Parashat Chayyei Sarah: All Years Are Equal
(Torah study led by Rabbi J.B. Sacks on November 19, 2022)
We do not have a lot of time, but it’s important for us to share words of Torah. So let me speak briefly on today’s Torah reading. The first verse we read today, Genesis 23:1, is a bit unusual:
וַיִּהְיוּ֙ חַיֵּ֣י שָׂרָ֔ה מֵאָ֥ה שָׁנָ֛ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים שְׁנֵ֖י חַיֵּ֥י שָׂרָֽה׃
“The life of Sarah—came to one hundred and twenty-seven years–the life of Sarah.”
While it may seem poetic that the beginning and end of the sentence utilize the phrase, “the life of Sarah,” it is clear that the use of the phrase at the end of the sentence lands a big awkwardly, and–more importantly–seems unnecessary. It is a principle of rabbinic reading of Tanakh, just as it is for the modern literary critic, that nothing should be deemed “superfluous.” Rather, we should examine for further meaning.
So let us consider:
Why the use of the second, seemingly extra, phrase “the life of Sarah”?
Rashi is often the starting point for probing the text. He writes:
כֻּלָּן שָׁוִין לְטוֹבָה
“They were all equally good.”
Rashi suggests that the verse announcing the length of Sarah’s life begins and ends with the phrase “the life of Sarah” to indicate that her entire life was good. In fact, everyone of her 127 years was equally good. But let’s consider some of what Sarah experienced during those years.
- Sarah emigrated to Eretz Yisrael at age 65.[1] At that age, it is difficult to leave one’s land, culture, and family behind. In that era, the journey was especially arduous and time consuming.
- Sarah was kidnapped twice by foreign kings, both times due to her husband’s wanting to protect himself at her expense.[2] She was certainly exposed to grave danger.
- Sarah remained infertile and childless until the age of 90.[3] Yet that placed Sarah at the bottom of the social totem pole, since a woman’s worth was often valued for the children she might produce.
- Having despaired of bearing children herself, Sarah allowed her husband to have a child with her own servant.[4] That was bound to have less-than-sanguine consequences, and strain family relationships and cohesion.
- Without allowing her to have a say, her husband Abraham takes her only child, Isaac, away to a mountain where, Abraham believed, he should kill him.[5] Sarah is often forgotten when we discuss Akedat Yitzchak, the “binding” (for sacrifice) and near death of Isaac at the hands of his father. But think for a moment of the bewildering mix of emotions when you realize that your husband is going through with it. What would you do? And, to top it all off, Abraham comes home and claims that he did not go through with it, and merely sacrificed a ram. Yet Abraham left Isaac alone at the top of the mountain. He does not bring his son home after sacrifice with him. How is Sarah to react? Some commentators suggest that she never spoke to her husband again; some even claim that the episode was the precipitating event that caused her death.
If any of us experienced any of these things, we would probably not count that as a good year. That seems natural and understandable. And yet Rashi claims that Sarah Imeinu rendered each year a good year. For despite these many challenges, some of the constant and of long duration, her life reflected her achievements and her character.
Her achievements? Among them we might include that she drew many people to accept monotheism.[6] She also kept Abraham on track to live out G!d’s words and promise.[7]
Her character? She displayed tremendous grace and dignity. She modeled kindness, warmth, equanimity, spiritual concern, perseverance, and resilience. She seemed to remain cognizant of the ultimate goodness that her life’s vicissitudes yielded, thereby enabling all her years to be described as “equally good.”
Questions to Consider over Shabbat and before Thanksgiving:
- Can you say that all your years are “equally good”?
- Sarah faced many challenges. Think of a difficulty you experienced. Focus on how you dealt with it, got through it. Think of the character strength that supported you through this. Now, be grateful to you for this!
- Now, consider the ways in which the challenges you faced enabled you to become the person you are? In what ways are you more noble, compassionate, sensitive, and/or present because of your experiences?
- How will you re-activate your “inner Sarah” after Shabbat and move forward?
- How will you make Thanksgiving meaningful this year?
Although these prompts are interrelated, you may decide to focus on just one of these prompts. But let’s spend some time between the end of services today and Thanksgiving to think about our Mother Sarah, her life and her legacy. And let’s use her model to help us manage our years, to help us manage this year. As we do so, may we, too, come to a place where we can consider all our years good ones, because each of them has rendered us good. And, like Sarah, may we learn to face each of whatever years we have as she did, knowing that time is precious and life can render them good.
Sarah knew that, despite life’s challenges, she had so much for which to give thanks. And, whatever we have experienced, we know that we, too, have thanks to give.
May you all have a meaningful, healthy, happy Thanksgiving!
Shabbat shalom.
[1] Genesis 11:31; 12:5.
[2] Genesis 12:10-16; 20:1-2.
[3] Genesis 11:30.
[4] Genesis 16:1-4.
[5] Genesis 22:1-2.
[6] Genesis 12:5.
[7] E.g. Genesis 16:5.