Chayei Sarah - Shishi

...And Find Me a Perfect Match!

Yitzchak's isn't the only wedding in this parsha; Avraham married a woman named Keturah. (Some say Keturah is the same person as Hagar; others say they are different.) Avraham had half a dozen sons with Keturah; their descendants are enumerated here. (They include the Midianites.) Yitzchak was Avraham's heir; he gave gifts to his children from the concubines. ("Concubines?" Clearly this refers to Hagar and Keturah if they are in fact two different people, but what if they were one person? Rashi says that the word is written defective - that is, missing a letter - because there was in fact only one.) Avraham's children from Keturah moved to the east, away from Yitzchak.

Avraham passed away at the age of 175, having led a full life and satisfied with the reconciliation of Yitzchak and Yishmael. They buried him in the Machpela cave, which Avraham had purchased as a family plot. G-d then blessed Yitzchak, who lived near Be'er L'Chai Roi.

Author: Rabbi Jack Abramowitz