What was Sarah doing in Chevron, seeing as she and Avraham were living in Be'er Sheva?
Rashi (to 22:19): In fact, they were residing in Chevron, and when Avraham went from the Akeidah to Be'er Sheva (22:19), it was only temporarily. 1
Ha'amek Davar, Oznayim la'Torah and Malbim: Since Sarah was destined to die in Chevron, in order to be buried there, 2 HaSh-m is not short of ways 3 to bring Sarah there 4 in order to die there. 5
See Oznayim la'Torah who elaborates.
Sukah 53a: 'The legs of a person are his guarantors; where he needs to be, there they will take him.'
Ha'amek Davar: Perhaps when she heard about the Akeidah, she searched for Avraham and Yitzchak. Oznayim la'Torah - Alternatively, she went for healing purposes.
Oznayim la'Torah: Predominantly because, had she died in Be'er Sheva, the Bnei Ches would never have agreed to sell Avraham the Me'aras ha'Machpelah - on behalf of a total stranger!
Why was Chevron called 'Kiryas Arba'?
Rashi #1: Due to the four giants who lived there - Achiman, Sheishai, Talmai, and their father.
Rashi #2 (in Yehoshua 25:13) and Rashbam: It was named after 'Arba' (the father of the other three giants. Refer to 23:2:2:1).
Rashi #3 Due to the four couples who were destined to be buried there - Adam and Chavah, Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivkah, Ya?akov and Leah. 1
Oznayim la'Torah: Due to the four mothers who were buried there - Chavah, Sarah, Rivkah and Leah. 2
Or ha'Chayim: Death does not really apply to Tzadikim. "Kiryas Arba" hints that the city (body), composed of the four elements, separated [from the Neshamah] and departed. "Chevron" alludes to Chibur (connection). 3 Even the body of a Tzadik is called alive [even] after death.
Ha'amek Davar: Simply because Arba was the master or the builder of the city. 4 However, the Chachamim expounded it, for many times it is called only Chevron, and below it is called "Kiryas ha'Arba" (35:27).
Why does Rashi propose an alternate explanation? Refer to 23:2:2.4:1.
Oznayim la'Torah: Each of whom died before her husband.
Malbim: It alludes to the connection of the Ru'ach and the body - the upper world and the lower. Refer also to 23:2:2.3:1* & 23:19:153:1.
Why didn't Rashi explain this way? Refer to 23:2:2.1:1 & 23:2:2.2:1.
In our verse, from where did Avraham come?
Targum Yonasan: He came from Har ha'Moriyah.
Gur Aryeh: If the Torah does not specify from where Avraham came, it must be from the last place in which he was mentioned, i.e. Be'er Sheva (22:19).
Where was Yitzchak? Why did he not participate in his mother's funeral and Hesped?
Targum Yonasan: Refer to 22:19:1:1.
Why does the Torah juxtapose the death of Sarah to the Akeidah?
Rashi: Because, it was due to the news of the Akeidah, when Sarah heard that her son was on the verge of being slaughtered, 1 that her soul left her and she died.
Why did the people of Ches delay burying Sarah until Avraham arrived?
Sanhedrin 67b: To enable Avraham to eulogize her. This teaches us that eulogy is in honor of the deceased, and not of the living. 1
Otherwise, there would have been no justification in delaying the burial of Sarah for the honor of Avraham. See Torah Temimah note 2.
Why is the letter 'Kaf' in the word "v'Livkosah" small?
Ba'al ha'Turim #1: Because, due to Sarah's advanced age, Avraham (or people in general - Rosh) did not weep so much.
Ba'al ha'Turim #2: Because she was partially responsible for her own death 1 - which is why she died before Avraham, as the Gemara explains in Bava Kama 93a. 2
Hadar Zekenim and Riva: It hints that she lost twenty years of her life (she should have lived to be a hindred and forty-seven like Ya?akov 3 ) for asking Hashem to judge between her and Avraham.
Peninim mi'Shulchan ha'Gra: Because Avraham knew that she had completed what she needed to in this world. He did not cry over her soul, only over her body. 4
Ha'amek Davar: It hints to a little crying, i.e. less than the eulogizing. Refer to 23:2:151:3.
Ner Uziel (p. 133): After Avraham passed the test of the Akeidah, the Satan attempted to get him to regret it, through causing that Sarah die through hearing about it. Avraham did not cry much, lest people say that he regrets the Akeidah.
See Bereishis 16:5.
Ba'al ha'Turim: And the Midrash in Eivel Rabasi explains that one does not eulogize someone who takes his own life (and similarly, we do not cry so much over them).
