SARAH'S TENT - PARASHAT CHAYEI SARAH

SARAH'S TENT - PARASHAT CHAYEI SARAH
Andre Widodo
© ORI

Shalom,

Bereshit (Genesis) 24:67
וַיְבִאֶהָ יִצְחָק, הָאֹהֱלָה שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת-רִבְקָה וַתְּהִי-לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה, וַיֶּאֱהָבֶהָ; וַיִּנָּחֵם יִצְחָק, אַחֲרֵי אִמּוֹ. 

va.ye.vi.e.ha yits.chak ha.o.he.la sa.ra i.mo va.yi.kach et-riv.ka va.te.hi-lo l'i.sha va.ye.e.ha.ve.ha va.yi.na.chem yits.chak a.cha.rei i.mo

And Yitzchak (Isaac) brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rivkah (Rebekah), and she became his wife; and he loved her. And Yitzchak (Isaac) was comforted for his mother.

Midrash Rabbah; Rashi
"For as long as Sarah lived, a cloud (signifying the Divine Presence) hung over her tent. When she died, the cloud disappeared; but when Rebekah came, it returned.

As long as Sarah lived, her doors were wide open. At her death, that openhandedness ceased; but when Rebekah came, it returned.

As long as Sarah lived, there was a blessing on her dough, and the lamp used to burn from the evening of the Shabbat until the evening of the following Shabbat. When she died, these ceased; but when Rebekah came, they returned."

WHO IS KETURAH? - PARASHAT CHAYEI SARAH

WHO IS KETURAH? - PARASHAT CHAYEI SARAH
Andre Widodo 

© ORI

Shalom,

Bereshit (Genesis) 25:1
וַיֹּסֶף אַבְרָהָם וַיִּקַּח אִשָּׁה, וּשְׁמָהּ קְטוּרָה

va.yo.sef av.ra.ham va.yi.kach i.sha u.she.ma k'tu.ra

And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah

Misrash Rabbah; Rashi
"This is Hagar. She is called Keturah because her deeds were now as pleasing as the ketoret (the incense offered in the Holy Temple)."

WHO IS HAGAR? WHO IS KETURAH? - PARASHAT LECH LECHA AND PARASHAH CHAYEI SARAH

WHO IS HAGAR? WHO IS KETURAH? - PARASHAT LECH LECHA AND PARASHAH CHAYEI SARAH
Andre Widodo

© ORI

Shalom,

Bereshit (Genesis) 16:1

וְשָׂרַי אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם, לֹא יָלְדָה לוֹ; וְלָהּ שִׁפְחָה מִצְרִית, וּשְׁמָהּ הָגָר

v'sa.rai e.shet av.ram lo yal.da lo v'la shif.cha mits.rit u.she.ma ha.gar:

Now Sarai Abram's wife bore him no children; and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Midrash Rabbah

"Hagar was Pharaoh’s daughter. When Pharaoh saw what was wrought upon his house for Sarah’s sake, he took his daughter and gave her to her, saying: “Better that my daughter be a maid in this house, than a mistress in a different house."

According to the Midrash, Hagar was the daughter of King Pharaoh of Egypt. When she saw the miracle which G-d performed for the sake of Sarah, to save her from the hands of the Egyptian king during Abraham's visit there, she said: "It is better to be a slave in Sarah's house than a princess in my own."

Her name "Hagar," according to the Midrash, stems from this beginning of her association with Abraham's house. It comes from "Ha-Agar," meaning "this is the reward."

Many of the ancient Sages speak favorably of Hagar who never remarried. She lived together with her son who had built his home on the edge of the wilderness and became a famous hunter. The Sages say that he possessed Adam's coat which he had taken from King Nimrod. (This coat gave the wearer power over animals).

