וַה' פָּקַד אֶת שָׂרָה. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: וְיָדְעוּ כָּל עֲצֵי הַשָּׂדֶה כִּי אֲנִי ה' וְגוֹ' (יחזקאל יז, כד). הִשְׁפַּלְתִּי עֵץ גָּבֹהַּ זֶה אַשּׁוּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הִנֵּה אַשּׁוּר אֶרֶז בַּלְּבָנוֹן יְפֵה עָנָף וְחֹרֶשׁ מֵצַל וּגְבַהּ קוֹמָה (יחזקאל לא, ג). הִגְבַּהְתִּי עֵץ שָׁפָל, אֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְגַם אֲנִי נָתַתִּי אֶתְכֶם נִבְזִים וּשְׁפָלִים לְכָל הָעָם (מלאכי ב, ט). הוֹבַשְׁתִּי עֵץ לָח, זוֹ אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל אֲבִימֶלֶךְ. וְהִפְרַחְתִּי עֵץ יָבֵשׁ, זוֹ שָׂרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַתַּהַר וַתֵּלֶד שָׂרָה. אֲנִי ה' דִּבַּרְתִּי וְעָשִׂיתִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיַּעַשׂ ה' לְשָׂרָה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי, כְּשֶׁתְּקוּפַת תַּמּוּז נִכְנֶסֶת, מְיַבֶּשֶׁת הָעֲשָׂבִים וּמַפְרַחַת הָאִילָנוֹת. כָּךְ יָבְשׁוּ הָעֲשָׂבִים, כִּי עָצֹר עָצַר ה'. וְהִפְרִיחוּ הָאִילָנוֹת, וַה' פָּקַד אֶת שָׂרָה. And the Lord remembered Sarah, as he had said (Gen. 21:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, and have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish. I, the Lord, have spoken and I will do it (Ezek. 17:24). I have brought down the high tree alludes to Assyria, as it is said: Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing thicket. And of a high stature (ibid. 31:3). Have exalted the low tree refers to Israel, as it is said: Therefore, I have made you contemptible and base before all the people (Mal. 2:9). Have dried up the green tree refers to Abimelech’s wife (because she could not bear children), and I have made the dry tree to flourish alludes to Sarah, as is said: And Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham (Gen. 21:2). I, the Lord, have spoken and I will do it parallels And the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken (ibid., v. 1). R. Levi said: During the month of Tammuz, grass withers and trees blossom. Similarly, the grass withered when the Lord closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, and the trees blossomed when the Lord remembered Sarah.