Avraham Our Father A’H sought a place to bury his deceased spouse the Matriarch Sara Our Mother A’H. Avraham purchased the Cave and Field of the Machpelah in Hevron. (See generally Bereshith 23). The transaction was conducted in universally negotiable currency and was acknowledged by the then indigenous population, the Hittim.

Even though acknowledged by the Hittim the Torah seems confused as to what exactly Avraham bought. 23: 9 describes the property as the Cave of Machpelah, whereas 23:17 talks of the Field of Efron in the Machpelah and 23:19 speaks of [the]Cave of the Machpelah Field. Why is the description so malleable? The word Machpelah connotes being folded, doubled over implying there is more to the site than meets the eye. The Zohar (I:128b) the whole of the Land of Israel was folded in to the Machpelah Rabbi Meir Yechezkel of Ostrovozeh ZT’LZY’A offers an elaborate calculation demonstrating how the price paid by Avraham secured a place in the land the of Israel for every Jew throughout history from the Nation’s acceptance of Torah till Mashiach’s arrival (Ohr Torah, Chaye Sarah).

Yet, there is an additional dimension that compliments how The Land of Israel is concentrated within the Machpelah. Rabbi Natan of Breslov ZT’’L ZY’A offers an insight that underscores how holy a place the Machpelah is. The property belonged to Efron a word associated with Eifer, dust. Dust is in turn associated with the primordial snake and Humanity descent to sin and mortality. Whereas the Machpelah the eventual resting place of four couples (Adam and Chava, Avraham and Sarah , Yitzchak and Rivkah, and Ya’akov and Leah) is associated with Tefilin which bind head and heart to a heightened state of G-D Awareness and is indeed compressed and ready to unfold each expansion representing a constant of spiritual growth. The Machpelah represented the antithesis to Efron. Therefore Avraham's acquisition of the Machpelah was a fundamental release/restoration of concealed/ exiled spiritual energy something that could only be surpassed by the Foundation Stone on Har Habayit (see generally Lekutei Halachot Tefelin 5:40, 39). Maybe this act more than any other explains why the Rabbis taught in Avot 5:2 that Avraham was so worthy that he justified the previous twenty generations. .

Avraham did far more than find a burial place for Sara but set a tone of sanctity for whole Land of Israel that concludes with the fulfillment of G-D’s design for Humankind’s return to a pre-sin state. Therefore can there be any question how vital the City of Hevron is not just to Jewry but to all peoples?