- Chavah’s Continuation
Better a good name than good oil, and the day of death than the day of birth (Kohelet 7:1), says King Shlomo. The character of a man during his lifetime is unclear. It is hard to determine the truth and facts of his conduct, for as long as he lives, things can change. Therefore, as long as there is breath in his nostrils, his guiding principle is: Do not trust in yourself until the day you die (Pirkei Avot 2:4). To what may we compare this? To a port readied for the launching of a new ship destined for the high seas. A certain guard was filled with joy upon witnessing the docking of an incoming ship. When people asked about his expression of joy, he told them, I don’t know what will happen to this departing boat—perhaps it will be commandeered by pirates, or will sink in the middle of the ocean. This incoming boat, however, has already completed its voyage, and for this I am happy (Kohelet Rabbah ibid.). This is the essence of eulogy.
When our mother Sarah died, Avraham found it appropriate to eulogize her intentionally in front of the Hittites. Why did he choose to speak to them of Sarah? What interest did they have in listening? Rather, after describing Sarah’s virtue, he requested that they sell him the gravesite of the Cave of Machpelah for her. They responded in a flattering way: In our choicest grave may you bury your deceased (Bereshit 23:6). Avraham thanked them for the honor; but this was not his request, and they knew it. He specifically wanted the Cave of Machpelah. The negotiations were lengthy and complicated until the end. After great effort and painstaking bargaining, they agreed to sell him part of the gravesite. Avraham knew that the Hittites, in their offer to him of their choicest grave, were not as honest as they pretended to be. Both they and Avraham knew that the Cave of Machpelah contained the graves of Adam and Chavah (Eruvin 53a; Zohar 1, Chayei Sarah 127:1; Zohar Chadash Rut 69:2), and this is the reason for Avraham’s persistence. Avraham wanted to bury Sarah there, and this was also the reason for the eulogy he delivered before the Hittites. He told them who his wife was. Sarah was the continuation of Chavah – the mother of all living things (Bereshit 3:20). Chavah was the foundation of history, the tangible link after with our mother Sarah, despite the many generations which passed between Chavah and Sarah. Sarah, the wife of Avraham became the new foundation of history. From the time of Adam and Chavah, the world became confused because of human corruption. The Hittites had difficulty understanding this because they themselves were a corrupted people, the sons of sin.
However, our mother Sarah was not on Chavah’s level. Adam and Chavah were people on a completely different level; they emanated directly from the Master of the Universe, not from mere mortals. It stands to reason that nothing said of Adam and Chavah can be said of ordinary people; this is a meta-human, meta-historical level, filled with secrets and mysteries surpassing the understanding of the ordinary man. The Gemara tells of Rabbi Banah who would mark off graves so that they would not be a trap of impurity for Cohanim. When he happened upon the Cave of Machpelah, he saw Adam and Chavah there. He said of Adam that even his heels shone more than the sun (Baba Batra 58a). This wise man comprehended with his mind and the depth of his understanding, the nature of Adam and Chavah; and after concentrating, he received an inner enlightenment about who they were. The lowest portion of man, the heels of his feet, sparkled with blinding spiritual light. So we learn of the extraordinary level of our mother Chavah.
It says in the Gemara that four women were wondrously and uniquely beautiful: Sarah, Avigail, Rahav, and Ester (Megillah 15a). But in the same place where it speaks of the greatness of Adam and Chavah, it says that Sarah compared to Chavah was like a monkey compared to man (Baba Batra 58a), and as such, Chavah belonged to another world. Our mother Sarah was a continuation of Chavah, the mother of all living things, and with this she was the beginning of the regular and new world. Sarah was the woman closest to Chavah. She was not only the wife of Avraham. From the beginning, her name was Sarai because she was the princess of her people, but at the end she was called Sarah, princess of the whole world (Berachot 13a) – she was the dominant figure of and model for the whole world.
Our Sages say: There are only four matriarchs: Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah (ibid. 16b). The four matriarchs, along with Chavah, are all one spark, one flow, one stream. But Sarah is the one who continues the foundation of the man’s beginning. She is the model for all, the source of all Israel – not only of the Israel born from her, but the source of converts as well. Every convert is called the son of Sarah, despite his not being her biological son. “And Sarah was barren; she had no children” (Bereshit 11:30). There is a seeming redundancy: If she is barren, certainly she has no children. Rather, she did not have children born of her womb, she did not have physical children, but she had many spiritual children, the converts of all generations (Arizal, Sefer Hagilgulim). All of Israel emanates from Sarah, likewise all the converts who joined the Nation during every generation, even though they are not directly linked by a biological chain.
