Haye Sarah

Parshah Haye Sarah
Genesis 23:1-25:18 I Kings1:1-1:31

Unlike the first three parshiot of the Torah, Chaye Sarah (The Life of Sarah) is easy to summarize. Not the life of Sarah but just her death and burial are related in the text. We also read of the deaths of Abraham and Ishmael. Mother Sarah dies first and Father Abraham buys land to bury her from a Hittake. The land had been offered to him but he insists on paying for it. The land is near modern Hebron and includes the cave of Machpelah. Mother Sarah and later Abraham, Rebekah, Issac, Jacob, and Leah are buried in the cave. Abraham then seeks a wife for his heir Isaac. The story of Rebekah and the well is related. Rebekah is the daughter of Bethuel (Abraham's nephew*.) Her brother is the Laban who will be a major figure in the story of Jacob marrying Rachel and Leah. Rebekah marries Isaac. Abraham then remarries a woman named Keturah. They have six more children. The Torah then abruptly and flatly relates he dies. The parasha concludes with the death of Ishmael and a lineage of his 12 sons.

The Torah moves from the binding of Isaac to the death of Sarah without any indication she was aware of the merciful outcome. Amongst my studies, I read that some traditions hold Mother Sarah died believing Isaac was sacrificed. This belief is even applied to sayings such as those which relate that the sound of the shofar represents her cries of grief. This is a dreadful idea.

Abraham’s purchase of the land for her burial in Canaan is the main action of 'Chapter' 23. It is also a very real and ancient claim to the long disputed land in that region. The traditional site is extant. It was subjugated as a Mosque since the 8th Century CE. Because of the victory against Jordan in the 6 Day War, the site of the cave of Machpelah (also called the Tomb of the Patriarchs) is part of modern Israel.

After Sarah's death, Abraham is motivated to find a wife for Isaac. First, Abraham has an intense dialog with his servant (who has been identified from other sources as Eliezer.) Abraham not only declares to him G*d has ordained this but makes the servant swear not to return without a wife and not to select a Canaanite. Abraham tells him an angel will be involved. The servant asks whether if he fails they should leave the land. Abraham makes him swear not to do so.

Why would the servant ask this? Did he believe they had only come to find a wife for Isaac or did they need a wife to secure their presence in the area? Security should not be such an issue after the reported earlier success in battle of Abraham. It is interesting to me that Abraham then restates his covenant to the servant. It is interesting that Isaac is not involved in this discussion.

The servant travels to “Aram-naharaim, unto the city of Nahor” (24:10). There the servant prays for G*d to "show kindness unto my master Abraham" (24:12). The 'kindness' of Rebekah and indeed her actions before marrying Isaac are considered a paradigm for behavior. She is asked for a drink of the water of she has drawn and then offers to draw water for all 10 of his camels unasked. This is a significant amount of hard work. It clearly parallels Abraham's hospitality to his visitors in chapter 18. To give an example out of the many ideas from Rebekah regarding marriage, it is noted that in verse 58 of Chapter 24 she says "I will go." This is held up as requiring consent for marriage which is emphasized by the fact that when her parents ask to delay and are rebuked they consent only after asking her.

Rebekah and Isaac meet, "She became his wife; and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted for his mother." (24:67) Rashi comments "She [Rebekah] followed Sarah's example. For as long as Sarah lived, a candle burned from erev Shabbat to erev Shabbat, and there was a blessing in the challah dough, and a cloud was attached to the tent. When she died, all these things disappeared. And when Rebekah came, they returned (Rashi on Genesis 24:67). when she dies, he [Isaac] is comforted by his wife."

Though Abraham is said to have "given all that he had to Isaac" (25:5), Abraham also remarries and has six more children with the mysterious Keturah. One hates to challenge Rashi on the identification of Hagar as Keturah which he makes based on correspondences in the root 'K-T-R' of her name. However, I agree with R. Dorothy A. Richman, "[her son and herself] banished to the desert to almost-certain death. How could anyone imagine that they would reconcile?"

It does however represent the idea that remarriage is allowable, which is not the case in many religions notably Catholicism. There is something odd about Abraham’s remarrying. To me it seemed that the ability to have children so late in life was a special gift yet what is the significance of these progeny?

Abraham’s death is then reported matter of factly without ceremony. It is notable that Isaac and Ishmael bury him together. The end of the parsah 25:12-18 list Ishmaels’ decedents. This may represent some kind of reconciliation.

The haftorah is the first chapter of Kings it relates to the parsha by having issues of succession, those of Melek David. One of his sons Adonijah declares himself king. The Prophet Nathan goes to the king and ensures Bathsheba’s son Solomon will inherit.

Buried in the issues of marriage and succession is the idea that Mincha is attributed to Isaac. In an essay by Drew Kaplan Re ad it I found the following quotation of (Brahot 26b):

"Isaac instituted the afternoon prayer service, as it is said, 'And Isaac went out to su'ah in the field before evening' (Gen. 24:63); and there is no sihah except prayer, as it is said, 'A prayer of the afflicted man when he swoons, and pours forth his supplications (siho) before God' (Ps. 102:1)."

I had read but not noted that Abraham is related with Shaharit and Jacob with Ma'ariv.

I learned from the Etz' Chaim Chumash, that Shaharit idea comes from 18:22 "And the men turned from thence and went to Sodom, while/but Abraham yet stood before the Lord." The idea being that his guests left after staying the night but in the morning he was 'standing' in prayer 'before' the lord.

I did my best to find the reference to Jacob praying at night. I think it in Vayetze, (B28:11) "and he [Jacob] came to a camping place, and because the sun had set, spent the night there." This is before the dream of the ladder of angels.

The three prayer services of course are directly related to the temple sacrifices but relating them to the Patriarchs is a very beautiful. It isn't so much that they are the direct cause but that the Torah shows G*d is there day and night guiding our lives. It is the virtues and the mitzvah we learn from the people in the Torah that help us to realize that presence. It is constant but our consciousness cannot be total. The prayer service itself, especially its blessings, can profoundly influence that dynamic . Increasing the duration and depths of our awareness of G*d in the world. Our prayers are our creations, and where they reflect and are most inspired by the Torah, we are closest to G*d.

Blessed be he, all glory and honor are his, for him may our lives prosper, Halleluyah. Halleluyah!

* As to Bethuel being Abrahams nephew, I grew confused. I knew Lot also to be Abraham’s nephew as son Abraham's brother Haran. Bethuel is the son of Abrahams other brother Nahor. It is hard to keep track of because Abraham's brother Nahor married his niece Milcah and she was Lot's sister. Worse Abraham's brother Nahor was named after he and Abraham's grandfather Nahor son of Serug son of Reu son of Pelug son of Eber reputed to be the great grandson of Noach's son Shem. Yeah that is a mess.