Sarah died at 127 years old. Her death proved to be an additional challenge for Abraham. After all he had gone through to prove his allegiance and love for G-d, he now had to maintain faith and dignity in the face of tragedy.
Although G-d had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham, it was not yet his. Abraham had to deal with the Hittites to purchase a burial spot for his wife in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron. Although the Hittites offered him the cave as a gift, he insisted on buying it. He did not want to remain beholden to them. Later, they sold him the land for an exorbitant sum of money.
Shortly after Sarah’s passing, Abraham occupied himself with finding a wife for his son Isaac. This was necessary to set the scene for the next stage in the development of the Jewish people. Abraham would not allow his son to marry the daughters of Canaan, because of the bad character traits that seemed to be prevalent among them, and he was afraid these traits would be passed on to his descendants. Yet, because Isaac had been sanctified earlier, when G-d had commanded Abraham to bring him as a sacrifice, he was not allowed to leave the Land of Canaan. Like an animal sacrifice, he could not be removed from Jerusalem. Abraham therefore entrusted his servant, Eliezer, to find a wife from his own family in Aram Naharayim.
Eliezer searched for a woman of exemplary character to complement his master’s son. He decided on a test to tell if a woman was truly a kindhearted person. He would ask her to draw him some water to drink from the well. If she would draw for him and also offer to water his camels, it would prove she was truly a compassionate person and deserving of marrying Isaac. Eliezer then prayed to G-d that he should be successful in fulfilling his mission.
Rebecca fulfilled Eliezer’s request and offered to water his camels and find lodging for them to sleep. Eliezer was overjoyed and presented gifts to Rebecca before even asking her father’s permission that she return with him. The wonder of finding such a generous and sensitive woman so soon after he had prayed, encouraged his faith that G-d had answered his prayers.
The Torah says that after Isaac married Rebecca and brought her to his tent, he was comforted from the loss of his mother. The Talmud explains that as long as Sarah had lived, her candles remained lit from one Shabbos to the next. There was also a blessing in her dough, and an aura of holiness hovering over her tent. When Sarah died, these symbols ceased. With Rebecca’s appearance they returned once again. Rebecca had proven to be a worthy successor to Sarah.
...let him give it to me for its full price... (Gen. 23:9)
The Brisker Rav once spent a few days at a hotel after celebrating his son’s wedding. When he was about to leave he asked the owner for the bill. The man was honored to host the Rav and refused to accept payment. The Rav, however, refused to accept the favor and insisted on paying. He later explained to a family member, “One is always going to pay. The most inexpensive form of payment is money!”
Did You Know...
Arranging a match for purposes of marriage is legally comparable to brokering a deal between two parties, and the person arranging the match is thus entitled to collect a fee. If a number of people were involved, the fee is shared between the parties. If the person is a close friend or relative and is arranging the match out of kindness rather than as a profession, no payment is necessary. If one is unsure of the intent, and he is uncomfortable asking, he need not pay anything unless the shadchan (the arranger) asks for compensation.
