In B'reshith (Genesis) 23:2, Scripture records that Sarah (wife of Avraham/Abraham) died in Chevron (Hebron). This implies that Avraham and Sarah were living in Chevron at this time. Furthermore, it is an accepted Jewish tradition, although not explicit in Scripture, that Sarah died at the time of the Akeydah (the "binding") of Yitzchok (Isaac) described in 22:1-19. If so, why does Avraham's journey to perform the Akeydah at Mt. Moriyah, synonymous with the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, take 3 days (22:4)? Chevron and Jerusalem are not so far apart! Furthermore, verse 19 there states that Avraham went to B'er Sheva after the Akeydah. Why did Avraham not go home to Chevron? And if he lived in B'er Sheva, why was Sarah in Chevron?
After a bit of searching, I found a piece from the Sepher haYashar that seems to clarify the issue:
The Satan came to Sarah and appeared to her as an old man, very lowly and humble. He said to her, "Did you not know all the things that Avraham did to Yitzchak your son today? For he took Yitzchak and built an altar and slaughtered him and offered him on the altar! Yitzchak was screaming and crying before his father but [Avraham] did not regard [him] nor did he have mercy upon him!" Such did he speak to her a number of times.
Sarah thought he was an old man, a human being, who had been near her son and told her. Sarah raised her voice and cried and screamed greatly and bitterly. She cast herself to the ground and threw dirt upon her head and said, "My son Yitzchok! If only I could die in your place! I am pained over you! I raised you, I cared for you, and my jubilation over you has been turned into mourning! Yet I am comforted over you for you have performed the commandment of HaShem, for who can transgress the word of our G-d? Righteous are You HaShem, for all Your deeds are good and upright, for I too have rejoiced in Your words. Indeed, my eye cries bitterly, but my heart rejoices."
Sarah placed her head into the bosom of one of her maids and was still as a rock. Afterwards, she arose and went searching until Chevron, and she asked all the travellers she encountered on the way what happened to her son. She and her servants and maids reached Kiryath Arba which is Chevron. She sent [them] out from there to discover where Avraham and Yitzchok went. They went to the house of Shem and Ever but did not find them, and they searched in all the land. And behold, the Satan came to Sarah in the form of a man and said to her, "I lied to you, for [Yitzchok] was not slaughtered and is not dead." When she heard this thing she rejoiced greatly over her son and her soul departed in her joy and she died.
And Avraham, when he completed his service [to G-d on Mt. Moriah], returned with Yitzchak to his servants and they went to B'er Sheva to their home. [Avraham] asked, "Where is Sarah?" They said, "She went to Chevron to search for you, for such-and-such they told her." Avraham and Yitzchok went to her to Chevron and found that she had died. Yitzchok fell upon the face of Sarah his mother and cried. He said, "Mother, Mother! How have you left me, going here and there? How have you left me?" and he cried exceedingly.
According to the Sepher haYaShar, then, Avraham and Sarah lived in B'er Sheva, not Chevron. Sarah died in Chevron only on account of having arrived there on her search for her son. This fits very well with the Biblical narrative since B'er Sheva is the last city named where Avraham was before the Akeydah (21:33). Furthermore, it explains why the journey to Mt. Moriah took three days, as B'er Sheva is much more distant from Jerusalem than Chevron. In addition, it explains why Avraham returned to B'er Sheva after the Akeydah, as well as why Sarah died in Chevron despite the fact that Avraham and Sarah did not live there.
So . . . mystery solved, right? Or is it? Stay tuned for (G-d willing) more installments into the investigation of Avraham and Sarah's home town.
1 comment:
I had a much longer response in mind but when I was able to look at the text and take a look at the Rashi not included in the Stone Chumash, I found this..
22:19
Avraham returned to his attendants, and they rose and went together to Beer Sheva. Avraham dwelt in Beer Sheva.
Rashi
"Avraham dwelt in Beer Sheva."
his does not refer to a permanent dwelling for he lived in Chevron. Twelve years before Yitzchok's akeidah he left Beer Sheva and moved to Chevron, as it is said: "Avraham lived in the land of the Philistines for many days," more than the first years in Chevron which totaled 26 years as we explained above.
Now... I'm not sure exactly what math Rashi is doing at the end of that but he seems to disagree with you. Avraham was living in Hebron, not Beer Sheva, at the time of the akeidah.
So the question still remains. Why did he go to Beer Sheva afterwards?
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