Chayei Sarah Torah Reading - Parshah PDF

11/11/2017 Chayei Sarah Torah Reading - Parshah
Torah Reading for Chayei Sarah

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Parshat Chayei Sarah
Shabbat, 22 Cheshvan, 5778
11 November, 2017 Complete: (Genesis 23:1 - 25:18; Kings I 1:1-31)
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Both English Hebrew HIDE RASHI'S COMMENTARY
First Portion
Genesis Chapter 23
1. And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty
years and seven years; [these were] the years of the life of :

Sarah.
And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years
and seven years: The reason that the word years was written , :
after every digit is to tell you that every digit is to be expounded
,
upon individually: when she was one hundred years old, she was
, ,
like a twenty-year-old regarding sin. Just as a twenty-year-old has
not sinned, because she is not liable to punishment, so too when , ,
she was one hundred years old, she was without sin. And when :
she was twenty, she was like a seven-year-old as regards to
beauty. from Gen. Rabbah 58:1]
the years of the life of Sarah: All of them equally good. : :
2. And Sarah died in Kiriath arba, which is Hebron, in the

land of Canaan, and Abraham came to eulogize Sarah and :
to bewail her.
in Kiriath-arba: lit. the city of the four. So named because of the :

four giants who were there: Ahiman, Sheshai, Talmai, and their .
father (Gen. Rabbah from Num. 13:23). Another explanation:

Because of the four couples that were buried there, man and wife:
: , , ,
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob
and Leah (Pirkei dRabbi Eliezer , ch. 20).
and Abraham came: from Beer-sheba. : :
to eulogize Sarah and to bewail her: The account of Sarahs :

demise was juxtaposed to the binding of Isaac because as a result ,
of the news of the binding, that her son was prepared for
,
slaughter and was almost slaughtered, her soul flew out of her, and
:
she died. from Gen. Rabbah 58:5]
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?p=complete&aid=2495904&jewish=Matot-Massei-Haftorah.htm#showrashi=true 1/24
3. And Abraham arose from before his dead, and he spoke

to the sons of Heth, saying, :

4. "I am a stranger and an inhabitant with you. Give me

burial property with you, so that I may bury my dead from :
before me."
I am a stranger and an inhabitant with you: [I am] a stranger :

from another land, and I have settled among you. [Consequently, I .
have no ancestral burial plot here (Rashbam, Sforno).] And the
,
Midrash Aggadah (Gen. Rabbah 58:6) [states]: If you are willing [to
" ) (
sell me burial property], I am a stranger, but if not, I will be as an
inhabitant and will take it legally, for the Holy One, blessed be He, :
said to me, To your seed I will give this land (above 12:7).
burial property: the possession of land for a burial place. : :
5. And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, :

6. "Listen to us, my lord; you are a prince of God in our

|
midst; in the choicest of our graves bury your dead. None of

us will withhold his grave from you to bury your dead." :

nonewill withhold: Heb. , will not withhold, as (Ps. ) ( , :

40:12):You will not withhold ( ) Your mercies, and similarly : ) ( ,
(above 8:2):and the rain was withheld () .
7. And Abraham arose and prostrated himself to the :

people of the land, to the sons of Heth.
8. And he spoke with them, saying, "If it is your will that I

bury my dead from before me, listen to me and entreat for

me to Ephron the son of Zohar. :
your will: Heb. , equivalent to ,

your will. : :
and entreat for me: Heb. , an expression of entreaty, as in ) ( , :

(Ruth 1: 16): Do not entreat me . :
9. That he may give me the Machpelah (double) Cave,

which belongs to him, which is at the end of his field; for a

full price let him give it to me in your midst for burial :

property."
double: A structure with an upper story over it. Another . :

interpretation: [It was called so] because it was doubled with :
couples (Er. 53a).
for a full price: [meaning] its full value. So did David say to , :
Araunah,for the full price (I Chron. 21: 24). : ) ' (
10. Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the sons of

Heth, and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the

hearing of the sons of Heth, of all those who had come into :

the gate of his city, saying,
Now Ephron was sitting: It is spelled defectively, [without , :

avav. It can therefore be read , in the past tense, meaning that ,
he had just sat (Mizrachi, Beer Yitzchak).] On that very day they
:
had appointed him as an officer over them. Because of the
importance of Abraham, who needed him, he rose to an exalted
position. from Gen. Rabbah 58:7]
of all those who had come into the gate of his city: For they all :
left their work and came to pay their respects to Sarah. from :
Gen. Rabbah 58:7]
11. "No, my lord, listen to me. I have given you the field,

and the cave that is in it, I have given it to you. Before the

eyes of the sons of my people, I have given it to you; bury :
your dead."
No, my lord: You shall not buy it for money. : :-
I have given you: It is as though I have given it to you. : :
12. And Abraham prostrated himself before the people of :

the land.
13. And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of

the land, saying, "But, if only you would listen to me. I am

giving the money for the field; take [it] from me, and I will :

bury my dead there."
But, if only you would listen to me: You tell me to listen to you :
and to take it gratis. I do not wish to do that, butIf you would only , ,
( )listen to me, [meaning]If only ( ) you would listen to me.
:
Rashi explains that the word is equivalent to , if only.
I am giving: lit. I have given, Donai in Old French. It is ready with " " ][ :
me, and I wish that I had already given it to you. :
14. And Ephron replied to Abraham, saying to him, :

15. "My lord, listen to me; a [piece of] land worth four

hundred shekels of silver, what is it between me and you? :

Bury your dead."
between me and you: Between two friends such as we are, of :

what importance is it? None! Rather leave the sale and bury your ,
dead.
:
16. And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham

weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had named in the

hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, :

accepted by the merchant.
and Abraham weighed out to Ephron: is spelled without a , ":

vav, because he promised much but did not do even a little [i.e., ,
he promised the cave as a gift but took a great deal of money for
( ) ,
it], for he took from him large shekels, viz. centenaria [worth one
,
hundred smaller shekels], as it is stated:accepted by the
merchant, i.e., they are accepted as a [full] shekel everywhere, for ,
some places have large shekels, viz. centenaria, centeniers or :" ] [ "
zenteniyers in Old French,(hundred-unit weights.) - from Gen.
Rabbah 58:7, Bech. 50a, B.M. 87a]
Second Portion
Genesis Chapter 23
17. And so the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, |
facing Mamre, was established (as Abraham's possession).