- Supreme Teacher
Sarah, like Chavah, was the mother of all living things, the woman who generated the world at the beginning. This not only refers to a biological start; but also to a start from an educational perspective, for Sarah was the supreme teacher. Education is a great responsibility. She converted the women (Bereshit Rabbah 39:14; Rashi on Bereshit 12:5) with a powerful responsibility which she undertook. Even in her own home she was a supreme teacher, for the foundation of education is naturally within the tent. In the song of Devorah, Yael is blessed: You shall be blessed from the women in the tent (Shoftim 5:24). Our Sages interpret this to mean these “women” were the matriarchs (Horayot 10b). This teacher, who was sensitive to the atmosphere in her home, firmly decided: Drive out this maidservant and her son (Bereshit 21:10). The son of a maidservant was not fit to live with her son. She was not prepared to put up with his conduct. His mother was teaching him idol worship: She had reason to drive him from the home (Zohar 1, Vayera 118:2; see Rashi on Bereshit 21:9). Our father Avraham reacted to this request. He did not understanding how Sarah, the epitome of loving-kindness, could put forward such a demand, and appear to be so cruel. The Master of the Universe corrected him: Everything that she tells you to do, you should obey (Bereshit 21:12; see Shemot Rabbah 1:1). She decided matters of the household. She understood more than he. A woman has a higher intelligence in dealing with complicated and unique life situations; a man has a higher intelligence in understanding simple and theoretical situations. But the reality in the home is complicated and delicate, not plain and theoretical. Sarah, knowing what had to be done, was so certain that she did not consult with Avraham. She exuded power and deep confidence. The truth is clear, exact and not in doubt. A man can express himself clearly, and be persuasive, but only if he has confidence in the truth and can transmit it to others. Sarah was a prophetess, one of the seven in Israel (Megillah 14a), and the power of a prophet is to understand the depth of a given reality. Avraham was also a prophet, but as Rashi notes, Avraham was second to Sarah in prophecy (Rashi on Bereshit 21:12). Therefore, G-d told him to obey her. A woman is more adept in prophecy than a man. Our Sages say that Sarah was called “Yiscah,” the one who gazed with the Divine Inspiration (Megillah 12a; Rashi on Bereshit 12:29). She would look and understand matters with Divine inspiration, and so it is said, “We have not found that G-d speaks with any woman except with Sarah” (Jerusalem Talmud, Sotah 7a). Avraham fulfilled Sarah’s will after he received Divine permission, and Sarah did everything that Avraham taught her. They listened to each other, as we will see below, and in this lay their strength – they were one.
- Hagar’s Torment
The eviction of Yishmael was not the only thorny issue in Avraham’s home. It is written that Sarah tormented Hagar (Bereshit 16:6); yet it is difficult to understand because on first glance, this treatment was not proper. Certainly the truth is that the matter did not arise from her jealousy over Hagar’s pregnancy, because the Master of the Universe would not agree to this (Zohar 1, Vayera 118:2). After all, she was the one who had brought Hagar to Avraham and delivered her with these words: May you be happy when you cleave to this holy body (Bereshit Rabbah 45:3). Pharaoh, the father of Hagar, gave her to Sarah as a maidservant (ibid. 45:1). Pharaoh figured that the home of Avraham and Sarah was a very special place; for he said that it is preferable his daughter be a maidservant in this home rather than the head of another home. Sarah did not relate to Hagar as a maidservant and therefore she designated her to cleave to her husband not as a concubine but as a real wife.
Understand that Egypt at that time was the pinnacle of human civilization that had lasted several hundred years until the time of Shlomo; of him it was said: The wisdom of Solomon was greater…than the wisdom of all the ancients and than all the wisdom of Egypt (Melachim 1 5:10). Indeed Shlomo also married the daughter of Pharaoh (ibid. 3:1) to bring her under the wings of the Divine Presence (Yevamot 76a; Rambam, Laws of Sexual Prohibitions 13:14), in order to sanctify the Holy Name throughout the world from the borders of Israel (Malachi 1:5). He believed in proselytizing people, exploiting their potential and talents, and applying them for the benefit of the people of Israel for later cleansing and purification (Yalkut Reuvani, Shachechat Leket, p. 19; Tzidkat Ha-Tzadik #244). King Shlomo, like Avraham our father, was deeply involved in this issue.
