada b. Ahaba to enter the room with him and engaged him there in a discussion of an Halacha, until his men removed the wine. After they had left, the walls of the room caved in. When R. Ada realized how he had been used, he became angry, for he agreed with R. Janai, who said: "A man should never expose himself to danger expecting that a miracle will be wrought for him; for it may be that such a miracle will not be wrought, and even if a miracle be wrought for him, it will be deducted from the rewards due him for his merits." R. Chanin said: "What is the Biblical passage for this? (Gen. 23, 11) I am not worthy of all the kindness, etc." Wherein lay the greatness of Ada b. Ahaba? As we are taught: The disciples of R. Ada b. Ahaba asked him: "Why have you lived so long?" He replied: "I was never angry in my house; I never superseded a superior; I never thought of Divine subjects in unclean alleys; I never walked four cubits without studying the Torah or without Phylacteries; I never slept in the house of study, neither regularly nor took a nap; I never rejoiced when my neighbor was in misfortune, and I never called my fellow man by a nickname."

Whence do we know that the wicked say much but do not do even a little? We find this illustrated by Ephron, who at first said to Abraham: The field I give thee, and the cave that is therein I give thee (Gen. 23:11), only to declare later: The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that betwixt me and thee? (ibid., v. 15), which it was not worth.

“He spoke with them, saying: If you are willing to bury my dead from before me, heed me, and intercede for me with Ephron, son of Tzoḥar” (Genesis 23:8).
“He spoke with them, saying: If you are willing…[intercede [pigu] for me]” – prevail upon him for me, mediate on my behalf; and if that is not [sufficient], entreat him on my behalf.²⁴The word pigu can connote all of these meanings.
“Ephron was sitting among the children of Ḥet and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Ḥet, of all those coming to his city gate, saying” (Genesis 23:10).
“Ephron was sitting [yoshev] among the children of Ḥet” – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Yashav is written;²⁵Yoshev, “was sitting,” is usually spelled with a vav, but here the vav is missing, so that the word could be read yashav, “he sat.” If the verse is saying that “he sat,” it means that at that point in the narrative he sat down among the children of Ḥet, meaning that he assumed a position of honor among them. on that day they appointed him chief officer [over them], so that there would not be [a situation in which] a person of great stature [Abraham] would be purchasing from a person of low stature.
“Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the children of Ḥet, [of all those coming to his city gate]”²⁶The implication is that all the people of the city were present. – Rabbi Pinḥas said: This teaches that they all locked their doors and went out to show kindness towards Abraham [by attending Sarah’s funeral].
“No, my lord, heed me; the field I have given to you, and the cave that is in it, I have given it to you; before the eyes of my people I have given it to you; bury your dead” (Genesis 23:11).
“He spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying: But if you please, hear me: I will give the price of the field; take it from me, and I will bury my dead there” (Genesis 23:13).
“And Ephron answered Abraham, saying unto him” (Genesis 23:14).
“My lord, heed me: Land worth four hundred shekels of silver, between me and you, what is it? Bury your dead” (Genesis 23:15).
“Abraham heeded Ephron, and Abraham weighed for Ephron the silver that he spoke in the hearing of the children of Ḥet, four hundred shekels of silver, in the currency of merchants” (Genesis 23:16).
“No, my lord, heed me; the field I have given to you, and the cave…My lord, heed me: Land worth four hundred shekels of silver” – Rabbi Ḥanina said: All the shekels that are stated in the Torah refer to sela’im; in the Prophets, litrin;²⁷A litra being equal to twenty-five sela’im. and in the Writings, centenaria.²⁸A centenarium being equal to one hundred sela’im. Rabbi Yudan said: The exception is the shekels of Ephron, which were centenaria. That is what is written: “A greedy man rushes after wealth, and he does not know that diminishment will befall him” (Proverbs 28:22). “A greedy man rushes after wealth” – this refers to Ephron, who cast a greedy eye upon the wealth of the righteous man [Abraham].²⁹By demanding an exorbitant price for his field. “And he does not know that diminishment will befall him” – as the Torah diminished the letter vav from him.³⁰Throughout the narrative, Ephron’s name is written with a vav, but here, where he overprices his field, his name is spelled without the vav. Thus, because of his greediness, diminishment befell him. That is what is written: “Abraham heeded Ephron and Abraham weighed for Ephron [the silver…]” – Ephron is written without a vav.
“Four hundred shekels of silver, in the currency of merchants” – Rabbi Abba bar Bizna said: It was usable for all merchandise.³¹Abraham gave the highest quality of coin, acceptable to all merchants for all kinds of merchandise.