This coming Shabbat we read in the weekly Torah portion how Abraham purchased Ma’arat HaMachpela for 400 silver shekels (in today’s term’s, about $750,000). The story is told in the Bible in great detail how Abraham haggled with Efron the Hittite and finally bought the double cave to bury there his wife Sarah.
What if...?
What if Abraham had lived today?
Abraham cannot reach out directly to Efron. If Efron knew that Abraham the Ivri – the first Jew, wanted to buy his land, he would refuse outright, knowing that the punishment for selling to a Jew is instant death by the hands of the country’s elders.
So, Abraham approaches Fony the Hittite, pays him a lot of money, and asks him to be a go-between, to purchase the caves for him. Of course, after raising the price a few times, Fony the Hittite agrees.
He then approaches Efron with an offer that cannot be refused: 400 silver shekels for a dungeon, a cave, and some of the property around it. Efron jumps at the offer and taking the money, finds his way to his cave to count the cash, making sure he didn’t get ripped off. Unknown to him, a secret camera from the roof of the cave films his greedy act.
Being satisfied that the money is in order, he returns to sign the contract with Fony the Hittite. This act is also filmed, just for the history books.
Fony takes the contract and films to Abraham, who can now announce the funeral plans for his dearly departed wife. A few hours later the procession begins. The casket is followed by Abraham and Isaac and thousands of others who respected this righteous woman. Unknown to them, others, from the IIA (Israelite Intelligence Agency) have infiltrated the crowd and too are taking part in the mourner’s ceremony.
As Abraham reaches the cave, a few hundred black-uniformed special security forces jump out from behind the rocks, trees and bushes.
“STOP,” they scream! “You have no permission to enter the caves of Machpela. They do not belong to you!”
Abraham, having some experience with these kinds of people, pulls out the contract and films, sets up his laptop, and screens the transactions, saying, “you see – I really did buy the caves – they belong to me!”
The IIA forces aren’t taken by surprise. The head honcho dials quickly and within moments a panel of Hittite judges have taken their seats in front of the caves, blocking the entrance, waiting to hear the case before them.
The IIA forces call on Efron: Did you sell this cave to Abraham?
Efron: Of course not.
IIA: How do you explain this film of you counting this money?
I was asked to count it for someone else – I counted it and gave it back.
The IIA then called Fony:
IIA: Did you purchase this cave for Abraham the Ivri?
Fony: Me? Why would I do that?
IIA: For money?
Fony: My morals would never let me buy property for a Jew.
The IIA rests its case.
Abraham calls to G-d and says: Now it’s Your turn.
G-d takes the stand.
Abraham: Please tell the truth. Did I buy these caves?
G-d: Yes, they belong to you. I created them for you during the first 6 days of creation. I even showed them to Adam and Eve.
Abraham: And I paid full price for them? You witnessed this transaction?
G-d: Of course, 400 silver shekels in cash went to Efron via Fony the Hittite.
Abraham: I rest my case.
The judges huddle and whisper hurriedly to each other. A few moments later they announce:
We reject Abraham’s testimony and that of G-d. We are the highest force on earth. Even G-d must obey us. The caves must stay with Efron. Abraham may not bury Sarah there. He must leave immediately. Take the body and go.
Abraham shrugs at G-d, looks at his son, and they all turn around and walk away. The caves of Machpela remain with Efron, and Sarah remains unburied.
That’s the way it probably would have been had Abraham lived today.
Morris Abraham, the righteous Jew who purchased Beit HaShalom with his father Mickey, told me this morning: “We will not be driven out of our home a 2nd time. We were expelled by the Arabs and the British in 1929 – my family was forced to leave its home in Hebron. We will not be exiled again, again expelled from Hebron, this time by the Israeli government. Just as Abraham purchased Ma’arat HaMachpela almost 4,000 years ago, so too did we, the Abraham family, buy property in Hebron. It was all done legally. We have the documents, the videos and the recordings. It belongs to us, and we will live there!”
With the help of G-d. The judges, the attorney general, the defense minister, whatever they may think, are not above G-d, and justice will win out. It may take some more time butBeit HaShalom will be ours. Without any doubt!
