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Share(כט) וַיִּקַּ֨ח אַבְרָ֧ם וְנָח֛וֹר לָהֶ֖ם נָשִׁ֑ים שֵׁ֤ם אֵֽשֶׁת־אַבְרָם֙ שָׂרָ֔י וְשֵׁ֤ם אֵֽשֶׁת־נָחוֹר֙ מִלְכָּ֔ה בַּת־הָרָ֥ן אֲבִֽי־מִלְכָּ֖ה וַֽאֲבִ֥י יִסְכָּֽה׃
(29) And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
(כט)יסכה זוֹ שָׂרָה, עַל שֶׁם שֶׁסּוֹכָה בָרוּחַ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ וְשֶׁהַכֹּל סוֹכִין בְיָפְיָהּ; וְעוֹד יִסְכָּה לְשׁוֹן נְסִיכוּת, כְּמוֹ שָׂרָה לְשׁוֹן שְׂרָרָה:
(29) יסכה YISCAH — This was Sarah; she was also named Yiscah (from a root meaning “”to see”, “to look”) because she could see the future by holy inspiration, and because everybody looked (gazed) at her beauty. The name Yiscah also has reference to princely dignity (נסיכות) just as the name Sarah (שרה) has an allusion to “ruling’’(שררה).
(טו) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹקִים֙ אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֔ם שָׂרַ֣י אִשְׁתְּךָ֔ לֹא־תִקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמָ֖הּ שָׂרָ֑י כִּ֥י שָׂרָ֖ה שְׁמָֽהּ׃
(15) And God said unto Abraham: ‘As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
(טו)לא תקרא את שמה שרי דְּמַשְׁמַע שָׂרַי, לִי וְלֹא לְאַחֵרִים, כי שרה סְתַּם שְׁמָהּ, שֶׁתְּהֵא שָׂרָה עַל כָּל (ברכות י"ג):
(15) לא תקרא את שמה שרי THOU SHALT NOT CALL HER NAME SARAI which means “my princess”— a princess to me and not to others — BUT SARAH, in a more general sense, SHALL BE HER NAME: she shall be princess over all (Berakhot 13a).
(ל) וַתְּהִ֥י שָׂרַ֖י עֲקָרָ֑ה אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ וָלָֽד׃
(30) And Sarai was barren; she had no child.
(יב) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹקִ֜ים אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֗ם אַל־יֵרַ֤ע בְּעֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ עַל־הַנַּ֣עַר וְעַל־אֲמָתֶ֔ךָ כֹּל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תֹּאמַ֥ר אֵלֶ֛יךָ שָׂרָ֖ה שְׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹלָ֑הּ כִּ֣י בְיִצְחָ֔ק יִקָּרֵ֥א לְךָ֖ זָֽרַע׃
(12) And God said unto Abraham: ‘Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall seed be called to thee.
(יב)שמע בקולה לָמַדְנוּ, שֶׁהָיָה אַבְרָהָם טָפַל לְשָׂרָה בִּנְבִיאוּת:
(12) שמע בקולה HEARKEN UNTO HER VOICE — we may infer that Abraham was inferior to Sarah in respect of prophecy (ib.).
(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יי אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃
(1) Now the LORD said unto Abram: ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee.
Sarai was barren, she had no child.
[Why the double phrasing?] To teach that she did not even have a place for offspring – i.e. a womb.
(ה)אשר עשו בחרן שֶׁהִכְנִיסָן תַּחַת כַּנְפֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה; אַבְרָהָם מְגַיֵּר את הָאֲנָשִׁים וְשָׂרָה מְגַיֶּרֶת הַנָּשִׁים, וּמַעֲלֶה עֲלֵיהֶם הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ עֲשָׂאוּם; וּפְשׁוּטוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא עֲבָדִים וּשְׁפָחוֹת שֶׁקָּנוּ לָהֶם, כְּמוֹ עָשָׂה אֶת כָּל הַכָּבוֹד הַזֶּה (שם ל"א), וְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֹשֶׂה חַיִל (במד’ כ"ד), לְשׁוֹן קוֹנֶה וְכוֹנֵס:
(5) אשר עשו בחרן [THE SOULS] THAT THEY HAD GOTTEN (literally, made) IN HARAN — The souls which he had brought beneath the sheltering wings of the Shechinah. Abraham converted the men and Sarah converted the women and Scripture accounts it unto them as if they had made them. However, the real sense of the text is that it refers to the men-servants and to the maidservants whom they had acquired for themselves. The word “עשה” is used here as (in Genesis 31:1), “he has acquired (עשה) all this wealth”, and (Numbers 24:8), “And Israel acquires (עושה) wealth” — an expression for acquiring and amassing.