Despite living with Ishmael so far from Abraham's influence, Hagar remained faithful to him. Therefore, after Sarah's death, Isaac himself went to her and took her back to his father to be again his father's wife. The Torah now calls her "Keturah," meaning "tied" to Abraham, for she had kept her faithful bond to Abraham; and it also means an adornment," for her good deeds.

Hagar, as the Sages picture her, was a woman of humility and piety.

THE LIFE OF SARAH - PARASHAT CHAYEI SARAH

THE LIFE OF SARAH - PARASHAT CHAYEI SARAH
Andre Widodo
© ORI

Shalom,

The Torah Portion on this Shabbat entitled "Chayei Sarah (the Life of Sarah)", but paradoxically, it deals entirely with events that occurred after the Death of Sarah.

If the Torah Portion this Shabbat deals with the Death of Sarah, then why is the title named "the Life of Sarah (Chayei Sarah)"?

It is because the Jewish tradition believes in the life after the death. We believe in "the resurrection of the dead (techiat ha'meitim). Techiat ha'meitim states that in the Messianic Era, our souls will be restored to our resurrected bodies. B"H!

1 Qorinti'im (Corinthians) 15:42
וּכְמוֹ־כֵן בִּתְקוּמַת הַמֵּתִים נִזְרַע בְּשַׁחַת־בְּלִי וְקָם לְחַיֵּי־עַד

u.chmo-chen bit.qu.mat ha.me.tim nitz.ra be.sha.chat-b'li ve.qam le.cha.yei-ad

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. When the body is “sown,” it decays; when it is raised, it cannot decay.

One of the fundamental beliefs of Judaism is that the life does not begin with birth, nor does it end with death. This is articulated in the verse in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes)

Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) 12:7
וְיָשֹׁב הֶעָפָר עַל-הָאָרֶץ, כְּשֶׁהָיָה; וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב, אֶל-הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ

v'ya.shov he.a.far al-ha.a.rets k'she.ha.ya v'ha.ru.ach ta.shuv el-ha.e.lo.him a.sher n'ta.na

And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to G‑d, who gave it.

The Talmud go even further than that, stating that there is a level on which life extends beyond death without interruption. "Jacob did not die." Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040-1105 CE, the greatest of the biblical and talmudic commentators) explains, "He seemed to them as if dead, but in truth he was alive."

The same thing with Sarah.

Bereshit (Genesis) 23:1
וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה, מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים--שְׁנֵי, חַיֵּי שָׂרָה

va.yih.yu cha.yei sa.ra me.a sha.na v'es.rim sha.na v'she.va sha.nim sh'nei cha.yei sa.ra

The life of Sarah was one hundred years, twenty years and seven years; these were the years of Sarah’s life.

Why did the Torah split Sarah's years into three parts?

The Sages in Madras HaGadol says:
"Why does the Torah split up the tally of her years into three parts (“one hundred years,” “twenty years” and “seven years”)? This is to tell us that every day of her life was the equivalent of them all. At the age of one hundred years she was like age twenty in strength, and at age twenty she was like age seven in modesty and purity; at age seven she was like age twenty in intelligence, and at age twenty she was like age one hundred in righteousness."

In Hebrew, larger numbers are described in singular (שָׁנָה), whereas smaller numbers are describes in plural (שָׁנִים), which suggests that what is small in this world will be regarded as great in the world to come, and what is great in this world will be regarded as small in the world to come (Mark 9:35).

Markos (Mark) 9:35
וַיֵּשֶׁב וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־שְׁנֵים הֶעָשָׂר וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם מִי־הֶחָפֵץ לִהְיוֹת רִאשׁוֹן עָלָיו לִהְיוֹת אַחֲרוֹן לְכֻלָּם וּמְשָׁרֵת לְכֻלָּם׃

va.ye.shev va.yi.qra el-sh'nim he.a.shar va.yo.mer alei.hem mi-he.cha.fetz li.he.yot ri.shon alav li.he.yot acha.ron le.ku.lam um.sha.ret le.ku.lam

He sat down, summoned the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.