However, why did Sarah keep Hagar at a distance with the same insistence and certainty she displayed in persuading Avraham to marry her? The reason for this was the arrogance of Hagar. She wanted everyone to know clearly who she was and who Sarah was. It says in the text: and her mistress was despised in her eyes (Bereshit 16:4). She lorded over her that Sarah had been married to Avraham for almost fifty years, and had not conceived. Here comes Hagar and becomes pregnant immediately. Hagar’s outward manner did not reflect her inner character. She put on the airs of a righteous woman but was not one in fact (Rashi ibid.; Bereshit Rabbah 45:4). Sarah’s worth fell in Hagar’s estimation. Sarah steadfastly stood on her honor and her position, and this is what tormented Hagar. It was not a matter of mistreatment but of Sarah standing her ground, not out of arrogance but out of responsibility. Sarah did not strike Hagar but tormented her with words, telling her that the son she bore was not the offspring that should have stemmed from Avraham: The continuation of the line will stem from me; I am the mistress of the house, not you. This is the truth that had to be told, in spite of the fact that it pained Hagar and caused her to suffer. Hagar was pregnant, yet the prescribed order had not been reversed: The promise of G-d was the basis of her torment.
This situation continued throughout the generations (See Sichot Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah – Bereshit, pp. 117-118). We, the descendants of Sarah, say to the descendants of Hagar: “Understand that you can dwell in our Land and live in our country. But do not forget who the masters are.” This declaration on the surface may be painful and embarrassing, but it is the truth: We are the descendants of Sarah who is the source, and they are the descendants of Hagar. Furthermore they are many and powerful, which is the reason for their arrogance. But each nation has its place. We learn from Sarah that the experiences of the fathers are a sign for the children (Ramban on Bereshit 12:6; ibid. 12:10).
There is no contradiction between the story of Sarah and the fact that she is the mother of all mankind: She was a person who felt responsible and worried about everyone, just like our father Avraham who was concerned about all humanity and negotiated with the Master of the Universe on the punishment of Sodom (Bereshit 18:23–33). Avraham converted men, converting them to belief, ethical rectitude and connection to G-d. He wandered throughout the land, journeyed southward (ibid. 12:9) to speak with many more people (See Rambam, Laws of Idol Worship 1:3). He wrote many books of which only one remains, profound and mysterious, the Book of Creation [Sefer Ha-Yetzirah] (See Kuzari 4:15). His helpmate all these years was Sarah who converted women.
Our Sages question how the letter “yud” happened to be detached from her name, transforming it from Sarai to Sarah. The name Sarai has a personal possessive meaning, my princess [Sarai]. Later she was transformed to the princess of the whole world [Sarah]. The “yud” that I removed from Sarai remained for many years until Yehoshua arrived, at which point I added it to his name (Sanhedrin 105a). Sarah sent away Yishmael after an exhaustive and responsible deliberation. There was no possibility of guiding him with a gentle hand: It had to be done with forethought. Yehoshua, who attained the Jewish heights, deserved the inclusion in his name of a portion from Sarah our mother. As long as Hagar did not understand what her place should be, there was no place for her in Avraham’s house. Much later, the text relates that Avraham married another woman whose name was Keturah (Bereshit 25:1). Some say that Keturah was Hagar and that she had repented. Yet she did not enter the tent of Sarah (Bereshit Rabbah 61:4); Rashi on Bereshit 25:1). She came to know her specific place.
- In Pharoah’s House
The difficult relationship between Sarah, Hagar and Yishamel gave way to a much larger complication beginning in the house of Pharaoh. Avraham and Sarah were tested through an awesome trial. When they came to Egypt, Avraham asked her to identify herself as his sister. Sarah extended her full trust to him. In the same way that Avraham accepted her instruction in regard to Hagar and Yishmael, so she listened to what he said on this matter. Sarah was taken to Pharaoh’s house; this was an enormous test for Avraham, but an even greater test for Sarah. It is not clear why Avraham made his request of identification to Sarah, since his words were completely accurate. She was in fact his sister [niece] on his father’s side (Rashi on Bereshit 20:12). This situation repeated itself twice more, once in Avimelech’s house (Bereshit, chapter 20) and then between Yitzchak and Rivkah (ibid. 26 6-11).
