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Why was buying Ma'arat HaMachpelah considered Avrohom's greatest test, even harder than the Akedah? The shiur develops the yesod that the Akedah made Eretz Yisrael God's land (Elokei Ha'aretz), creating the foundation for Kedushah Shniya. When God didn't respond with a permanent presence, Avrohom had to make a sovereign acquisition, revealing the devastation of a relationship where everything was given but nothing returned in kind.
This shiur analyzes the profound question raised by Rabbeinu Yonah in Pirkei Avos: why was the purchase of Ma'arat HaMachpelah considered one of Avrohom's ten tests—and according to Rabbeinu Yonah, potentially the most difficult one? This seems puzzling since most Rishonim consider the Akedah (binding of Yitzchok) to be the ultimate and most difficult test. How could purchasing land possibly compare to being asked to sacrifice one's son? Rabbi Zweig begins by citing a Gemara (גמרא) in Bava Basra (daf 97a) where the Satan tells Hashem (ה׳) that he found no one as righteous as Avrohom, because even though God promised him the entire land ("walk through the land, to its length and width, for I will give it to you"), when Sarah died, Avrohom couldn't find a place to bury her and had to purchase it at great expense (damim merubim). Yet Avrohom didn't complain about God's attributes. The question is obvious: why is spending money considered more difficult than sacrificing one's child? What does Rashi (רש"י) mean by "damim merubim"—a lot of money? If God promised the land, Avrohom shouldn't have had to pay at all, regardless of price.
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Bereishit 23:1-20 (Chayei Sarah)
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