[Avodah] Whose Burial Place

[Zev Sero]

On 11/7/20 9:06 PM, Micha Berger via Avodah wrote:
> But I was thinking... Couldn't they be trying to assimilate Avraham
> into their nation? Sure, you're a great man... Any of us would want
> /your/  deceased in/his/  grave. It would be an honor for the family
> to have Sarah buried among them.
> 
> But the plot would stay a Hittite burial ground, and Sarah would be
> Avraham's roots in their community.

See Malbim, who says the issue here was that their laws did not allow 
foreigners to buy property.  So they were willing to let him bury Sara 
on *their* property, but he could not have an "achuzas kever" of his 
own, that would belong to him and his family.  He insisted that they 
change their laws, and eventually won, but it took some time.

-- 
Zev Sero            Wishing everyone a *healthy* and happy 5781
zev at sero.name       "May this year and its curses end
                      May a new year and its blessings begin"