Vayeira 5774: Sarah (Part 2)

At the beginning of this Torah portion, Avraham and Sarah receive three visitors, angels disguised as men. Avraham, although still recovering from his circumcision, rushes to provide hospitality and asks Sarah to bake for the guests. Out of modesty, Sarah remains in the tent and overhears one of the men (the angel Michael) tell Avraham that she will have a son the same time the following year, despite the fact that she and Avraham  are advanced in years and Sarah “had ceased to have the way of the woman.” (She is no longer menstruating.)

And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have become worn out, will I have smooth flesh? And also, my husband is old.”  (Bereishit/Genesis 18:12)

Rashi notes that Avraham never serves the cakes Sarah bakes; Rashi explains that Sarah’s menses suddenly begins, rendering the cakes ritually impure and unfit for Avraham to serve. Sarah’s miraculously regained youth is the answer to her disbelieving laughter.

Avraham and Sarah move to Gerar where Avimelech is king.  Avraham tells Avimelech that Sarah is his sister, the same thing he tells Pharaoh when the couple passes through Egypt in the previous Torah portion.  This time, instead of sending plagues to protect Sarah from a king’s advances, G-d appears to Avimelech in a dream and tells him that Sarah is Avraham’s wife.

Avimelech wakes and confronts Avraham. This time, the text provides an explanation for Avraham’s calling Sarah his sister. “And also, indeed, she is my sister, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.” (Bereishit 20:12)  Rashi explains that grandchildren are considered like children, so Sarah is considered Terach’s daughter. Further, Sarah’s father and Avraham’s half-brother, Haran, is Terach’s son, but Haran does not share a mother with Avraham.

“And to Sarah he [Avimelech] said, ‘Behold, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother; behold it is to you a covering of the eyes for all who are with you, and with all you shall contend.”  (Bereishit 20:16) Explains Rashi: “They will cover their eyes so they will not denigrate you, for had I returned you empty-handed, they could say ‘After he violated her, he returned her.’ Now that I had to spend much money and to appease you, they will know that against my will I returned you, and through a miracle.”

“And Avraham prayed to G-d, and G-d healed Avimelech and his wife and his handmaids and they gave birth. For the L-rd had shut every womb of Avimelech’s household, through the word of Sarah, Avraham’s wife.”  (Bereishit 20: 17-18)

The verses announcing the conception and birth of Avraham’s and Sarah’s son, Yitzchak (Isaac), immediately follow:

“And the L-rd remembered Sarah as He had said, and the L-rd did to Sarah as he had spoken. And Sarah conceived and bore a son to Avraham in his old age, at the time of which G-d had spoken to him.” (Bereishit 21:1-2)

Rashi describes an argument recorded in the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 53:6) between Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Chama regarding the length of Sarah’s pregnancy. Rabbi Yudan teaches that Yitzchak is born after nine months so it should not be said that he was conceived in Avimelech’s household. R. Chama contends the pregnancy lasts only seven months, from Rosh Hashana to Pesach (Passover).  

