Of all the women

Of all the women in the Bible, only one has her age recorded at her death. And only one woman has the honor of having a Torah portion named after her.

It's not Eve, mother of all the living. It's not Miriam, sister of Aaron and Moses, and a prophetess. It's not Hannah, mother of Samuel. It's not Mary, mother of Jesus. It's not Elizabeth, wife of Zechariah, mother of John the Baptist, who was called upright in the sight of God, observing all of the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly.

No, this honor belongs to that first matriarch of the Jewish people. The woman who left her land and birthplace and father's house to go with her husband on a journey that only God knew where. The woman who gave her handmaiden to her husband in order to have a child. The woman who laughed when told she would bear a child in her old age, after she had long since stopped having the periods of women. The woman who finally became a mother at the age of 90 and then several years later, refused to allow the son of the handmaiden to share in the inheritance with her son. This princess among women, whose name was changed by adding a letter from the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) as her husband did, to indicate a new relationship with the Lord. Yea, the first woman named when parents bless their daughters on Sabbath Eve. Do you know yet? If not, open your Bibles to Genesis, chapter 23, and start at verse 1.

"And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and seven years and twenty years; these were the years of Sarah's life." Gen 23:1 Yes, it's Sarah. Mazel tov to all who knew the answer. :)

Now I want you to pay close attention to the wording in this verse. "One hundred years and seven years and twenty years." Why does the text count the years of Sarah's life this way? Why not say, as many English translations do, that Sarah's life was one hundred and twenty seven years?

One interpretation is that Sarah retained the innocence of a 7 year old at 20 and the beauty of a 20 year old at 100. Another is that by the end of her life, Sarah retained the youthful energy and joy of a seven year old, the beauty of a twenty year old and the wisdom of a 100 year old. Even so, why in this order of 100, then 7, then 20? Why not 100 years, and 20 years and 7 years? This order gives us wisdom, youth, and beauty. Which is most important? Wisdom. Age before beauty. Next comes youth and all the good things associated with it-innocence, exuberance, inquisitiveness, trust, playfulness, joy. And last, but certainly not least, beauty. I'm not talking merely about inward beauty. I mean that Sarah was physically beautiful on the outside as well. When Abraham went down to Egypt because of the famine in the land, he had already left Haran and he was 75 at that time. So he was at least that old. And Sarah was at least 65. And yet Abraham would say to his wife, "I know what a beautiful woman you are and that when the Egyptians see you they will kill me because of you. Please say that you are my sister." Was this merely a husband offering compliments to his wife? Not so, for when they came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman and praised her to Pharaoh. And she was taken into Pharaoh's house. Sarah retained her beauty even into old age. So we have wisdom, youth and beauty. And when daughters are blessed on Sabbath Eve with the words, may you be like Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel, these qualities of Sarah are hoped for for the daughter.


To be continued....