[This included] the field and the cave that was in it, and all :

the trees that were in the field, which were within its entire
border around.
the field of Ephronwas established: Heb. , lit. it arose. It :

experienced an elevation, for it left the possession of a simple .
person [and went] into the possession of a king (Gen. Rabbah
:'
48:8). The simple meaning of the verse is: And the field and the
cave that was within it, and all the treeswere established to
Abraham as a possession, etc. from Targum Jonathan ben
Uzziel]
18. [It was] to Abraham as a possession before the eyes of

the sons of Heth, in the presence of all who had come :

within the gate of his city.
in the presence of all who had come within the gate of his city: :
In the midst of them all and in the presence of all he sold it to him. :
19. And afterwards, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the

cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre, which is

Hebron, in the land of Canaan. :
20. And the field and the cave within it were established to

Abraham as burial property, [purchased] from the sons of :

Heth.
Genesis Chapter 24
1. And Abraham was old, advanced in days, and the Lord

had blessed Abraham with everything. :

had blessed Abraham with everything: [The word] is

numerically equal to [ son]. Since he had a son, he had to find , :

him a wife. :
2. And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house,

who ruled over all that was his, "Please place your hand :

under my thigh.
the elder of his house: Since [the word ] is in the construct : :

state, it is vowelized .
under my thigh: (Shev. 38) Since one who swears must take with :
his hand an article related to a mitzvah such as a Torah scroll or , ,
Tefillin, and circumcision was his first mitzvah, and he had fulfilled it

with pain, it was dear to him; so he took it.
:
3. And I will adjure you by the Lord, the God of the heaven

and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my

son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose midst I :

dwell.
4. But you shall go to my land and to my birthplace, and

you shall take a wife for my son, for Isaac." :
5. And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will

not wish to go after me to this land. Shall I return your son

to the land from which you came?" :

6. And Abraham said to him, "Beware, lest you return my

son back there. :

7. The Lord, God of the heavens, Who took me from my |

father's house and from the land of my birth, and Who

spoke about me, and Who swore to me, saying, 'To your

seed will I give this land' He will send His angel before you,
:

and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
The Lord, God of the heavens, Who took me from my fathers :'
house: But he did not say, and the God of the earth, whereas ( ) ,
above (verse 3) he said, And I will adjure you [by the Lord, the
. '
God of the heaven and the God of the earth]. He said to him,Now
,
He is the God of the heaven and the God of the earth, because I
have made Him familiar in the mouths of the people, but when He ,
took me from my fathers house, He was the God of the heavens ,
but not the God of the earth, because mankind did not ,
acknowledge Him, and His name was not familiar on the earth. :
from my fathers house: from Haran. : :
and from the land of my birth: from Ur of the Chaldees. : :
and Who spoke about me: [Here means]concerning me, like ) ' ( , :
,who spoke concerning me. Similarly, every ,, and ,

used in conjunction with the verb -speak-is to be ,
interpreted in the sense of ,concerning, and their Aramaic
,
translation is , , . For in conjunction with , the use
,
of the terms ,, and is inappropriate, but rather , and
[ are to be used], and their Aramaic translation is , , ,
However, following the expression [ saying], the terms :
,, and are appropriate.
and Who swore to me: At the Covenant Between the Parts. : :
8. And if the woman will not wish to go after you, you will

be absolved of this, my oath; only do not return my son :

back there."
you will be absolved of this, my oath: And take him a wife from :'
the daughters of Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre. [From Gen. Rabbah :
49:8]
onlymy son: Only is restrictive. My son will not return, but , :'
Jacob, my grandson, will ultimately return. :
9. And the servant placed his hand under the thigh of

Abraham his master, and he swore to him concerning this :

matter.
Third Portion
Genesis Chapter 24
10. And the servant took ten camels of his master's
camels, and he went, and all the best of his master was in

his hand; and he arose, and he went to Aram naharaim, to :

the city of Nahor.
of his masters camels: (Gen. Rabbah 59:11). They were , :

distinguishable from other camels by the fact that they would go
out muzzled to prevent robbery, that they should not graze in
:
strangers fields.
all the best of his master was in his hand: (Gen. Rabbah ad :
loc.) He wrote a gift deed to Isaac for everything he owned, so that : ,
they would hasten [lit., jump] to send him their daughter.
Aram-naharaim: [lit., Aram of the two rivers.] It is situated between : :

two rivers.
11. And he made the camels kneel outside the city beside

the well of water, at eventide, at the time the maidens go :
out to draw water.
And he made the camels kneel: He made them lie down. : :

[Gen. Rabbah 59:11, Targum Jonathan]
12. And he said, "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham,

|

please cause to happen to me today, and perform loving :

kindness with my master, Abraham.
13. Behold, I am standing by the water fountain, and the

daughters of the people of the city are coming out to draw :

water.
14. And it will be, [that] the maiden to whom I will say,
) (
'Lower your pitcher and I will drink,' and she will say, 'Drink,

and I will also water your camels,' her have You designated

for Your servant, for Isaac, and through her may I know that
:

You have performed loving kindness with my master."
her have You designated: She is worthy of him, for she will :
perform acts of kindness, and she is fit to enter the house of .
Abraham; and the expression means You chose, esprover
" " ],
in Old French.
:[
and through her may I know: An expression of supplication:Let : , :

me know through her.
that You have performed loving-kindness: If she will be from his , :

family and fit for him, I will know that You have performed loving- :
kindness.
15. Now he had not yet finished speaking, and behold,