Rashi continues, citing Talmud (Bava Metzia 87a): “‘In his old age' means that Yitzchak’s facial features are like those of Avraham [so that despite Avraham’s advanced age of 100, no one could say Yitzchak is not Avraham’s son.]” “And Sarah said, ‘G-d has made joy for me; whoever hears will rejoice over me.” (Bereishit 21:6) The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 53:8) tells that when Yitzchak is conceived, barren women become pregnant and people are healed. The blind recover their sight; the deaf, their hearing; and the insane, their sanity. “And she [Sarah] said, ‘Who would have said to Avraham that Sarah would nurse children?’” (Bereishit (21:7) Rashi writes that “children” is plural because in addition to nursing Yitzchak, Sarah nurses all of the babies of the noblewomen. “All those who convert in the world and all those who fear G-d are from among those who nursed from Sarah.” (Pesikta Rabbati) “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Avraham, making merry. And Sarah said to Avraham, ‘Drive out this handmaid and her son, for the son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son, with Yitzchak’…And G-d said to Avraham…‘Whatever Sarah tells you, hearken to her voice.’”  (Bereishit 21:9-12)  Rashi explains that G-d tells Avraham to listen “to the voice of the holy spirit within her.” He writes: “We learn from here that Avraham was inferior to Sarah in prophecy.” The end of this Torah portion recounts how G-d tests Avraham by asking him to sacrifice Yitzchak. He is spared at the last moment. The following portion, Chayei Sarah (life of Sarah), tells of Sarah’s death. Some commentators, including Rashi and the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 58:5), connect the near-sacrifice with her death. Writes Dr. Lisa Aiken in To Be a Jewish Woman: “Upon hearing that her only son was ready to give up his life at G-d’s command, she felt that her life’s work in raising him had been completed. Her soul was so attached to G-d that it simply left her body once it fulfilled its last mission on earth.”    “And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years; [these were] the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died in Kiryat Arba, which is Chevron (Hebron), in the land of Canaan, and Avraham came to eulogize Sarah and to bewail her.” (Bereishit 23:1-2) Avraham purchases the Cave of Machpela for her burial. Some attribute to Avraham Eishet Chayil (Woman of Valor), the song of praise from Mishlei (Proverbs) that husbands recite to their wives at the Sabbath table. Others say that just the first line refers to Avraham’s and Sarah’s relationship: “Her husband’s heart trusts her.” During Sarah’s lifetime, three miracles happen on her behalf: her candles burn throughout the week; her bread stays fresh; and G-d’s presence, the Shechina, hovers over her tent. These miracles disappear when Sarah dies. They are not reinstated until Rivka (Rebecca) becomes Yitzchak’s wife.

Lech Lecha 5774: Yiskah/Sarai/Sarah (Part 1)

Our foremother Sarah is introduced at the conclusion of the previous Torah portion, Noach.

“And Avram and Nachor took themselves wives; the name of Avram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nachor’s wife was Milkah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milkah and the father of Yiskah.” (Bereishit/Genesis 11:29)

Rashi contends that Sarai and Yiskah are one and the same. He writes:  “Yiskah – this is Sarah because she would see (suchah) through Divine inspiration, and because all gazed (sochin) at her beauty. Mrs. Nechama Rubinstein on chabad.org points out that both explanations refer to sight. She writes: “The first being a spiritual sight that Sarah herself possessed clearly affected the way she perceived the world; and the second, regarding how the rest of the world perceived her.”

Mrs. Rubinstein explains that Yiskah is a childhood name, which changes when the young woman understands tzniut (modesty) and she no longer allows people to admire her. The name she chooses for herself is Sarai. Interestingly, Rashi writes that “alternatively, Yiskah is an expression denoting princedom (n’sichut) just as Sarah is an expression of dominion (s’rara) [from Talmud, Megillah 14a].”

Be’er B’Sadeh explains why Torah only mentions Milkah as Haran’s daughter. Rather than calling Sarai the daughter of Haran, the text calls Haran the father of Yiskah. Writes Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum: “This alludes to the fact that Haran is inferior to Yiskah, since it is only in her merit that Scripture publicizes his name.” She explains that Haran’s and Milkah’s hearts are divided as to whether they should worship idols or G-d, whereas Yiskah has clarity of vision and is not influenced by her father. 

In this week’s Torah portion, G-d tells Avram to go to a land that G-d would show him. “And Avram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had acquired and the souls they had made…” (Bereishit 12:5)

The previous portion (Bereishit 11:30) states that Sarai is barren and childless, so who are the “souls” they acquired? Rashi remarks that these are the people Avram and Sarai “brought under the wings of the Shechinah. Avram would convert the men and Sarai would convert the women.” Avram and Sarai are equal partners in the mission of bringing monotheism to the world. To this day, converts to Judaism are called sons and daughters of Avraham and Sarah.