Our father Avraham tried to convey a message to the Egyptians: His wife was his sister, as it says in Shir Ha-Shirim (8:1):” O that you would be like my brother who sucked the breasts of my mother.” A sister has a stronger connection than a wife. Sometimes the bond between husband and wife is not ideal, pure and innocent because of the impediment of sexual desire. Between brother and sister, the bond is forever free of sexual desire. For Avraham our father, his wife was indeed his sister. Avraham never considered whether his wife was beautiful or ugly (Baba Batra 16a). Basing the value of a woman on her beauty seemed to him to be an insult. He never related to her on the basis of a desire destined to arouse esthetic pleasure or physical passion. His relationship with her did not stem from her external features; rather it was a spiritual bond. It was a relationship of brother and sister. Their level was higher than the level of male and female between animals, and even between husband and wife; but sexual desire was ingrained in Egyptian culture and corrupted it. When Avraham went down to Egypt, he found the inhabitants were driven by animalistic lust. Men stared at women in the street. He had to come to certain conclusions and to do something to adjust to the circumstances. As he said to her: “Behold, I know you are a beautiful woman to look at” (Bereshit 12:11). Our Sages say that Sarah was one of the four most beautiful women in the world (Megillah 15a). And one of the commentators on her name “Yiscah” says it is derived from “everyone looks [socheen] at her”: Everyone looks at her because of her beauty (ibid. 14a). The Nodah Bi-Yehuda (Ha-Rav Yechezkel Landau) asks, why are we told of Sarah’s beauty (Responsa Nodah Bi-Yehudah Kama, Orech Chaim #24)? He answers: To indicate how holy Avraham was. Despite the obvious beauty of Sarah, her merit was not based on that attribute, which is what a man naturally looks for in a woman. It was now time to explain to the depraved men of Egypt who used their women purely for pleasure or servile work, what the relationship between men and women should be. His request to Sarah was: “Please say that you are my sister” (Bereshit 12:13). In the house of Pharaoh, the situation was the reverse. Pharaoh related to his sister like a wife. Since the Pharaohs considered themselves to be the sons of gods, they did not marry women outside the family; in fact they married their own sisters.
The test that Avraham and Sarah overcame was awesome. Our Sages say that an angel told Avraham our father that he did not need to fear for Sarah, and gave him the assurance that he would pass the test in peace (Bereshit Rabbah 41:2). And Sarah answered: Avraham went out with a promise, and I went out in faith. Avraham went out of the prison (according to Matanot Kehunah) while I was in the prison. G-d said to her: Everything that I do in this situation, I do on your account (ibid.). Sarah did not understand that the test was designed to strengthen, to mold and draw out the best from us.
Sarah was the daughter of Haran (Rashi on Bereshit 11:29), a person who had failed a crucial test. When Nimrod ordered Avraham to bow down to fire, or to jump into it, Avraham answered that he was ready to jump into the fire. When he asked Haran whether he was on the side of Avraham or Nimrod, he avoided answering and did not have the courage to state his position. When he saw that Avraham had survived, he said his position was the same as Avraham’s; he threw himself into the fire and he was burned alive (Bereshit Rabbah 38:13; Rashi on Bereshit 11:28). Haran was a person who sat on the fence, wanted to join the winning side. Sarah’s father did not have the strength to withstand the test, but Sarah did. As we see from this tremendous test, one must come out with bold clarity, for a significant betterment of the world.
However this was not the nature of the relationship between Adam and Chavah. Chavah gave Adam harmful advice; and when asked by the Master of the Universe why he ate of the forbidden fruit, he blamed the woman who “You gave to be with me” (Bereshit 3:12). It was easy for him to place the blame on her. G-d responded that this was an expression of ingratitude (Avodah Zarah 5b; Rashi on Bereshit 3:12). Here he received the most special gift in the world; and now he was evading his responsibility. His excuse was not accepted, the consequence of which was that both he and Chavah were punished. Their relationship became entangled.
As between Avraham and Sarah, there was no entanglement on a personal level. The great test they had overcome cured the confusion that Adam and Chavah suffered. Sarah, according to our view, was the most insightful woman (see Zohar Chadash Yitro, Mahadurat Peirush Ha-Sulam, p. 35 #133), who came closest to the level of Chavah, and who also withstood this test better than Chavah. She remained strong. Pharaoh was the one who received severe plagues both in body and soul (Bereshit 12:17; and see Rashi). Pharaoh understood that this woman did not belong to him and that he had to return her to Avraham our father. This event was not merely a private matter between Pharaoh and Sarah. This was an event with ramifications in history for all mankind, and beyond, for the universe. Pharaoh had wanted Sarah as soon as she had reached the borders of his kingdom. Everyone recognized Sarah, for they praised her to him (ibid. 12:15). She was the first among all women he wanted to marry; but G-d was not in accord. The foundation of the world would not stem from Pharaoh and Sarah, or from Avraham and Hagar, despite the fact that Avraham and Sarah demonstrated a lack of patience in the ideal enterprise of establishing the offspring who would redeem the world. They had to wait for the realization of the Divine promise, even though Sarah was already old, and the miracle delayed in coming. One cannot hurry along a process before the time is ripe. It is forbidden to deal with “approximations.” The giving of Hagar to Avraham was premature. Hagar was not an appropriate wife, and Yishmael did not follow the appropriate path. He was the result of an imperfect act. When one is ignited by the pursuit of Divine devotion, a person often hurries and suffers little patience. But the result is one of approximation; in other words, almost, close, not a perfect result; and often one hinders and destroys.