Rebecca came out, who had been born to Bethuel the son

of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, and her :

pitcher was on her shoulder.
16. Now the maiden was of very comely appearance, a

) (
virgin, and no man had been intimate with her, and she

went down to the fountain, and she filled her pitcher and :
went up.
a virgin: from the place of her virginity. [Gen. Rabbah 60:5] : :
and no man had been intimate with her: in an unnatural way. , :

Since the daughters of the gentiles would preserve their virginity
but were promiscuous in unnatural ways, Scripture attests that she
: ,
was completely innocent. [Gen. Rabbah ad loc.]
17. And the servant ran toward her, and he said, "Please

let me sip a little water from your pitcher." :

And the servant ran toward her: Because he saw that the water :
had risen toward her. [Gen. Rabbah ad loc.] :
Please let me sip: An expression of swallowing, humer in Old " ", :

French. :[]
18. And she said, "Drink, my lord." And she hastened and

lowered her pitcher to her hand, and she gave him to drink. :
and lowered her pitcher: from her shoulder. : :
19. And she finished giving him to drink, and she said, "I

will also draw for your camels, until they will have finished :

drinking."
until they will have finished drinking: Here the word is used , :
in the sense of , that , ,
:
they will have finished: Onkelos renders: until they have had
enough, because that is the end of their drinking, when they have
drunk their fill.
20. And she hastened, and she emptied her pitcher into

the trough, and she ran again to the well to draw water, and :

she drew for all his camels.
and she emptied: is an expression of emptying. There are , :

many examples in the language of the Mishnah:One who empties ,) (
( ) from one vessel to another. It is also found in Scripture
) (
(Psalms 141:8):Do not cast out ( ) my soul ; (Isa. 53:12):That
: ) ( ,
he poured out ( ) his soul to death.
the trough: A hollow stone from which the camels drink. : :
21. And the man was astonished at her, standing silent,

[waiting] to know whether the Lord had caused his way to :

prosper or not.
was astonished: Heb. , an expression of desolation, as in ) ( , :

(Isa. 6:11):[until] the cities become desolate ( ) and [the : ,
ground] lies waste ( ) and desolate.
was astonished: [ means that] he was astonished and :

startled because he saw his efforts on the verge of succeeding, but .
he did not yet know whether she was of Abrahams family or not.
" .
Do not be surprised by the lettertav in the word [ since the
"
root is ], because there is no word [verb] whose first root-letter
is a shin, which is used in the reflexive [Hitpael] form, in which "
atav does not separate the first two letters of the root, e.g.
[here]; or (Isa. 59:15) which is from the same root as ) ( ,
or (ibid. 59:16) , from the same root as or (Micah , ) ( ,
6:16):And the statutes of Omri shall be observed () , from
,) (
the same root as . Here too, is from the same root as
,
. And just as you find the expression used concerning
a person who is astonished, dumbfounded, and engrossed in
thought, as in (Job 18:20):Those who come after shall be ) ( ,
astonished ( ) at his day ; or (Jer. 2:12):O heavens, be ye ) , ) ( ,
astonished ( ; )or (Dan. 4: 16):He was bewildered () ,(
for awhile; so can you explain the expression as referring to
.
a person who is astonished and engrossed in thought. Onkelos, ,

however, renders it as an expression of waiting ( ) :and the . '
man waited ( ) , [meaning that] he waited and stood in one
", ,
place to seewhether the Lord had made his way prosper.
:
However, we cannot translate as meaning ,to drink,
because [the word ] does not mean drinking, for the aleph
does not occur in the verbto drink () .
was astonished at her: [ means] he was astonished about her, ( ) :

as in [above 20:13]:Say about me ( ), He is my brother ; and ) ( ,
as in [26:7]:The people of the place asked about his wife ( ) .
:
22. Now it came about, when the camels had finished

drinking, [that] the man took a golden nose ring, weighing

half [a shekel], and two bracelets for her hands, weighing :

ten gold [shekels].
half [a shekel]: This alludes to the shekels of Israel, half a shekel : :

per head. [Targum Jonathan]
and two bracelets: An allusion to the two Tablets paired together. : :

[Gen. Rabbah (60:6), Targum Jonathan]
weighing ten gold [shekels]: An allusion to the Ten :

Commandments [inscribed] on them. [Gen. Rabbah 60:6] :
23. And he said, "Whose daughter are you? Please tell me.

Is there place for us for lodging in your father's house?" :

And he said,"Whose daughter are you?: He asked her this after , :

giving her [the gifts] because he was confident that in the merit of
Abraham, the Holy One, blessed be He, had caused his way to
:"
prosper.
for lodging: means one nights lodging. - is a noun. But she . :

replied, , meaning many lodgings. [Gen. Rabbah 60:6] [Since :
is a verb, it does not limit the number of lodgings.]
24. And she said to him, "I am the daughter of Bethuel, the

son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor." :
the daughter of Bethuel: She answered his first question first and :
his last question last. :
25. And she said to him, "Both straw and fodder are

plentiful with us; [there is] also a place to lodge." :

fodder: All camel food is called , such as straw and barley. :

:
26. And the man kneeled and prostrated himself to the :

Lord.
Fourth Portion
Genesis Chapter 24
27. And he said, "Blessed is the Lord, the God of my

master, Abraham, Who has not forsaken His loving

kindness and His truth from my master. As for me, the Lord :
led me on the road to the house of my master's kinsmen."
on the road: on the designated road, the straight road, on the very , , :
road that I needed. Likewise, every beth, lammed, and hey, " " ".
that serve as a prefix and are vowelized with a pattach refer to
"
something specific, already mentioned elsewhere, or of [some

object] where it is clear and obvious about what one is speaking.
[i.e., Thepattach under the prefix denotes the , the :
definite article.]
28. And the maiden ran, and she told her mother's house ) (
what had happened. :
her mothers house: It was customary for women to have a house :

in which to stay to do their work, and a daughter confides only in ,
her mother. [Gen. Rabbah 60:7]
:
29. Now Rebecca had a brother whose name was Laban,

and Laban ran to the man outside, to the fountain. :

and Laban ran: Why did he run and for what did he run? Now it , :
came to pass, when he saw the nose ring, he said, This person is : , ,
rich, and he set his eyes on the money. [Gen. Rabbah 60:7]
30. And it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring and

|
the bracelets on his sister's hands, and when he heard the

words of his sister Rebecca, saying, "So did the man speak

to me, " that he came to the man, and behold, he was
:

standing over the camels at the fountain.
over the camels: to guard them, as (above 18:8):And he was ) ( , :

standing over them, in order to serve them. : ,
31. And he said, "Come, you who are blessed of the Lord.

