93. Once the sons of Chet said to him in the presence of Efron, "Hear us, my Lord, you are a mighty prince among us" (Beresheet 23:5), it is written, "And Efron dwelt (lit. 'dwells') among the children of Chet." 'Dwells' is written without vowels and can be conjugated as 'dwelt,' which would mean that Efron was already there as they started talking. Then Abraham said, "Hear me, and entreat for me to Efron, the son of Tzochar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he has" (Ibid. 8). If you say that, since my honor is greater than yours, I ASK FOR THE CAVE OF THE MACHPELAH FROM EFRON, because I do not want to dwell among you, THIS IS NOT TRUE. But "with you" AND "AMONGST YOU" (IBID. 10) - IN OTHER WORDS, to be interred among you. THIS IS WHAT I MEANT, because I want you, so that I shall not be separated from you.

104. Moreover, he also sold him what Abraham did not ask for, because Abraham said only, "That he may give me the cave of the Machpelah...for the full price he shall give it me" (Beresheet 23:8) and did not mention the field. And Efron said, "The field I give you, and the cave that is in it, I give it you" (Ibid. 10), for Efron knew not what it was and found it all loathsome. EVEN THE FIELD, IN WHICH THE CAVE WAS, WAS LOATHSOME TO HIM. THEREFORE HE SOLD THE FIELD TOO, ALTHOUGH ABRAHAM DID NOT ASK FOR IT.

106. Abraham said to him, 'If you please, is there an unroofed castle here?' HE ASKS THIS BECAUSE THE CAVE OF THE MACHPELAH IS DERIVED FROM THE WORD DOUBLE, THAT IS, A CAVE WITHIN A CAVE. INSTEAD OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, HE SAW LIGHT THERE, AS ONE WOULD IN AN OPEN HOUSE WITH NO ROOF. ADAM answered him, 'The Holy One, blessed be He, hid me here. From then until now, I have been hidden as a fish in a ditch. Since you came into the world, from now on, I and the world are maintained for your sake.'

111. Rabbi Elazar asks Rabbi Shimon, his father, if the cave is really the Machpelah, for although it is written, "The cave of Machpelah" (Beresheet 23:8), it is later written "the cave of the field of Machpelah" (Ibid. 19). Thus, the field is called Machpelah AND NOT THE CAVE.

112. RABBI SHIMON replies that indeed it is called the cave of Machpelah, as it is written, "That he may give me the cave of Machpelah" (Beresheet 23:8), but neither the cave nor the field alone is Machpelah. It refers instead to the field with the cave, TOGETHER they are called Machpelah. Only the field is of Machpelah, not the cave, WHICH MEANS THAT ONLY THE FIELD BEARS THE NAME OF THE MACHPELAH, NOT THE CAVE, because the cave is in the field, and the field is in something else, AS WILL BE DISCUSSED PRESENTLY.

114. Thus, the field is of that Machpelah (lit. 'double'), WHICH IS MALCHUT, for it dwells there, as it is written, "See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which Hashem has blessed" (Beresheet 27:27), WHICH IS MALCHUT. BECAUSE IT IS DOUBLE, above and below, it is written, "the field of Machpelah" and not "a double field," BECAUSE THIS WOULD ALLUDE TO THE DOUBLE MALCHUT CALLED FIELD.

115. Moreover, the secret of the matter relates to the field of Machpelah. What is the Machpelah (double)? It is the Hei of the Holy Name, which is double, FOR THERE ARE TWO HEIS IN THE NAME YUD HEV VAV HEI, and both are as one. For that reason, the scriptures say vaguely the (=Hei) Machpelah, for this is the only double letter in the Holy Name. AND THE WORD "THE MACHPELAH" WITH THE HEI ALLUDES TO THE DOUBLE HEI, NAMELY THE LOWER HEI OF THE NAME YUD HEV VAV HEI, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT SWEETENED BY BINAH, THE FIRST HEI OF YUD HEV VAV HEI.

116. Although the cave was indeed double, a cave within a cave, it is called the cave of the field of Machpelah for a different reason as we said, AFTER THE SWEETENING OF MALCHUT BY BINAH. Abraham knew that, and when he spoke to the sons of Chet, he concealed it by saying "that he may give me the cave of Machpelah," which was called by that name because it was double. HE DID NOT SAY THE FIELD OF MACHPELAH CALLED AFTER THE SWEETENING BY BINAH. In Torah, though, it is called the cave of the field of Machpelah, as it ought to be called, FOR THE SWEETENING OF MALCHUT BY BINAH WAS ONLY OVER THE FIELD AND NOT IN THE CAVE.