(ב) וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל וַאֲבָ֣רֶכְךָ֔ וַאֲגַדְּלָ֖ה שְׁמֶ֑ךָ וֶהְיֵ֖ה בְּרָכָֽה׃
(2) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.
(ב)ואעשך לגוי גדול לְפִי שֶׁהַדֶּרֶךְ גּוֹרֶמֶת לִשְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים מְמַעֶטֶת פְּרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה וּמְמַעֶטֶת אֶת הַמָּמוֹן וּמְמַעֶטֶת אֶת הַשֵּׁם, לְכַךְ הוּזְקַק לִשְׁלֹשָׁה בְרַכוֹת הֲֲלָלוּ, שׁהִבְטִיחוׂ עַל הַבָּנִים, וְעַל הַמָּמוֹן וְעַל הַשֵּׁם:
(2) ואעשך לגוי גדול AND I WILL MAKE OF THEE A GREAT NATION —Since travelling is the cause of three things—it decreases (breaks up) family life, it reduces one’s wealth and lessens one’s renown, he therefore needed these three blessings: that God should promise him children, wealth and a great name (Genesis Rabbah 39).
(ב) וַתֹּ֨אמֶר שָׂרַ֜י אֶל־אַבְרָ֗ם הִנֵּה־נָ֞א עֲצָרַ֤נִי יי מִלֶּ֔דֶת בֹּא־נָא֙ אֶל־שִׁפְחָתִ֔י אוּלַ֥י אִבָּנֶ֖ה מִמֶּ֑נָּה וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע אַבְרָ֖ם לְק֥וֹל שָׂרָֽי׃
(2) And Sarai said unto Abram: ‘Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall be builded up through her.’ And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
[Hagar] would say (about Sarah): "This woman – she looks righteous but she must not be. How many years is she married to Avraham and has not conceived. Whereas I have conceived in one night."
(ה) וַתֹּ֨אמֶר שָׂרַ֣י אֶל־אַבְרָם֮ חֲמָסִ֣י עָלֶיךָ֒ אָנֹכִ֗י נָתַ֤תִּי שִׁפְחָתִי֙ בְּחֵיקֶ֔ךָ וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙ כִּ֣י הָרָ֔תָה וָאֵקַ֖ל בְּעֵינֶ֑יהָ יִשְׁפֹּ֥ט יי בֵּינִ֥י וּבֵינֶֽיׄךָ׃
(5) And Sarai said unto Abram: ‘My wrong be upon thee: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.’
(ה)חמסי עליך חָמָס הֶעָשׂוּי לִי, עָלֶיךָ אֲנִי מַטִּיל הָעוֹנֶשׁ; כְּשֶׁהִתְפַּלַּלְתָּ לְהַקָּבָּ"ה מַה תִּתֵּן לִי וְאָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ עֲרִירִי, לֹא הִתְפַּלַּלְתָּ אֶלָּא עָלֶיךָ, והָיָה לְךָ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל עַל שְׁנֵינוּ, וְהָיִיתִ אֲנִי נִפְקֶדֶת עִמָּךְ וְעוֹד דְּבָרֶיךָ אַתָּה חוֹמֵס מִמֶּנִי, שֶׁאַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ בִּזְיוֹנִי וְשֹותֵק (בראשית רבה):
(ו)אנכי נתתי שפחתי וגו' ביני וביניך כָּל בֵּינֶיךָ שֶׁבַּמִּקְרָא חָסֵר, וְזֶה מָלֵא, קְרִי בֵיהּ וּבַנַיִךְ, שֶׁהִכְנִיסָה עַיִן הָרָע בְּעִבּוּרָהּ שֶׁל הָגָר וְהִפִּילָה עוּבָּרָהּ; הוּא שֶׁהַמַּלְאָךְ אוֹמֵר לְהָגָר הִנָּךְ הָרָה, וְהֲלֹא כְבָר הָרְתָה, וְהוּא מְבַשֵּׁר לָהּ שֶׁתַּהַר? אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד, שֶׁהִפִּילָה הֵרָיוֹן הָרִאשׁוֹן:
(5) חמסי עליך MY WRONG BE UPON THEE — The wrong done to me (חמסי)— the punishment for it I call down on you (עליך). “When you prayed to the Holy One, blessed be He, (15:2) ‘what wilt Thou give me, seeing that I go childless’, you prayed only on behalf of yourself whereas you should have prayed on behalf of both of us — then would I have been borne in mind (by God) together with you” (i.e. when you had the gift of a child it would have been “my” child also — not that of a strange woman). Besides this, you deprive me (חומס) of your protecting words since you hear how I am despised and yet you keep silent (ib.).