Why should you stand outside, when I have cleared the :

house, and a place for the camels?"
when I have cleared the house: of idolatry. [Gen. Rabbah : :

60:7]
32. So the man came to the house and unmuzzled the

camels, and he gave straw and fodder to the camels and

water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were :
with him.
and unmuzzled the camels: He loosened their muzzles, for he

would shut their mouths so that they would not graze along the way , :
in fields belonging to others. [Gen. Rabbah 60:8, Targum :
Jonathan]
33. And [food] was set before him to eat, but he said, "I will
) (

not eat until I have spoken my words." And he said, :

"Speak."
until I have spoken: Here serves as an expression of , :

[that] and as an expression of , as in (below 49: 10):Until () , ) ( ,
Shiloh will come. This is what our Sages of blessed memory said
"
(Rosh Hashanah 3a): The word serves for four meanings. One of
: , ,
these is [the Aramaic] , which is equivalent to [the Hebrew] .
34. And he said, "I am Abraham's servant. :

35. And the Lord blessed my master exceedingly, and he

became great, and He gave him sheep and cattle, silver

and gold, man servants and maid servants, camels and :
donkeys.
36. And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master

after she had become old, and he gave him all that he :

possesses.
and he gave him all that he possesses: He showed them a gift : :

deed.
37. And my master adjured me, saying, 'You shall not take

a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in :

whose land I dwell.
You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the :
Canaanites: unless you first go to my fathers house, and she will :
not wish to follow you.
38. Instead, you must go to my father's house and to my

family, and take a wife for my son.' :
39. And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not :

follow me?'
Perhaps the woman will not follow me: It [the word , :

(perhaps)] is written [without avav and may be read] ( to me).
Eliezer had a daughter, and he was looking for a pretext so that
,
Abraham would tell him, to turn to him, to marry off his daughter to
,
him (Isaac). Abraham said to him,My son is blessed, and you are
cursed [Eliezer was a descendant of Canaan who had been cursed :
by Noah], and an accursed one cannot unite with a blessed one.
40. And he said to me, 'The Lord, before Whom I walked,

will send His angel with you and make your way prosper,
and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and :

from my father's house.
41. You will then be absolved from my oath, when you

come to my family, and if they do not give [her] to you, you :

will be absolved from my oath.'
42. So I came today to the fountain, and I said, 'O Lord,

God of my master Abraham, if You desire to prosper my
way upon which I am going :

So I came today: Today I left, and today I arrived. From here we , :

learn that the earth shrank for him [i.e., his journey was .
miraculously shortened]. Rabbi Acha said: The ordinary
,
conversation of the servants of the Patriarchs is more beloved
,
before the Omnipresent than the Torah of their sons, for the section
dealing with Eliezer is repeated in the Torah, whereas many :
fundamentals of the Torah were given only through allusions.
[Gen. Rabbah 60:8]
43. Behold, I am standing by the water fountain. When a

maiden comes out to draw [water], I will say to her, 'Please,

give me a little water to drink from your pitcher.' :

44. And [if] she will say to me, 'You too may drink, and I will

also draw water for your camels,' she is the woman whom :

the Lord has designated for my master's son.'
You too: [The word] ( also), includes the people who were with : :
him.
designated: [Meaning]: He clarified and made known, and , :

likewise, every expression of in Scripture denotes :
clarification of a matter.
45. I had not yet finished speaking thus in my heart, and

behold, Rebecca came out with her pitcher on her shoulder,

and she went down to the fountain and drew water, and I :

said to her, 'Please give me to drink.'
I had not yet finished: [Meaning]:I was not yet finishing. And , :
similarly, wherever the present tense is called for, sometimes the
past tense is used, and it could have been written ( past
, ,
tense), I had not yet finished; and sometimes the future tense is
, , ) (
used. An example [that a verb denoting continuous action is
sometimes expressed in the past and sometimes in the future] is .)(
(Job 1: 5):for Job would say ( ) : this is in the past tense.So )( ,
would Job do ( ) : this is in the future tense. But the meaning : '
of both is in the present tense, [namely] for so would Job say:
Perhaps my sons have sinned? and so he would do this [in a
continuous fashion].
46. And she hastened and lowered her pitcher from upon

her, and she said, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels.'
So I drank, and she also watered the camels. :
47. And I asked her, and I said, 'Whose daughter are you?'

And she replied, 'The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor,

whom Milcah bore to him.' And I placed the nose ring on her :

nose and the bracelets on her hands.
And I askedand I placed: He reversed the sequence of events, , :

because, in fact, he had first given [her the jewelry] and then asked ,
[about her family]. But [he changed the order] lest they catch him in
: ,
his words and say,How did you give her [the jewelry] when you did
not yet know who she was?
48. And I kneeled and prostrated myself to the Lord, and I

blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, Who led

me on the true path, to take the daughter of my master's :

brother for his son.
49. And now, if you will do loving kindness and truth with
my master, tell me, and if not, tell me, and I will turn to the

right or to the left." :

to the right: [This refers to a wife] from the daughters of Ishmael. : :
to the left: [This refers to a wife] from the daughters of Lot, who :
dwelt to the left of Abraham (Gen. Rabbah 60:9). :
50. And Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The

matter has emanated from the Lord. We cannot speak to :

you either bad or good.
And Laban and Bethuel answered: He [Laban] was wicked and :

jumped to reply before his father. :
We cannot speak to you: to refuse in this matter, either with an , :

unfavorable reply, or with an appropriate reply, because it is
obvious that the matter has emanated from the Lord, according to
, '
your words, that He designated her for you.
:
51. Behold Rebecca is before you, take [her] and go, and

let her be a wife for your master's son, as the Lord has :

spoken."
52. Now it came to pass when Abraham's servant heard

their words, that he prostrated himself on the ground to the :

