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Parshat Vayishlach
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו

Discovering the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

ויבא יעקב אל יצחק אביו ממרא קרית הארבע הוא חברון

'May You arise and have compassion upon Zion for the time has come to redeem it, for this period has come!'

One of the well-known locations in Hebron which is 'awaiting' to be redeemed more fully is the Hall of Yitzhak and Rivka in Maarat HaMachpela, currently open only ten days a year to Jews. This Hall is probably the most mysterious of all chambers of Maarat HaMachpela, since within it is the 'flower-like' covering 'hiding' the entrance to the real cave underneath the Maarat HaMachpela Building where our Patriarchs and Matriarchs are buried...

Interestingly, both Yitzhak and Rivka's connection to Maarat HaMachpela is the most mysterious/'hidden' of all the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. (Yitzhak and Rivka are not necessarily literally buried underneath the Hall of Yitzhak - rather we are studying the Providence in the common usage of this name at this location). First, Rivka's death is not even mentioned explicitly in the Torah, and her place of burial at Maarat HaMachpela is only mentioned after the fact at Yakov's burial in parshat Vayishlah. Secondly, Yitzhak's death is mentioned in conjunction with his living in Hebron, but his burial is not mentioned explicitly to be in Maarat HaMachpela (as with Avraham, Sarah, and Yakov) till Yakov's burial, again in an after-the-fact fashion.

Regarding Rivka's mysterious/hidden burial our Sages explain that her burial was deliberately hidden, hinted in the Torah only by the Torah's telling that Rivka's nurse, Devora, died and was buried at Alon Bachut. Actually, our Sages say, it was not only Rivka's nurse who died but Rivka herself. The reason Rivka's death and burial is hidden, according to our Sages, is due to the fact that Esau the Wicked came from the womb of Rivka. Even though Yakov the righteous also came from the womb of Rivka, the Torah wished to spare even the partial 'shame', so-to-speak, of Rivka, in lieu of Esau, by hiding her death and burial.

As we just mentioned, Yitzhak's burial in Maarat HaMachpela is also relatively hidden. This matter fits very well with the attribute of Yitzhak, who held a feminine-like attribute, according to our Sages. According to our Sages, the feminine attribute is more internal, as the verse says, 'the honor of the daughter of the King is within/internal' (Ps. 45, 14). The masculine attribute, in contrast, is more external, and for this reason the husband is given the responsibility to earn a living in the external world in order to support his wife, according to the ketuba (marital contract). This matter explains why Yitzhak, who has a relatively feminine attribute (although a man) is not seen to conduct much novel enterprises as Avraham or Yakov, but rather re-digs the wells of his father, makes contracts just as his father, etc.

Similarly, Leah's death and burial are only mentioned after the fact in parshat Veyechi. Indeed, Leah, according to our Sages, is the archetypal symbol of hiddenness, representing the 'Concealed World'. Lea too is strongly connected to the attribute of Isaac, as our Sages interpret her name to mean 'weakened strong justice' (lea means weakened), just like Yitzhak represents 'strong justice' according to our Sages. Rachel (whose name means 'sheep'), in contrast, represents much softer judgment and also represents the 'Revealed World' (her death and burial are explicitly told in the Torah).

It should be clear that 'hiddenness' definitely does not mean inferior. On the contrary, hiddenness entails an aspect that is so above and beyond this world that it can barely be revealed. Perhaps by studying and appreciating more the hidden aspects of Maarat HaMachpela we will indeed merit to pray and study at the Hall of Yitzhak and Rivka continuously at all times... Amen.

The 'flower-like' covering 'hiding' the entrance to the real cave underneath the Maarat HaMachpela Building

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Real Stories from the Holy Land #199

'On Shabbos Chayei Sara - Shabbat Hebron - I invited guests from Kiryat Shemonah (about 200 kilometers away from Hebron). Then, when I visited Maarat HaMachpela that Shabbos I just happened to meet next to me in the Hall of Yitzhak two friends of mine, who also live in Kiryat Shemonah, out of thousands of visitors that Shabbat...'

Sources: Tanhuma Tetze 4

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