PARASHAH: “Chayei Sarah” (Sarah lives) GENESIS 23:1-25:18
The title of the Parashah is “Sarah lives” or “Sarah lived.” Yet Sarah is dead, so how does she live? She lives on in Abraham's memory, her legacy lives on, and her influence lives on, and this is what the patriarch wants for Isaac.
So even dead, Sarah continued to live on as a godly wife and mother, there is no doubt that Abraham wanted to bless Isaac with a similar wife. Torah says that Sarah lived 127 years. It is not often that the Torah records the age of women, but Sarah is the exception.
According to some rabbis, “120” years are a “full life.” So, Sarah lived a “full life” plus 7 more.
Another way we can look at this is, from the Hebrew text; “One-hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years. Why is this worded this way? The rabbis say that when Sarah was one hundred years old, she was as beautiful as when she was twenty, and when she was twenty, she was as innocent and holy as when she was seven.
Moshe lived a “full life” and maybe would have lived longer had he not “struck the rock” Sarah lived a “Kadosh” life (Holy life, separated to serve God, and her husband Abraham, and raising her son Isaac. One could say she was “anointed to serve”
127 can also symbolize “echad” (unit of oneness) (1), “covenant blessing” (2) “godliness” (7) Sarah received the blessing of being a godly woman, who joined in the “covenant blessing” of Abraham with YHVH, and together became “Echad Am” (One people) the Hebrew people who later became the Nation of Israel.
Sarah honored Abraham, and YHVH by submitting to their instruction, she was submissive, in the right way. Yet Sarah had her times of happiness and sorrow as All marriages go through. Sarah also anticipated the promise of God for a son. She gave Abraham her maid, Hagar, as a second wife. Bad decision, yet Abraham still listened to her voice. He still loved her even when she made an unwise decision.
Abraham and Sarah loved each other, and in death, Abraham showed his love towards Sarah by purchasing an overpriced piece of real estate. 400 silver shekels was a lot for a cave on a piece of property in Hebron, but He didn't mind paying for it, (guess it is like buying a hamburger for $25). 400 silver shekels would be about $4500 today. It had to be “written down, and documented” legally, not just “words”, we see that today, words are nothing, but if it is signed, sealed, and written down, you can take it to court!
So Abraham honored his wife both in life and in death. One of the biggest and most drastic changes in one’s life is the “death” of a spouse. We see the words in the Torah which recount the time of Sarah’s death. “and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke unto the sons of Heth saying…”
There is a time for mourning and weeping, and a time for joy, a time for continuing with life, as life does go on, with or without a spouse. Abraham had the right to mourn and weep since Sarah was part of his life for many, many years. We do not know when they got married, but when Abraham was called by Adonai, he was 75 years old, and he was married at that time. We could say that for about 50 years, Abraham had Sarah by his side. The Adonai called her home.
There will be a time when Adonai calls home our spouses, how will we respond when that happens? Will we cry out to God; Why? But are our spouses our own? Or do we all belong to Elohim? What are we but souls inhabiting finite bodies that will eventually cease to function and return to our Creator and God?
A baby enters the world with clenched fists, yet leaves the world with open hands. We all want to hold on to everything, even spouses, yet we have to let go and let God have his way. A spouse, a wife, or a husband, is like a library book. We will take the library book and read it cover to cover, do we understand what we read? We have “x” amount of years to do it. But the master Librarian will call for his book to be returned someday, and we will have to deal with that.
A spouse is like a jewel to be worn and cared for, for “x” number of years, but the Jeweler will call for his gem someday, and we will have to take “her” or “him” off and return “her” or “him” to Jeweler of all creation. I think that the more we love our spouse, the more difficult it will be for us to let go someday when our spouse is at death’s door. It wasn’t easy for Abraham, and it will not be easy for us.
I think that the time for caring, for loving, for giving flowers is when our spouses are alive, not at the grave site. One wonders what the surviving spouse will say. “May he (or she) rest in peace!” …or…” Now that he (or she) is gone, now I can rest in peace!!” Abraham wept and mourned, but then, he got up and “buried his dead out of his sight” He continued with life, searched out a wife for his son Isaac, and eventually Abraham remarried, to Keturah who bore him six children (Chap 25).