Lord.
that he prostrated himself on the ground: From here [we learn] : :

that we must give thanks for good tidings.
Fifth Portion
Genesis Chapter 24
53. And the servant took out silver articles and golden

articles and garments, and he gave [them] to Rebecca, and :

he gave delicacies to her brother and to her mother.
and delicacies: Heb. . An expression of sweet fruits , :

() , for he had brought with him various kinds of fruits of the :
Land of Israel.
54. And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with

him, and they lodged, and they arose in the morning, and :

he said, "Send me away to my master."
and they lodged: Wherever lodging is mentioned in Scripture, it : :

refers to one nights lodging.
55. And her brother and her mother said, "Let the maiden )

stay with us a year or ten [months]; afterwards she will go." :
(
And her brother and her mother said: And where was Bethuel? , :
He wanted to stop [Rebeccas marriage]; so an angel came and :
slew him. [Gen. Rabbah 60:12]
a year: [ means] a year, as in (Lev. 25:29):the time of its ) ( , :

redemption shall be one full year () . For a maiden is granted a ,
period of twelve months to outfit herself with ornaments.
:
[Kethuboth 57].
or ten: [Meaning] ten months, for if you say that is [to be . :

understood literally as] days, it is not customary for people who ,
make requests to request a small thing and [to say,] If you are
:
unwilling, give us more than that. - [Kethuboth 57].
56. But he said to them, "Do not delay me, since the Lord

has made my way prosper. Send me away, and I will go to :
my master."
57. And they said, "Let us call the maiden and ask her." ) (

:

And ask her: From here we learn that we may not marry off a :
woman except with her consent. [Gen. Rabbah 60: 12] :
58. And they summoned Rebecca, and they said to her,

"Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go." :

and she said, I will go.: of my own accord, even if you do not : , :
desire it.
59. So they sent away Rebecca their sister and her nurse

and Abraham's servant and his men. :

60. And they blessed Rebecca and said to her, "Our sister,

may you become thousands of myriads, and may your seed :

inherit the cities of their enemies."
may you become thousands of myriads: May you and your seed :
receive that blessing that was stated to Abraham on Mount Moriah )
(above 22:17): and I will surely multiply your seed, etc. May it be
.'(
His will that those children shall be from you and not from another
:
woman.
61. And Rebecca and her maidens arose and rode on the

camels, and they followed the man; and the servant took

Rebecca and left. :

62. Now Isaac was on his way, coming from Be'er Lachai

Ro'i, and he dwelt in the land of the south. :
coming from Beer Lachai Roi: where he had gone to bring :

Hagar to Abraham his father, that he should marry her (Gen. :
Rabbah 60:14).
and he dwelt in the land of the south: Near that well, as it is said , :
(above 20:1): And Abraham traveled from there to the south land, ) (
and he dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and there the well was
, ,
located, as it is said (above 16:14):Behold it is between Kadesh
: ) (
and Bered.
63. And Isaac went forth to pray in the field towards

evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, :
camels were approaching.
to pray: is an expression of prayer, as in (Ps. 102:1):He ) ( , :

pours out his prayer () . - [Gen. Rabbah 60: 14, Ber. 26b] \b :
64\b0
64. And Rebecca lifted her eyes, and saw Isaac, and she

let herself down from the camel. :
and saw Isaac: She saw his majestic appearance, and she was :
astounded by him (Gen. Rabbah 60:14). :
and she let herself down: She slipped off toward the earth, as the , :
Targum , and she leaned. She leaned towards the earth but
did not reach the ground, as (above verse 14):Please lower ()
, , ) ( ,
your pitcher, [which the Targum renders:]
[tilt]. Similar to this,
, ,)" (
(II Sam. 22:10):And He bent ( )the heavens, [which the Targum
renders:] , an expression of leaning towards the earth, and ) ( ,
similarly (Ps. 37: 24):Though he falls () , he will not be cast : ,
down, meaning that if he falls toward the earth, he will not reach
the ground.
65. And she said to the servant, "Who is that man walking

in the field towards us?" And the servant said, "He is my

master." And she took the veil and covered herself. :
and covered herself: is in the reflexive form, as in (below : , , :

( and she was buried); (I Sam. 4:18) ( and it was
35:8)
broken).
66. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had

done. :
And the servant told: (Gen. Rabbah 60:15) He revealed to him :

[Isaac] the miracles that were wrought for him, that the earth had :
shrunk for him and that Rebecca had come to him providentially as
a result of his prayer.
67. And Isaac brought her to the tent of Sarah his mother,

and he took Rebecca, and she became his wife, and he

loved her. And Isaac was comforted for [the loss of] his :
mother.
to the tent of Sarah his mother: He brought her to the tent, and :
behold, she was Sarah his mother; i.e., she became the likeness of , , ,
Sarah his mother, for as long as Sarah was alive, a candle burned

from one Sabbath eve to the next, a blessing was found in the
, ,
dough, and a cloud was attached to the tent. When she died, these
things ceased, and when Rebecca arrived, they resumed (Gen. , ,
Rabbah 60:16). :
forhis mother: It is the way of the world that, as long as a :

persons mother is alive, he is attached to her, but as soon as she ,
dies, he finds comfort in his wife. [Pirkei dRabbi Eliezer, ch. 32.]
:
Sixth Portion
Genesis Chapter 25
1. And Abraham took another wife and her name was :

Keturah.
Keturah: (Gen. Rabbah 61:4) This is Hagar. She was called , :