This is difficult, since all the Avos should have lived to be 180! Yaakov lost 33 years for complaining to Par?oh. Moshav Zekenim (in Bereishis 18:6) says that she should have lived to 175, like Avraham - Had she not asked Hashem to judge, she would have deserved to live 180, and would have died five years earlier, in order not to see Eisav sin (PF).
Peninim mi'Shulchan ha'Gra: As the Torah writes in Re?ei Devarim, 14: 1-2 "Lo Tisgodedu... al Meis, ki Am Kadosh Atah" - So you need not be so upset.
Mo'ed Katan 27b says that three days are for crying, and [after, until day] seven, for eulogies. Why did Avraham first eulogize, and then cry?
Hadar Zekenim and Riva: He arrived more than three days 1 after she died. People of the household were already eulogizing, so he joined them, and cried later.
Ha'amek Davar #1: When Avraham arrived many people were around the house. He eulogized immediately, so many would hear.
Ha'amek Davar #2: "Li'Vechi ul'Misped" (Yeshayah 22:12) teaches that crying is first, when the death (or the Churban, which the verse discusses) changes the lifestyle of the survivors. Avraham's lifestyle did not change, for Yitzchak was already mature, therefore he eulogized first.
Malbim: Normally, first the mourners cry over the loss to the Niftar and his family, and this arouses eulogy. The eulogy over Sarah was for her deeds and perfection; this aroused crying!
We can resolve this with the Midrash that Sarah died from hearing from the Satan about the Akeidah. They walked three consecutive days to the Akeidah, and one of the next three days was Shabbos, so it took four days to return. (PF)
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "'Kiryas Arba' (lit. town of four) - named after the four giants who lived there." But perhaps 'Arba' was not the name of the town, but rather the name of a particular person living there (see Yehoshua 14:15)?
Gur Aryeh: If so, the verse should have written, 'Chevron, Kiryas Arba" (Chevron, town of Arba).' It in fact writes "Kiryas Arba, Hi Chevron;" this shows that both are proper names for the town.
Rashi writes: "'Kiryas Arba' (lit. town of four) - named after the four giants who lived there." How shall we explain the verse in Yehoshua 14:15, that there was a man named Arba?
Gur Aryeh: A person would not be named four, five, or any number, without a reason. Rather, the chief of the city Kiryas Arba would himself be known as 'Arba,' after the city.
Rashi writes: "'Kiryas Arba' (lit. town of four) - named after the four giants who lived there." Why does the Torah add this name specifically here (and not when Chevron was first mentioned, in 13:18)?
Gur Aryeh: Children develop in accordance with the nature of their environment. If in this world, the city of Chevron's nature is to develop giants in terms of physical might, this shows that Chevron of Olam ha'Ba 1 is for giants of the spirit. That explains why Sarah was buried there. 2
Gur Aryeh: The number 4 shows how Chevron is attached to the upper worlds, which extend in 4 [directions], as symbolized by the four rivers emerging from Gan Eden (Bereishis 2:10).
Gur Aryeh: Therefore, Rashi continues here by listing the four couples who would be buried in Chevron.
Rashi writes: "Alternatively, [Chevron is] named for the four couples who would be buried there." Why does Rashi propose an alternate explanation?
Gur Aryeh: According to the first explanation, it should have been called "Kiryas Arba'ah" in the masculine. 1
But the word "Zugos" (couples) in the second explanation is also masculine? (CS)
Rashi writes: "The death of Sarah was [written] close to Akeidas Yitzchak... it was due to the news of the Akeidah [that she died]." But Rashi should have told us this at the beginning of the Parshah?
Gur Aryeh: Rashi's source is this very phrase. Why does the Torah need to write that Avraham came [from Be'er Sheva]? Rashi explains that the Torah teaches us that Sarah died right after the Akeidah, and as a result of it - even before Avraham had a chance to return to his home in Chevron.
Rashi writes: "The death of Sarah was [written] close to Akeidas Yitzchak...." But perhaps this was simply the order that the events occurred?
Gur Aryeh: Rashi was bothered as to why Avraham's arriving from Be'er Sheva needs to be mentioned, and why at this point. Refer to 23:2:4.1:1.
Rashi writes: "v'Kim'at she'Lo Nishchat (lit. 'and he was almost not slaughtered')." How should this be translated?
Gur Aryeh #1 (citing the author of Terumas ha'Deshen): The [unnamed] messenger had almost finished his words [intending to say that Yitzchak was ultimately not slaughtered], when her spirit left her.
Gur Aryeh #2 (based on Pesikta): Sarah understood that Yitzchak had not been slaughtered; she died of shock that he had almost been slaughtered.