Cheshvan 11, 5769, 11/9/2008
Owner of Beit HaShalom in Hebron threatens to sue State
I love Israel and especially Hebron Owner of disputed house in Hebron threatens to sue State
American-Jewish businessman whose disputed purchase of property inflamed conflict in Hebron claims he will sue government, prevent his community members from investing in Israel if court evicts Jewish settlers living there by Ynet: Zvi Zinger http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3619272,00.html
"If the Jewish settlers are evicted from the 'peace house', I will file legal suits against the Israeli government and anyone involved in the eviction," said the Jewish businessman whose purchase of a building in Hebron inflamed rigorous conflict between the city's Jewish and Palestinian residents.
Morris Abraham, 40, is a member of the Syrian-Jewish community in New York. His great-grandfather was a resident of Hebron during the 1929 riots, and Abraham claims his investment in various projects in the city is personal.
"I love Israel and especially Hebron," he told Yedioth Ahronoth. He added that his parents were almost killed in the city when Hamas operatives attacked them with stones in 1990.
Five years ago Abraham discovered that a Palestinian entrepreneur who had built a structure in Hebron was having financial difficulties, and seeking to sell it to an Israeli buyer. "I invested a million dollars in the 'peace house'," Abraham claimed.
He said it was "intolerable" that the Israeli government was preventing Jews from purchasing property in the West Bank, something they could do "anywhere else in the free world".
The Hebron house case erupted in May of 2007, when a Palestinian resident filed a petition against 20 Jewish families he claimed had seized the house illegally. The families claimed the property had been paid for, but the court ruled they were to be evicted.
The families then submitted a tape to the court in which the plaintiff could be heard telling his friend he had sold the property to a Palestinian realtor, prompting the case's reexamination.
Abraham claims the sale was legitimate. "We have all of the evidence," he claims. "Everything was documented, including the transfer of money."
He said the State was executing a racist policy in its eviction of the residents, and threatened to sue the government. Abraham said he would also prevent other members of his community from donating funds and investing in Israel.
The case is currently being examined by the High Court of Justice, which stated recently that even if the house had been purchased legally, the residents could still be evicted until the matter was resolved. The decision prompted settlers to begin preparing for a forced evacuation.
Cheshvan 6, 5769, 11/4/2008
Beit HaShalom Update
Last week Hebron's Jewish community presented the Supreme Court with new evidence, an audio cassette, with a recording of the seller of Beit HaShalom telling a friend that he received full compensation for the building and that he was also paid by the buyer to make certain renovations in the building. The court has yet to react to this evidence.
In addition, fifty Knesset members, including members of the Kadima party, signed a letter to attorney general Manny Mazuz, requesting that he reinvestigate the sale of the building in light of the new evidence, and in the mean time, refrain from ordering expulsion of the Jews living there.
Yesterday afternoon, due to various reports received, there was a possibility that the building was about to be evacuated. Hundreds of people, including many youth arrived immediately in order to be present should an expulsion be attempted. Thankfully the attempt to expel the Jewish residents did not occur.
However, an emergency meeting of Hebron and Kiryat Arba leaders, together with other Yesha activists, was held last night. One of the decisions made was to call for a large continuous presence in the building.
David Wilder was born in New Jersey in the USA in 1954, and graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a BA in History and teacher certification in 1976. He spent 1974-75 in Jerusalem at the Hebrew University and returned to Israel upon graduation.
For over fifteen years David Wilder has worked with the Jewish Community of Hebron. He is the English spokesman for the community, granting newspaper, television and radio interviews internationally. He initiated the Hebron internet project, including email lists of over 15,000 subscribers who receive regular news and commentaries from Hebron in English and Hebrew. David is responsible and continues to update the Hebron web sites, portraying various facets of Hebron, utilizing text, audio, video and pictures. He conducts tours of Hebron's Jewish Community and occasionally travels abroad, speaking at Hebron functions.
David Wilder is married to Ora, a 'Sabra,' for 30 years. They lived in Kiryat Arba for 17 years and have resided at Beit Hadassah in Hebron for the past eleven years. They have seven children and many grandchildren.