Keturah because her deeds were as beautiful as incense () ,
and because she tied ( , the Aramaic fortied) her opening, for
:
she was not intimate with any man from the day she separated
from Abraham.
2. And she bore him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and

Midian and Jishbak and Shuah. :

3. And Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan, and the sons of

Dedan were Ashurim, Letushim, and Leumim. :

Ashurim and Letushim: the names of the heads of nations (Gen. . :

Rabbah 61:5). But I cannot reconcile the translation of Onkelos .

as
with the language of the verse [who translated , . ,
meaning camps. And if you say that it is not so, because the
,"
aleph is not part of the root, we do have words that do not
, " "
commence with an aleph, yet are prefixed with analeph. For
example (Amos 7:7): ( a wall made by a plumbline), which ) ' ,) (
is derived from [the same root as] (II Sam. 4:4) ( lame in ) ' ( ,(
his feet); and like (II Kings 4:2) ( a jug of oil), which is : ) (
derived from [the same root as] (Ruth 3:3) ( and you
shall bathe and anoint yourself).
and Letushim: They are tent dwellers who spread hither and :
thither, and travel each in his palatial tents, (using the expression ,
from Dan. 11:45), and so Scripture states (I Sam. 30:16):and
,)" (
behold, they are scattered ( ) over the entire earth, for
: " "
lammed and nun are interchangeable.]
4. And the sons of Midian [were] Ephah and Epher and

Enoch and Abida and Elda'ah; all these were the sons of :

Keturah.
5. And Abraham gave all that he possessed to Isaac. :

And Abraham gave, etc.: (Gen. Rabbah 61:6) R. Nechemiah , ' :'
said: He gave him a permanent blessing, for the Holy One, blessed " ) (
be He, had said to Abraham (above 12:2) and you shall be a
,
blessing, i.e., the blessings are delivered into your hand to bless
: ,
whomever you wish. And Abraham gave them over to Isaac.
[Mid. Ps. 1:5]
6. And to the sons of Abraham's concubines, Abraham

gave gifts, and he sent them away from his son Isaac while

he [Abraham] was still alive, eastward to the land of the :

East.
concubines: (Gen. Rabbah 61:4) This [the word [ ] is spelled , :

defectively [missing the letter yud], because there was only one , . ,
concubine. That was Hagar, who was identical with Keturah.
),
[Theyud, denoting the plural, is absent, hence Rashi understands
:(
that the word denotes the singular. In our Torah scrolls, the
plene spelling appears.] Wives are those who have a marriage
contract, whereas concubines have no marriage contract, as is
explained in Sanhedrin (21a) regarding Davids wives and
concubines.
Abraham gave gifts: Our Sages explained that he gave them the :
name of impurity (Sanh. 91a). Another explanation: All that was .
given to him because of Sarah and the other gifts that were given
,
to him, all these he gave to them, for he did not wish to benefit from
:
them.
7. And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life

that he lived: one hundred years and seventy years and five :
years.
one hundred years and seventy years and five years: When he
was one hundred years old, he was as one who is seventy years :
old, and when he was seventy years old, he was as one who is five : ,
years old, without sin.
8. And Abraham expired and died in a good old age, old

and satisfied, and he was gathered to his people. :

9. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the Cave

of Machpelah in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the

Hittite, which faces Mamre, :

Isaac and Ishmael: (Gen. Rabbah 30:4, 38:12) From here [we :
may deduce] that Ishmael repented and let Isaac go before him, ,
and that is the meaning of a good old age which is stated
:
regarding Abraham (above 15:15). - [B.B. 16b]
10. The field that Abraham had bought from the sons of

Heth there Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried. :
11. Now it came to pass after Abraham's death, that God

blessed his son Isaac, and Isaac dwelt near Be'er Lachai :

Ro'i.
Now it came to pass after Abrahams death, that God blessed, :'
etc.: He consoled him with the consolations of the mourners .
(Sotah 14b). Another explanation: Even though the Holy One,
,
blessed be He, delivered the blessings to Abraham, he was afraid
,
to bless Isaac because he foresaw Esau emanating from him. So
he said,May the Master of blessings come and bless whomever
He pleases. And the Holy One, blessed be He, came and blessed :
him. - [Tan. Lech Lecha 4]
Seventh Portion
Genesis Chapter 25
12. Now these are the generations of Ishmael the son of

Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, the maidservant of :
Sarah, bore to Abraham.
13. And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael by

their names, according to their births: the firstborn of

Ishmael was Nebaioth, and Kedar and Adbe'el and Mibsam, :

by their names, according to their births: in the order of their : :

birth, one after the other.
14. And Mishma and Dumah and Massa, :

15. Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedmah. :

16. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their
names in their open cities and in their walled cities, twelve

princes to their nations. :
in their open cities: [These are] unwalled cities, and the Targum , :
renders: , for they are meaning open, as in (Ps. , ,
98:4):Open [your mouths] ( ) and sing praises.
:) (
17. And these are the years of the life of Ishmael: one

hundred years and thirty years and seven years; and he :

expired and died and was gathered to his people.
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, etc.: Said Rabbi :'
Chiyya bar Abba: Why were Ishmaels years counted? In order to ,
trace through them the years of Jacob. From the years of Ishmael
.
we learn that Jacob studied in the academy of Eber for fourteen

years after he left his father before arriving to Laban, for when
Jacob left his father, Ishmael died, as it is said (below 28:9): And ,
Esau went to Ishmael, etc. , as is delineated at the end of [the ,
chapter entitled]The Megillah is read (Meg. 16b, 17a). ) (
),'
:(
and he expired: Heb. . [The term] is mentioned only : :

regarding the righteous. [B.B. 16b]
18. And they dwelt from Havilah to Shur, which borders on

Egypt, going towards Asshur; before all his brothers he :

dwelt.
he dwelt: [ means] he dwelt as in (Jud. 7: 12):Now the ) ( , :