(6) 'אנכי נתתי שפחתי וגו ביני וביניך I HAVE GIVEN MY HANDMAID etc… [MAY THE LORD JUDGE] BETWEEN ME AND THEE — Wherever this word “between thee” (masc.) occurs in Scripture it is written defective (i.e. without the second yod) whilst here it is written plene, therefore read it as וּבֵינָיִךְ (the fem form that corresponds to ביניך in our text — as though Sarah turned to Hagar saying “May God judge between me and thee”). Thus she cast the evil eye on Hagar so that she miscarried on this occasion. This explains what the angel said to Hagar, (16:11) הנך הרה “behold, thou wilt conceive”; but had she not already conceived and yet he announces to her that she would conceive? This therefore informs us that she miscarried in this, her first conception (ib.) (cf. verse 11).
"…The justice due to me should be looked for with you … if you had asked God (with the words:) 'And we are childless,' just like He gave you a son, He would have given me a son. Now you've said, 'And I am childless,' God granted you and not to me’."
After these things the word of God was brought to Avram in a vision and said, "Don't fear, Avram, your reward is very great."
And Avram said, "What can you give me, the person who keeps my house is Eliezer… To me you have not given seed and my housekeeper will inherit me."
And God said, "This one will not inherit you; rather, the one who comes from your loins will inherit you."
And Sarah said to Avraham: "Send out this handmaid and her son, because her son will not inherit with my son, with Yitzhak." And this thing was very bad in the eyes of Avraham about his son. And God said, "Everything Sarah says to you – listen to her voice. For by Yitzhak your seed shall be called."
Yishmael was building altars and offering sacrifices for idol worship. Sarah said, “What if Yitzhak, our son, learns from him? There will be a great desecration of God's Name!”
Avraham said, “Now that we have brought Hagar in and made her a lady, how can we drive her out? What will people say of us? There will be a desecration of God's Name!”
Sarah said, “In that case, if we're both talking about a desecration of God's Name, He must decide between your words and mine.”
And God said, “Everything Sarah says to you, listen to her voice.”
"Your name will not be called Avram, but rather Avraham. Your wife, Sarai, do not call her name Sarai, rather Sarah is her name. And I will bless her and also give you from her a son…" And Avraham fell on his face and laughed and he said in his heart, '"Can a person of 100 years have a child, and Sarah, can a 90-year-old woman give birth?"
"I will return on this day next year and your wife, Sarah, will have a son."
Sarah laughed in her heart and said, "After I have aged, could I become young and my husband is old?!"
This laughter is mocking. We learn that Avraham believed and was happy, and Sarah didn't believe and mocked, and therefore God criticized Sarah and didn't criticize Avraham.
And God said to Avraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Could I give birth after I am old?' Is anything too difficult for God? On this day next year I will come back and Sarah will have a son. And Sarah denied and said, "I did not laugh," because she feared, and he [Avraham] said, "No, you laughed."
And Sarah said, "A laughter (a joke) God did for me; anyone who hears will laugh about me." And she said, "Who would believe… that Sarah nurses children? I have given birth to a child in his old age!"
At the time that Sarah gave birth, many barren women conceived, many deaf people started hearing, many blind people started seeing, many insane people became sane.
(א) וַיִּהְיוּ֙ חַיֵּ֣י שָׂרָ֔ה מֵאָ֥ה שָׁנָ֛ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים שְׁנֵ֖י חַיֵּ֥י שָׂרָֽה׃
(1) And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
(א)ויהיו חיי שרה מאה שנה ועשרים שנה ושבע שנים לְכַךְ נִכְתָּב שָׁנָה בְּכָל כּלָל וּכְלָל, לוֹמַר לְךָ שֶׁכָּל אֶחָד נִדְרָשׁ לְעֲצְמוֹבַּת ק' כְּבַּת כ' לְחֵטְא, מַה בַת כ' לֹא חַטְאָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי אֵינָהּ בַּת עוֹנְשִׁין, אַף בַּת ק' בּלֹא חֵטְא, וּבַת כ' כְּבַת ז' לְיוֹפִי:
(ב)שני חיי שרה כֻּלָּן שָׁוִין לְטוֹבָה:
(1) ויהיו חיי שרה מאה שנה ועשרים שנה ושבע שנים AND THE LIFE OF SARAH WAS 127 YEARS (literally, 100 years, 20 years and 7 years) — The reason the word שנה is written at every term is to tell you that each term must be explained by itself as a complete number: at the age of one hundred she was as a woman of twenty as regards sin — for just as at the age of twenty one may regard her as having never sinned, since she had not then reached the age when she was subject to punishment, so, too, when she was one hundred years old she was sinless — and when she was twenty she was as beautiful as when she was seven (Genesis Rabbah 58).
(2) שני חיי שרה THE YEARS OF SARAH’S LIFE — The word years is repeated and without a number to indicate that they were all equally good.
She screamed six times, corresponding to the six "tekiah" notes of the shofar. She had not finished doing this when she died.
