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Writer's pictureJim Long

Sarah: The Eshet Chayil

Parashat Chayei Sarah (Gen. 23:1–25:18) records the death and burial of Sarah. The text gives her age, at her passing, in a curious way:


"Sarah's lifetime—the span of Sarah's life—came to 127 years: one hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years” (Genesis 23:1).


By breaking her age into three components, Chazal (the Sages) glean profound lessons about Sarah’s qualities. For example, the seven years speak of the youthful purity and innocence she maintained throughout her life. At twenty, a person reaches the peak of physical beauty and vitality. The Torah is teaching us that Sarah's beauty—both physical and spiritual—was timeless. The one hundred years symbolize wisdom and maturity, as well as deeds that were as free of sin as those of a seven-year-old child.


The Torah’s unique phrasing invites us to reflect on how Sarah’s qualities were woven deeply into the fabric of her being. The lesson for us is to strive for a similar balance: to bring the energy of youth, the beauty of kindness, and the wisdom of age into all stages of our lives. Sarah's life was marked by various trials and tribulations, but she remained steadfast in her faith and fulfilled her purpose of bringing forth the future Jewish nation.


This portion of the Torah also details the lengthy and very public negotiations for purchasing a burial plot of Machpelah, thematically aligning with Sarah's connection to the future. Abraham’s negotiations with Ephron the Hittite underscores the importance of acquiring tangible legal ownership of property—a principle even more vital today. It demonstrates to the world that Abraham's descendants, the people of Israel, honor the rule of law. They do not steal land, a fact that is challenged with innocent Jewish blood shed by a people calling themselves Palestinians, a name originally derived from Philishtim, from the Hebrew root (peh-lamed-sheen) meaning “invader".


The whole purchase narrative is a lesson in what the Rambam called walking the middle path, where the righteous embrace the wholeness of Torah without disconnecting spiritual values from practical realities.


Ironically, this portion of the Torah details the burial of Sarah yet establishes that Sarah is alive in every righteous woman mentioned in Torah memorialized as the Eshet Chayil, the Woman of Valor whose praises are sung on Shabbat. The Midrash Tanchuma suggests that Proverbs 31 is Abraham’s eulogy for Sarah:


"Abraham began to weep for her, saying: ‘A woman of valor, who can find? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts in her’” (Proverbs 31:10).


The continuity of her legacy is seen in the text's transition immediately into the account of Abraham dispatching Eliezer to acquire a bride for Isaac. The fact that Eliezer ran Abraham’s entire household was tasked with this mission, reflects his master's absolute trust in him. Eliezer was gifted to Abraham by none other than Nimrod, the despotic ruler who had cast Abraham into a fiery furnace when he still lived in Ur Kasdim (aka Ur of the Chaldees). After miraculously surviving that trial, Abraham was sent away, but not before Nimrod showered him with wealth, hoping to appease the God of Abraham. Among these gifts was Eliezer. Like everyone in Abraham’s household, Eliezer was schooled in the same body of wisdom that taught his master to believe in the One True God. By example, he adopted Abraham’s attribute of chesed. This is why Eliezer prays that Hashem show kindness to his master. Eliezer seeks that very trait in a prospective bride.


At a well, Eliezer meets Rivkah. This same scenario is echoed later in the Torah, introducing us to Rachel (betrothed to Jacob) and Zipporah (future bride of Moses)—all of whom provide water at wells. These women share the common traits and greatness reflected in Sarah’s life. Their wisdom, kindness, and prophetic insight guided their husbands to greatness. In essence, they provided the "water of life" that we know as Torah.


As our friend and linguist Isaac Mozeson points out, Rivkah:"…not only earns the House of Abraham with her drawing water for Eliezer and his entourage, but she displays the Noachide law of being Kind to Animals, by drawing many heavy pitchers of water for all their thirsty camels.”


The lengthy account of seeking a wife for Isaac is preceded by a statement that Abraham is "old and advanced in days". The lengthy account of seeking a wife for Isaac is preceded by a statement that Abraham is “old and advanced in days”. The Sages comment on these words, explaining that Avraham was the first person to visibly show signs of aging. This was something he specifically requested from God, after observing that people often confused fathers with their sons. Avraham believed that a father should be distinguishable from his offspring, allowing others to recognize and respect the wisdom that comes with age. This observation underscores the broader theme of Chayei Sarah: arriving at the end of life with a legacy intact, having fulfilled the mission to be a blessing for future generations.


Chayei Sarah concludes with the death of Avraham's other son, Ishmael:


"These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his kin." - Genesis 25:17


Thanks to the language of this verse, we learn an important detail about Ishmael in his last years. According to the Ramban, the phrase telling us that, "...he was gathered to his kin" signifies that Ishmael, in his latter years had matured and died as righteous soul.


Like Abraham and Sarah, each of us has the potential to thrive and to mature—not merely to exist. Avraham and Sarah actively filled every day with spiritual growth and acts of kindness, drawing them to a closer relationship with God. The Sages teach that a man cannot be whole unless he has a wife. Thus, Abraham's achievements are mirrored in the life of Sarah. Her tent was a model for the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and her words likened to the Bat Kol (heavenly voice). It can be said that living a life like Sarah’s is how we can prepare to inhabit our plot of ground to live on, in the world to come.


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