When a famine forces Avram and Sarai to move to Egypt, Avram suddenly recognizes Sarai’s extreme physical beauty and realizes that the Egyptians would take advantage of her. (Bereishit 12:11) Until this point, according to Midrash Aggadah (Tanhuma Lech Lecha 5), Rashi writes, “he did not recognize her [beauty] because of their modesty…The simple meaning of the verse is ‘the time has come when we must be concerned about your beauty. I have known already for a long time that you are of fair appearance, but now we are coming among the brothers of Cushites, and they are not accustomed to a [fair and] beautiful woman.’”

Writes Rebbetzin Chana Bracha Siegelbaum in her book Women at the Crossroads: “The relationship between Avram and Sarai was profoundly spiritual. Avram was only aware of her inner beauty and holiness. Its outer physical manifestation was not important to him. Likewise, Sarai did not feel self-important because of her attractiveness.”

“And it came to pass when Avram came to Egypt that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very pretty.” (Bereishit 12:14)

Rashi notes that the text should say “when Avram and Sarai came to Egypt.” He understands from this that Avram hides Sarai in a trunk. Avram has instructed Sarai to stretch the truth and tell the Egyptians (if they open the trunk) that she is his sister. (She is actually his niece, daughter of his deceased brother, and therefore his father’s granddaughter, and also his father’s daughter-in-law.)  As her “brother” he would ask for a large dowry the Egyptians would not be able to afford. (As her husband, he would have been killed.) Pharaoh’s princes, however, pay the dowry and take Sarai to Pharaoh’s palace. (Bereishit 12:15) G-d protects Sarai’s purity by afflicting Pharaoh and his household with great plagues. (Bereishit 12:17)

Avram and Sarai leave Egypt accompanied by an Egyptian handmaid, Hagar. They dwell in Canaan for ten years and Sarai and Avram still are childless. “And Sarai said to Avram, ‘Behold now, the L-rd has restrained me from bearing; please come to my handmaid; perhaps I will be built up/I will have a child from her.’ And Avram hearkened to/heeded Sarai’s voice.” (Bereishit 16:2)

Avram recognizes Sarai’s divine inspiration. He marries Hagar and Hagar conceives. As soon as she becomes pregnant, Hagar begins belittling the infertile Sarai. Sarai complains to Avram and he tells her he trusts her to do with Hagar as she feels fit. Sarai banishes Hagar and Hagar flees. (Bereishit 16:4-6) Hagar gives birth to a son named Ishmael. (Bereishit 16:15)

When Avram is 99 years old and Sarai is 90 years old, G-d appears to Avram and says, “Your name shall no longer be called Avram, but your name shall be Avraham [Abraham], for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.” (Bereishit 17:5)  

G-d also changes Sarai’s name. “Your wife Sarai – you shall not call her name Sarai for Sarah is her name. And I will bless her, and I will give you a son from her, and I will bless her, and she will become [a mother of] nations.” (Bereishit 17: 15-16)

Writes Rebbetzin Siegelbaum: “The [name] change is connected with their ability to have children. The Hebrew words for man and woman are ish and isha. The letters that distinguish them are yud and heh. Kli Yakar explains that Hashem exchanged the masculine letter yud of Sarai’s name with the letter heh, in order to empower her with feminine energy and enable her to give birth. Hashem created the world with the letter heh. Therefore this letter is endowed with the power of procreation (See Rashi on Bereishit 2:4).”

“The yud has the numerical value of ten whereas the heh is equal to five. Thus the yud in Sarai’s name equals the sum of both the heh for which it was exchanged and the heh that was added to Avram’s name. The heh with its birthing power was added to Avram’s name from the yud of Sarai to indicate that it was Sarah’s merit that caused both of them to give birth to the progenitor of the Jewish people.”

The Rebbetzin notes that while Avraham was the father of many nations, Sarah alone was selected to be the mother of the Jewish people. From this we learn that Jewish descent follows the mother.

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/765186/jewish/The-Three-Faces-of-Sarah.htm

http://www.breslev.co.il/articles/torah_portion/chanas_blessing/yiskah.aspx?id=14071&language=english

Published in honor of the bat mitzvah of Molly Noskin.