The title of the Parashah is “Sarah lives” or “Sarah lived.” Yet Sarah is dead, so how does she live? She lives on in Abraham's memory, her legacy lives on, and her influence lives on, and this is what the patriarch wants for Isaac.
So even dead, Sarah continued to live on as a godly wife and mother, there is no doubt that Abraham wanted to bless Isaac with a similar wife. Torah says that Sarah lived 127 years. It is not often that the Torah records the age of women, but Sarah is the exception.
According to some rabbis, “120” years are a “full life.” So, Sarah lived a “full life” plus 7 more.
Another way we can look at this is, from the Hebrew text; “One-hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years. Why is this worded this way? The rabbis say that when Sarah was one hundred years old, she was as beautiful as when she was twenty, and when she was twenty, she was as innocent and holy as when she was seven.
Moshe lived a “full life” and maybe would have lived longer had he not “struck the rock” Sarah lived a “Kadosh” life (Holy life, separated to serve God, and her husband Abraham, and raising her son Isaac. One could say she was “anointed to serve”
127 can also symbolize “echad” (unit of oneness) (1), “covenant blessing” (2) “godliness” (7) Sarah received the blessing of being a godly woman, who joined in the “covenant blessing” of Abraham with YHVH, and together became “Echad Am” (One people) the Hebrew people who later became the Nation of Israel.
Sarah honored Abraham, and YHVH by submitting to their instruction, she was submissive, in the right way. Yet Sarah had her times of happiness and sorrow as All marriages go through. Sarah also anticipated the promise of God for a son. She gave Abraham her maid, Hagar, as a second wife. Bad decision, yet Abraham still listened to her voice. He still loved her even when she made an unwise decision.
Abraham and Sarah loved each other, and in death, Abraham showed his love towards Sarah by purchasing an overpriced piece of real estate. 400 silver shekels was a lot for a cave on a piece of property in Hebron, but He didn't mind paying for it, (guess it is like buying a hamburger for $25). 400 silver shekels would be about $4500 today. It had to be “written down, and documented” legally, not just “words”, we see that today, words are nothing, but if it is signed, sealed, and written down, you can take it to court!
So Abraham honored his wife both in life and in death. One of the biggest and most drastic changes in one’s life is the “death” of a spouse. We see the words in the Torah which recount the time of Sarah’s death. “and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke unto the sons of Heth saying…”
There is a time for mourning and weeping, and a time for joy, a time for continuing with life, as life does go on, with or without a spouse. Abraham had the right to mourn and weep since Sarah was part of his life for many, many years. We do not know when they got married, but when Abraham was called by Adonai, he was 75 years old, and he was married at that time. We could say that for about 50 years, Abraham had Sarah by his side. The Adonai called her home.
There will be a time when Adonai calls home our spouses, how will we respond when that happens? Will we cry out to God; Why? But are our spouses our own? Or do we all belong to Elohim? What are we but souls inhabiting finite bodies that will eventually cease to function and return to our Creator and God?
A baby enters the world with clenched fists, yet leaves the world with open hands. We all want to hold on to everything, even spouses, yet we have to let go and let God have his way. A spouse, a wife, or a husband, is like a library book. We will take the library book and read it cover to cover, do we understand what we read? We have “x” amount of years to do it. But the master Librarian will call for his book to be returned someday, and we will have to deal with that.
A spouse is like a jewel to be worn and cared for, for “x” number of years, but the Jeweler will call for his gem someday, and we will have to take “her” or “him” off and return “her” or “him” to Jeweler of all creation. I think that the more we love our spouse, the more difficult it will be for us to let go someday when our spouse is at death’s door. It wasn’t easy for Abraham, and it will not be easy for us.
I think that the time for caring, for loving, for giving flowers is when our spouses are alive, not at the grave site. One wonders what the surviving spouse will say. “May he (or she) rest in peace!” …or…” Now that he (or she) is gone, now I can rest in peace!!” Abraham wept and mourned, but then, he got up and “buried his dead out of his sight” He continued with life, searched out a wife for his son Isaac, and eventually Abraham remarried, to Keturah who bore him six children (Chap 25).
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