| What
is Shabbat Shalom?
Jews all
over the world read a portion of the Torah, the Five Books of
Moses, in the synagogue every Shabbat morning. The cycle begins
right after the Feast of Tabernacles and concludes the following
year at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles. Traditionally, Jewish
families discuss the Torah portion at their Shabbat Table, bringing
new insights, each year, to the same inspirational words and
stories that they have been reading for years. In this weekly
column, Sondra Oster Baras, CFOIC Heartland's Israel Director,
shares her personal reflections on the weekly Torah
portion.
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Chayei Sarah
(Sarah's Life)
Genesis 23:1 -
25:18
This week's Torah
reading opens with the death of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, in
Hebron. (Genesis 23). Abraham mourns his wife and then immediately
goes about the business of burying her. He approaches the Hittites,
the native residents of Hebron, and identifies himself as a
stranger and resident among them, a foreign resident in modern
terms. He asks to purchase a piece of land to bury his wife. The
Hittites, recognizing Abraham as an important man, offer to allow
him to bury his wife in their land, for free. Abraham refuses their
offer, however, and insists on purchasing the land at its full
price. In fact, he knows exactly which piece of land he wants - the
Cave of Machpela and its accompanying field. The purchase is a
public affair, carried out at the gates to the city, in the
presence of the Hittites.
The transaction
is spelled out in great detail, with special emphasis placed on
certain words and phrases. In verse 2, we learn
that Sarah dies in "Kiryat Arba, that is Hebron in the Land
of Canaan." In verse 17, the transaction
is sealed and the location of the field and cave are spelled out:
"the field of Ephron which is in the Machpela which is
before Mamreh, the field and the cave which is in it and every tree
which is in its surrounding borders." In verse
19, the location is spelled out again: "the cave
of the field of Machpela before Mamre which is Hebron in the Land
of Canaan." It is as if Scripture wants to make sure we
realize that Kiryat Arba and Mamre are synonyms for Hebron and that
this is in the Land of Canaan. The landmark is so important and its
geography is so important - lest we forget!!
Another emphasis
in this story is on the money that changes hands: Abraham insists
on paying the "full price." (Verse 8). In verse
13, Abraham repeats the fact that he is giving money for the
purchase. In verse 16, Abraham transfers
"four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the
merchant."
It is almost as
if Abraham knows that he had better make sure this transfer is done
properly, according to the books, or the land will be taken from
him. And the way Scripture records it, it is as if G-d wants to
make sure we understand exactly where this purchase is - in Hebron,
in the Land of Canaan. There is no mistaking it - this land was
purchased by our forefather as a family burial plot. It is
ours!
Isn't it amazing,
therefore, that one of the most disputed places in Israel today is
Hebron. Even as hundreds of Jews live in the old city of Hebron,
and thousands of Jews live nearby in Kiryat Arba, and tens of
thousands live in the surrounding hills of Judea, world opinion
says that Hebron belongs to the Arabs. So much for world
opinion.
For many years
now, a wonderful tradition has developed in Hebron on the Shabbat
when we read this Torah portion. Jews from all over Israel converge
upon Hebron for this Shabbat. Every home in Kiryat Arba and Jewish
Hebron opens its doors to friends and relatives. Teen-agers come
from all over the country and sleep on the floors of schools and
other public buildings. Shabbat meals are great gatherings and
logistical nightmares. No one knows how everyone fits in, but
somehow they do. On Shabbat morning, guests and residents alike
stream to the Machpela Cave and there, on the very spot where
Abraham buried his wife Sarah, the very place which Abraham
purchased thousands of years ago, they read this chapter and praise
G-d for His bounty. This Shabbat is Shabbat Hebron!
Shabbat
Shalom from Samaria,
Sondra
Sondra
Baras
Director, Israel Office
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May 23 - June 2, 2011
Israel Tour
 With Pastor Gary Cristofaro,
First Assembly of God, Melbourne, FL
May 23rd - June 2nd, 2011
Eilat Extension
June 3rd- June
6th
Israel Host for the Tour: Sondra Oster Baras, Director,
CFOIC Heartland - Israel
Only CFOIC Heartland
gives you the inside story of Israel!
Meet the people who
are settling the Land of Israel. Listen to stories of faith and
courage. Experience the Heartland of Biblical Israel like never
before!
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your brochure today!
today!
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The Choosing of a Chosen People
A
5 part series on Genesis
by
Sondra Oster Baras 
Watch the trailer here!
Sondra Oster Baras, director of CFOIC Heartland's Israel office,
takes you on a journey through the Book of Genesis, which lays the
foundation for the creation of God's chosen people.
Order the DVD
set...
Each purchase of this DVD series goes
100% to support the Israel Office!
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