Midianites and the Amalekites and all those of the East dwelt .
( ) in the valley. Here Scripture uses the term , (falling),
,
whereas there (above 16:12) it states:And before all his brothers
, ,()
he will dwell ( ) . Before Abraham died, he dwelt ; after
Abraham died,he fell. - [Gen. Rabbah 62:5] :
Maftir Portion
Genesis Chapter 25
16. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their
names in their open cities and in their walled cities, twelve

princes to their nations. :
in their open cities: [These are] unwalled cities, and the Targum , :
renders: , for they are meaning open, as in (Ps. , ,
98:4):Open [your mouths] ( ) and sing praises.
:) (
17. And these are the years of the life of Ishmael: one

hundred years and thirty years and seven years; and he :

expired and died and was gathered to his people.
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, etc.: Said Rabbi :'
Chiyya bar Abba: Why were Ishmaels years counted? In order to ,

trace through them the years of Jacob. From the years of Ishmael .
we learn that Jacob studied in the academy of Eber for fourteen

years after he left his father before arriving to Laban, for when
,
Jacob left his father, Ishmael died, as it is said (below 28:9): And
Esau went to Ishmael, etc. , as is delineated at the end of [the ,
chapter entitled]The Megillah is read (Meg. 16b, 17a). ) (
),'
:(
and he expired: Heb. . [The term] is mentioned only : :

regarding the righteous. [B.B. 16b]
18. And they dwelt from Havilah to Shur, which borders on

Egypt, going towards Asshur; before all his brothers he :

dwelt.
he dwelt: [ means] he dwelt as in (Jud. 7: 12):Now the ) ( , :

Midianites and the Amalekites and all those of the East dwelt .
( ) in the valley. Here Scripture uses the term , (falling),
,
whereas there (above 16:12) it states:And before all his brothers
, ,()
he will dwell ( ) . Before Abraham died, he dwelt ; after
Abraham died,he fell. - [Gen. Rabbah 62:5] :
Haftarah
I Kings Chapter 1
1. And king David was old, he came into his old age, and

they covered him with clothes, but he was not warmed. :
But he was not warmed: Our Rabbis concluded and said: He

who disgraces clothing will ultimately be deprived of their
pleasures. Because David tore the skirt of Sauls robe (Samuel I
24:5) consequently, they did not warm him (Berachoth 62b). As
David saw the angel of death standing in Jerusalem and his sword
in his hand, his blood became cold from fear of him.
2. And his servants said to him, "Let them seek for my lord

the king a young girl, a virgin, and she shall stand before

the king, and she shall be to him a warmer, and she shall lie :

in your lap, and it shall be warm for my lord the king."
A virgin: her virginity warms her flesh.
A warmer: Heb. a warmer, and similarly and he who chops

wood is warmed ( )by them (Eccl. 10:9).
3. And they sought a beautiful young girl throughout the

borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunemitess and :

brought her to the king.
4. And the young girl was very beautiful, and she was a

warmer to the king, and she ministered to him, but the king :
did not know her.
5. And Adoniahu the son of Haggith exalted himself saying:

'I will be king,' and he made for himself chariots and

horsemen and fifty men to run before him. :
Exalted himself: He exalted himself.
And fifty men: had their spleens removed and the soles of their
feet were scraped.
6. And his father had not angered him all his days saying,

"Why have you done so?" And he too was of very

handsome appearance, and she bore him after Absalom. :
And his father had not angered him: His father never angered
him. This episode teaches you that he who refrains from rebuking
his child brings him to his death.
And he too was of very handsome appearance: Absalom about

whom it is written (Samuel II 14:25) And as Absalom there was
none so handsome. This caused them, [Absalom and Adoniahu],
to be proud.
And she bore him: his mother.
After Absalom: This is to say that his mother reared him in the
same spoiled manner that Absaloms mother reared him.
7. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with

Abiathar the priest and they helped [by following] after :
Adoniahu.
With Joab the son of Zeruiah: Because he knew that David bore
a grudge against him for having killed Abner, Amasa, and Absalom,
and that he would eventually charge his son, who would reign in
his place, to deal with him. Joab, therefore, preferred that this one,
[Adoniahu] should reign through his help and so that Adoniahu
should favor him.
And with Abiathar the priest: Because he was dismissed from

the priesthood at the time when David was escaping from
Jerusalem because of Absalom. When Abiathar consulted the Urim
and Tumim and was unsuccessful, as it is said, (Samuel II 15:24)
And Abiathar went up. And he was a descendent of Eli. And
Abiathar knew that he would not serve in the days of Solomon, for
it was said to Eli And I will raise Me up a faithful priest and he shall
walk before My anointed one (Samuel I 2:35). Abiathar preferred
[therefore,] that Adoniahu become king through his assistance.
8. And Zadok the priest and Benaiahu the son of Jehoiada,

and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei and Rei, and the

mighty men, who were with David, were not with Adoniahu. :

And Nathan the prophet: who prophesied to David that Solomon

would reign, as it is said in (Chronicles I 22:9) and Solomon shall
be his name.
9. And Adoniahu slew sheep and oxen and fatlings, by the

stone of Zoheleth which is beside En-Rogel, and he called

all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, :

the kings servants.
And fatlings: [These are sheep and] oxen which have been
fattened by forceful feeding.
The stone of Zoheleth: A huge stone with which the young men
would test their strength to move or drag it. [Zoheleth is] an
expression similar to moving water ( )or those that move
( )on the dust (Deut. 32:24). Targum Jonathan renders this
word a lookout stone, upon which one could stand and look
far into the distance.
En-Rogel: which was a well used by a clothes washer who would

press the woolen clothes which he washed, with his feet, by
stamping [on them].
10. And Nathan the prophet and Benaiahu and the mighty

men and his brother, Solomon, he did not call. :

And his brother Solomon, he did not call: for he knew that the
prophet had prophesied about him that he would reign [after
Davids death].
11. And Nathan said to Bath-Sheba, Solomon's mother,

saying, "You have surely heard that Adoniahu the son of

Haggith has reigned, and our lord, David, did not know [it]. :
12. And now come and I shall council you with advice, and

you shall save your life and the life of your son Solomon. :

