In parshas Chayei Sarah which we read last week Avraham eulogized his wife Sarah and the pasuk tells us he wept over her death. He wept for his wife who was the ultimate in human perfection and all her years were devoted to good according to Chazal. Chazal further teach us that she was even greater than Avraham Avinu in prophecy. Avraham’s sense of grief and loss was intense.
And then while still in a state of mourning and weeping “Avraham arose from beside his dead and spoke to the children of Cheis.”
We know that Avraham “arose” for the purpose of acquiring Maaras HaMachpelah as a burial place for his wife as well as for himself and the other Avos. But is the Torah only trying to tell us the physical fact that Avraham stood up? The Torah is written with extreme brevity and no word appears in it just for stylistic effect. Why then does the pasuk take the trouble to tell us that Avraham “arose from beside his dead?” It is obvious that if he wanted to speak to the children of Cheis he had to get up and go to them.
But indeed we find that this “arising” has a deep significance that needs to be addressed. That moment of “arising” marked a turning point within Avraham and reveals the greatness of this man which found expression on this very painful occasion in his life:
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