HaRav Dov Begon is Head of Yeshivat Machon Meir.
Abraham’s purchase of the Cave of Machpelah from Ephron was not an ordinary purchase. As the Torah states: “And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, before Mamre, the field and the cave that was in it, and all the trees in the field within all its surrounding borders, were established as Abraham’s possession" (Genesis 23:17).
Rashi explains the words, “And the field of Ephron was established" - “It experienced an elevation in status, for it passed from the possession of an ordinary person into the possession of a king."
Seemingly, it was the same field and the same cave, but in truth, the status and value of these places changed completely. From Ephron, who was considered an ordinary person, to our forefather Abraham, who was considered a king. It became a royal field.
Indeed, in the course of time, the Kingdom of David first appeared in Hebron. As is well known, the Kingdom of David is not merely a political kingdom. Rather, through the Kingdom of Israel, the Kingdom of the Holy One, Blessed Be He, appears and is revealed before the eyes of all, as we say in our prayers: “The Lord, God of Israel, is King, and His Kingdom rules over all."
And when will His Kingdom be revealed? When the kingdom of our righteous Mashiach is established, as it is said: “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth; on that day the Lord shall be One and His Name One."
At this time, how fortunate we are, how good is our portion, that we have merited to return to the Land of our life and to Hebron, the City of our Forefathers.
Once again, Hebron and the Land of Israel are experiencing a revival, this time through the descendants of the descendants of our forefather Abraham, who settle the Land of our Forefathers and Hebron with self-sacrifice, out of the recognition and faith that the revival of Hebron and the Land of Israel brings light to the world. For we are continuing in the path of our forefather Abraham, who called out in the Name of the Lord, Master of the world.
However, settling the Land of Israel and Hebron involves great difficulties, both from within and from without.
From within, these difficulties come from so many people who hold senior positions but who have not learned and do not understand what the Land of Israel and Jerusalem mean to Israel and to the entire world.
They do not understand that the struggle over the Land of Israel and Jerusalem is a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness, whose entire desire is to extinguish, Heaven forbid, the light of Israel which continues to grow brighter and brighter with each new property which is acquired, and with each new house that is built, and with every new Oleh who makes on Aliyah, and with every new Jewish child who is born in the Holy Land.
Whoever still lives with the fantasy and delusion of making peace with our enemies has apparently forgotten all the terrible things we have experienced.
Let us pray that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, will grant all the people of Israel wisdom and political understanding, that we work together to strengthen our hold on the Land of Israel, and strengthen the settlers and the wonderful settlement enterprise throughout all parts of our eternal Homeland.
Through this, our State will be strengthened and we will increase the light of Hashem in the world.
The Arabs within the Land of Israel and the Arabs surrounding us do not cease for a moment from scheming to achieve their evil goal of destroying the State of Israel.
It shall never come to pass.
But we, the descendants of our forefather Abraham, to whom it was said, “Go forth to the Land that I will show you, and there I will make you into a great nation, and you shall be a blessing, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed through you," we continue, despite everything, to bring revival to Hebron, Jerusalem, and all parts of the Land of Israel.
And the promise that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, made to our forefather Abraham, “For all the Land that you see, I will give to you and to your descendants forever," will soon be fulfilled.
“For the Lord will not forsake His people, nor will He abandon His inheritance."