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CHAYEI SARAH READING

Rabbi Yishai Fleisher
NOAH’S ARK, CHEVRON

AND THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS

hen the floodwaters came of ethical monotheism and the first The family bond, the bonds of love,
upon the earth, nothing family of the Jewish nation. and tribal values also give the Tomb its
Wremained alive except Noah Compare that to the most sacred site to vitality and sense of eternal stability.
and those with him in the Ark. They the Jewish people – the Temple Mount And speaking of tumultuous – the
were protected because of G-d’s mercy – which was sacked by the Romans, world today seems to be experienc-
– “for Noah found favor in His eyes.” a small part of which – the Western ing some kind of flood-like cataclysm.
Noah’s Ark has therefore come to sym- Wall – continues to be an epicenter of From divisive elections, riots and
bolize a safe haven in a volatile world. pilgrimage for Jews and gentiles around antisemitism in the US, to combat-
But the physical Ark is lost to mankind the world. ive Israeli politics and of course the
and nor was it meant to be an object of Coronavirus.
pilgrimage. Yet, with all the balagan (mess or
Like Noah’s Ark, Chevron’s Tomb of chaos), one light is shining bright – the
the Avot and Imahot (Forefathers and nascent diplomatic relations between
Mothers) is a haven from the vicissi- Israel and regional Arab states includ-
tudes of a turbulent world. Yet unlike ing the UAE, Bahrain and others. These
the Ark, the “Machpelah” is a physical are beautifully called the “Abraham
place to visit – one which imbues its Accords” – a name that recalls the
visitors with a sense of permanency and father of the children of Israel and the
stability in the tumultuous universe and children of Yishmael. It was in Chev-
our fleeting existence. That is because ron that Yitzchak and Yishmael came
the values of the Avot and Imahot are together to bury and honor their shared
anchors in a world of constantly chang- Yet the permanency of the Machpelah father Avraham – and it was then that
ing attitudes and values. G-d’s promise stands in contrast to the political and Yishmael, the father of the Arabs,
to the Avot is a recurring and founda- social reality that has swirled around repented.
tional theme in the Torah and is a bond it. Since the destruction of the Second Chevron, the City of Avraham, and the
that can never be abrogated. Temple, the site has been under the Tomb of Avraham within it, should be
This eternal imprint is the power dominion of the Romans, Byzantines, viewed as a meeting place for all those
behind the sense of peace and stability Arabs, Crusaders, Mamluks, Turks, who love Avraham and walk in his path
at the Machpelah. British and the Jordanians. Neverthe- of worshiping the One G-d. Soon, G-d
Moreover, the Machpelah building less, Jews and followers of Avraham willing, the House of Israel, the House
of Saud, and all of the children of Avra-
have flocked to the site at different
itself has a feeling of permanency. times and under varied conditions and ham, physical and spiritual, will come
Unlike other structures from the always found comfort and unbounded together in Chevron to find common
period, the monumental Herodian strength. ground and to move forward in peace
building that sits atop the tombs has and prosperity.
never been destroyed. It has been Like Noah’s Ark, the Machpelah also
carries the theme of family. “Two by
added to and altered but the basic two,” male and female, did the animals But until that time, Am Yisrael will
structure remains the same. come into and out of the ark. So too, continue to stand strong to protect the
Tomb of the Avot and Imahot, which
The Herodian edifice of the Tomb the Machpelah is a place of couples like Noah’s Ark, protects us throughout
of the Avot and Imahot is the world’s – Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchak and time.
oldest standing structure that has con- Rivka, Ya’akov and Leah, who came Rabbi Yishai Fleisher is the International
tinuously served its original purpose – together as a family to give birth to a Spokesman for the Jewish Community of
a place to pay homage to the founders nation. Hebron.

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