- Rejuvenation
Avraham and Sarah had no problem waiting until they received the promise of the Master of the Universe. We the children of Avraham and Sarah also wait, and sometimes it appears as if the promise of the Master of the Universe is slow in coming to realization. At the beginning of the history of the people of Israel, everything progressed well, quickly and successfully. The people of Israel left Egypt and conquered the land of Israel. The judges judged the people, and later the kings arose to rule over the people of Israel. That stage then ended. The people were exiled to Babylonia and awaited redemption. At the time of Ezra, the people awakened: Later they merited the victory of the Chashmonaim. But then the great destruction of the Temple recurred. And we have been in limbo for almost two thousand years. But we are promised that the redemption will come to the world: But until when must we sit and wait for it? Maybe there is a short-cut? Rather, what happens to the fathers is a sign for the children (Ramban on Bereshit 12:6; 12:10). When Sarah was freed, we were freed. A powerful event happens, and its repercussions continue.
Avraham our father received the news that he would soon be remembered, so he laughed because the matter was impossible: It was contrary to the rules of nature that a ninety-year-old woman and a hundred-year-old man could give birth to a son. Furthermore when he checked his astrological signs, he saw he was not destined to have a son. According to his astro-biological signs, he could not father a child: So the Master of the Universe told him, Abandon your astrological calculations (Rashi on Bereshit 15:5). Free yourself from the laws of nature: They do not govern you. You govern them.
Neither are we, the people of Israel, the children of Avraham and Sarah, governed by the laws of history. According to these laws we should not exist. It was said of us that we would disappear off the historical map. But we are here despite all laws and the natural order of things.
Avraham our father laughed about our victory over the laws of nature and our ascendancy over the natural process of the world. Sarah also laughed, but when she was asked why she had laughed, she denied it because she was afraid (Bereshit 18:15). She was afraid to give praise, which is why there was a defect in her laughter. The conduct of Sarah was quite puzzling: She had lied to the Master of the Universe; and this lie was a shameful act. The holy author of Ohr Ha-Chaim explains that Sarah’s denial stemmed from her attribute of greatness: She had such a great fear of heaven that she did not have enough strength to give praise. Her lie came from a great internal confusion which arose from a fear of G-d (Ohr Ha-Chaim ibid.). Sarah laughed within herself: “After I have withered, shall I again have smooth skin” (Bereshit 18:12). After aging, shall I return to my youth? We therefore find in Sarah old age and youth together. For young parents, who are at the peak of their physical and spiritual strength, it is easier to bear a child. A person must be of higher mettle to give birth at an older age. When a man is at his peak of wisdom, his spirit is steady and less stormy than the spirit of a young man. The Baal Shem Tov was born to his father in his old age, before his physical desires had waned (Sefer Keter Shem Tov). When Sarah was one hundred years old, she was like a twenty-year-old; and when twenty, she was like a seven-year-old. Seven years old with regard to beauty and purity; twenty years old in regard to having no sin; and one hundred years old in regard to wisdom and greatness (Bereshit Rabbah 58:1; Rashi on Bereshit 23:1)
Sarah’s grandchildren, old and young, were as one. They also had the ability to renew their youth. We are the oldest people in the world but also the youngest of all, for we are newly born. For two thousand years, it seemed that nothing would develop, yet now we laugh. He that sits in the heavens shall laugh. “Hashem shall hold them in derision” (Tehillim 2:4). The strength to renew the young is hidden within us; the source is Sarah our mother. From her we also inherited wisdom, trust, strength and power. Our power is like that of Sarah, to boldly hold what we believe in, and if necessary, to support others in their beliefs. We are her children and we aim to cleave to her path: At one hundred like twenty, at twenty like seven.
“Listen to me you who follow after righteousness, you who seek Hashem: Look at the rock from which you are hewn, and to the pit from which you are dug. Look to Avraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him and blessed him and made him fruitful. For Hashem shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her desolate places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of Hashem. Joy and gladness shall be found there, and gratitude and the sound of singing” (Yeshayahu 51:1-3).
