The Hole in the Ground

When Sarah dies, Abraham seeks a burial place for her. He is living in Hebron, which was to become the Jewish People's second holiest city, after Jerusalem. He negotiates, and acquires, the Cave of Machpelah; the first Jewish acquisition in the Holy Land. This cave was to be the resting place of not only Sarah, but of Abraham himself, as well as Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah. Two thousand years ago, King Herod built a huge stone structure over the cave, which is the largest Jewish place of worship in the world. It is modeled after the ancient Mishkan (sanctuary) which was built by Moses. It has, during various historical eras, been a synagogue, a church and a mosque. But why did Abraham want THAT cave? The Bible gives no clue. Rabbinic tradition tells us that one day, one of his sheep wandered off, and came back with a beautiful fragrance. (This is NOT the usual case with sheep!!!) This happened another few times, until Abraham followed the sheep, and was lead to a cave. In it, he discovered two amazing things. It was the burial place of Adam and Eve, and...it was the entrance to Paradise! That is why he wanted THAT cave! The owner of the cave, Ephron the Hittite, was perfectly willing to sell the cave. The Zohar points out that for Ephron it was just a cave, a dark, worthless hole in the ground. For Abraham it symbolized life, light, eternity.
This is so often the case for the man or woman of faith. He sees light in the service of G-d. He sees life in His holy Torah, he sees eternity in that special relationship with the Divine. Onlookers may not see this. Where's the fun? Where's the excitement? They see that blessed state of connecting with G-d as a deep, dark cave; a hole in the ground! In the modern world, gossip about celebrities fills the media. What color is her hair now? Is she about to go into her fourth marriage? Is he really about to dump his girlfriend?And political figures, holding sway over the world, but soon to be consigned to the trash heaps of history, are seen as saviors.But all around us are Tzaddikim (righteous, holy people) whose delight is in the L-rd. They go unnoticed, perhaps are even shunned. They are seen as people of the darkness.How sad that most people never see the light, the tremendous worth, of these individuals. How their insights and experiences can transform mankind. How sad that our culture refuses to recognize these Entrances to Paradise!