One of the central features of this week's Torah portion is the attention it lavishes on Abraham's efforts to acquire property in the Land of Israel. Having wandered from Haran in northern Mesopotamia into the Nile region of Egypt, and finally back up to Israel, Abraham confronts the unpleasant necessity of burying his beloved wife, Sarah, while also providing a final resting place for his own remains.
In the town of Hebron, in the middle of the West Bank of the River Jordan, Abraham mourns for his lost wife and friend, and then speaks to the local residents, the Hittites, about purchasing a plot. Abraham tells them, "I am a resident alien among you; sell me a burial site among you, that I may remove my dead for burial."
Responding with equal dignity and graciousness, the Hittites reassure Abraham, "You are the elect of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places." The elaborate ritual of purchasing a plot continues, as Abraham reveals which site he wants to buy, speaks to the owner, and the two of them -- with great finesse and propriety -- settle on an appropriate price for the cave of Machpeleh. For four hundred shekels of silver, Abraham gains an eternal title to the field of Ephron in the town of Hebron. Nothing remarkable so far, right? Just the Patriarch of the Jewish People buying some land to bury his dead, while establishing his people's legal claim on the Land of Israel at the same time. An ordinary transaction.
Yet, there is something strangely missing here, and that is any reference to the Divine gift of the land to Abraham and to his descendants after him. Isn't one of the principal points of the Book of Genesis to proclaim God's conferral of ownership on Abraham and his heirs, the Jews, for all time? God gave the land to Abraham. Why would he feel any need to negotiate with human possessors when he already has God on his side? Why indeed?
Aren't there people alive today who also claim exclusive possession of the truth, who insist that their monopoly on morality, or compassion, or divine will allows them to slander, to slight, to distort, or to oppress? In many parts of the world today -- from the liberal chic to the conservative smug -- self-appointed spokespeople of the "correct" view trumpet their own infallibility and moral superiority. If anyone ever had a right to take that position, to assume that he didn't need to win over human assent since he already had God's approval, Abraham was that person.
And yet, despite his knowledge of God's gift of Israel to the Jews, Abraham still made a point of respecting the humanity of his pagan hosts, still insisted on taking seriously the perspective of the Hittites, their customs and their proprieties.
We who claim to be the descendants of Abraham and Sarah would be wise to hearken to the wisdom of the Talmudic volume, Avot de-Rebbe Natan. One who possesses these three traits is one of the disciples of our father, Abraham; a generous eye, a meek spirit and a humble soul. Abraham didn't doubt God's word, or his accurate awareness of the divine will. But he also knew that no one possesses an exclusive hold on truth, that other well-meaning people also pursue the truth to the best of their ability.
Without relinquishing his own convictions, Abraham never abandoned the religious humility which accepts the possibility of being wrong. A generous eye, a meek spirit and a humble soul. Who would have guessed that these traits would provide the strength for Abraham's people to thrive into eternity?
Shabbat Shalom.