And you shall save your life: and save your soul from the rivalry
which will follow the death of the king, for your son will wish to reign
as the Holy One, Blessed be He, promised him.
13. Go and come to king David, and you shall say to him,
|
'Surely, you, my lord the king, did swear to your maid saying

that, 'Solomon your son will reign after me and he shall sit

upon my throne,' Now why did Adoniahu reign?"
:

14. Behold, you are talking there with the king, and I shall

come in after you and I shall complete your words." :

15. And Bath Sheba came in unto the king, into the

chamber; and the king was very old; and Abishag the :

Shunemitess ministered the king.
16. And Bath-Sheba bowed her head, and prostrated

herself unto the king, and the king said, "What is your :

[wish]?"
17. And she said to him, "My lord, you swore by the Lord

your God to your maid, that, 'Solomon, your son, shall reign

after me, and he shall sit on my throne.' :

18. And now, behold Adoniahu has reigned, and now my

lord the king, you did not know. :
19. And he has slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in

abundance and he called all the king's sons and Abiathar

the priest and Joab the general of the army, but Solomon, :

your servant, he did not call.
20. And you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are
upon you, that you should tell them, who shall sit on the

throne of my lord the king after him. :
21. And [otherwise] when my lord the king shall sleep with

his fathers, and I and my son Solomon shall be [considered] :

offenders."
And I and my son shall be considered offenders: Instead they

will always be lacking and restrained from any greatness.
22. And behold, she was still speaking with the king, and

Nathan the prophet came. :
23. And they told the king saying, "Behold, Nathan the

prophet." And he came in before the king and he prostrated :

himself unto the king upon his face, to the ground.
24. And Nathan said, "My lord the king, did you say

'Adoniahu shall reign after me and he shall sit upon my :

throne?'"
Did you say: The interrogative.
25. For he has gone down this day and has slain oxen and |
fatlings and sheep in abundance, and he called all the

King's sons, and the officers of the army, and Abiathar the

priest, and behold they eat and drink before him, and they
:
said, "Long live King Adoniahu."
For he went down on this day: The city was on higher ground
and the was below in a valley.
26. And me, [even] me your servant, and Zadok the priest

and Benaiahu the son of Yehoiada and Solomon, your :

servant, he did not call.
27. If this matter stems from my lord the king, [I wonder

that] you have not informed your servant who should sit on ) (

the throne of my lord the king after him. :

28. And king David answered and said, "Call Bath Sheba

to me. And she came before the king and stood before the :

king.
29. And he swore and said, "[I swear as] God lives who

redeemed my soul from all distress. :

30. Indeed, as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel

saying, 'Surely Solomon, your son, shall reign after me and

he shall sit on my throne in my stead,' surely, so will I do :

this day."
31. And Bath-Sheba bowed [her] face to the earth, and she

prostrated herself to the king and said, "Let my lord King :

David live forever."
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Both English Hebrew HIDE RASHI'S COMMENTARY

the years of the life of Sarah: All of them equally good. : :

2. And Sarah died in Kiriath arba, which is Hebron, in the

in Kiriath-arba: lit. the city of the four. So named because of the :

and Abraham came: from Beer-sheba. : :

to eulogize Sarah and to bewail her: The account of Sarahs :

3. And Abraham arose from before his dead, and he spoke

4. "I am a stranger and an inhabitant with you. Give me

I am a stranger and an inhabitant with you: [I am] a stranger :

burial property: the possession of land for a burial place. : :

5. And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, :

6. "Listen to us, my lord; you are a prince of God in our

nonewill withhold: Heb. , will not withhold, as (Ps. ) ( , :

7. And Abraham arose and prostrated himself to the :

8. And he spoke with them, saying, "If it is your will that I

your will: Heb. , equivalent to ,

and entreat for me: Heb. , an expression of entreaty, as in ) ( , :

9. That he may give me the Machpelah (double) Cave,

double: A structure with an upper story over it. Another . :

10. Now Ephron was sitting in the midst of the sons of

Now Ephron was sitting: It is spelled defectively, [without , :

No, my lord: You shall not buy it for money. : :-

I have given you: It is as though I have given it to you. : :

12. And Abraham prostrated himself before the people of :

13. And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of

14. And Ephron replied to Abraham, saying to him, :

between me and you: Between two friends such as we are, of :

16. And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham

weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had named in the

and Abraham weighed out to Ephron: is spelled without a , ":

the field of Ephronwas established: Heb. , lit. it arose. It :

18. [It was] to Abraham as a possession before the eyes of

19. And afterwards, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the

had blessed Abraham with everything: [The word] is

numerically equal to [ son]. Since he had a son, he had to find , :

2. And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house,

the elder of his house: Since [the word ] is in the construct : :

4. But you shall go to my land and to my birthplace, and

5. And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will

6. And Abraham said to him, "Beware, lest you return my

7. The Lord, God of the heavens, Who took me from my |

from my fathers house: from Haran. : :

and from the land of my birth: from Ur of the Chaldees. : :

,who spoke concerning me. Similarly, every ,, and ,

and Who swore to me: At the Covenant Between the Parts. : :

9. And the servant placed his hand under the thigh of

of his masters camels: (Gen. Rabbah 59:11). They were , :

Aram-naharaim: [lit., Aram of the two rivers.] It is situated between : :

And he made the camels kneel: He made them lie down. : :

12. And he said, "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham,

please cause to happen to me today, and perform loving :

13. Behold, I am standing by the water fountain, and the

and through her may I know: An expression of supplication:Let : , :

that You have performed loving-kindness: If she will be from his , :

15. Now he had not yet finished speaking, and behold,

16. Now the maiden was of very comely appearance, a

a virgin: from the place of her virginity. [Gen. Rabbah 60:5] : :

and no man had been intimate with her: in an unnatural way. , :

Please let me sip: An expression of swallowing, humer in Old " ", :