Page 9 - HaMizrachiChayei Sarah AUS 2020
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MIZRACHI EDUCATORS                 TORAT MIZRACHI




 Rabbi Reuven Taragin                                                      Rabbanit Shani Taragin


                                         Sarah’s Sacrifice










            arashat Chayei Sarah focuses on   a full-fledged wife to Avram to beget   life and legacy. Without any prophetic
            two detailed narratives – Avra-  the long-awaited promised progeny.    commands, he struggles with focused
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      Pham’s purchase of a field with a     She struggles with this change in    willpower to catalyze the fulfillment
       cave as a burial place for Sarah, and   status as Hagar conceives and belittles   of Hashem’s promises to secure Land
       his mission – via his servant Eliezer   her, and stands by as Avraham names   and children for the future. Sarah
       – to find a wife for his son Yitzchak.   his first-born child “Yishmael” – for   understood  that  Divine  promise  is
       The former is Avraham’s initiative to   G-d had heard the oppressive cries of   not a statement that G-d will act, but
       secure the promise of Land (Brit bein   Hagar.                            “an invitation from G-d to Avraham
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       HaBetarim), stated five times,  and                                       and his children that they should act,”
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       the latter is Avraham’s response to the                                   with commitment and willingness
       promise of children (Brit Mila), also   “”     Sarah’s willingness        to sacrifice, and G-d will help them.
       assured to Avraham five times. Avra-           to sacrifice her future    Sarah understood the challenge of ful-
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       ham does not wait for G-d to fulfill                                      filling  Hashem’s  covenant.  She acted
       these promises but realizes G-d is wait-       status merits her to       with faith, not passivity, overcoming
       ing for him to facilitate their fulfillment.   become Am Yisrael’s        overwhelming personal obstacles to
       But why wait for Sarah’s death and not         first Matriarch.           secure the future of Hashem’s nation.
       purchase land or search for a wife for                                    She inspired Avraham to get up and
       Yitzchak earlier?                                                         do the same. May her legacy provide
       The Torah teaches us – “And the      Immediately after this story, the Torah   us, her children, with the strength to
                                                                                 persevere and act to secure the future
       life of Sarah was 100 and 20 and     tells  us of the  Brit Mila, a covenant   of our Land and nation!
       seven years; these were the years of   forged with Avraham and his descen-
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       the life of Sarah.”   Avraham was not   dants through the sign of circumci-
       waiting for the death of Sarah. He   sion. And Sarah is to be the mother of   1   Bereishit 12:7, 13:14–17, 15:7, 15:18–21,
       was inspired by Sarah’s life of active   Yitzchak through whom the covenant   17:7–8.
                                            will continue! Sarah’s willingness to
       commitment to the aforementioned     sacrifice  her  future  status  to  actively   2   Bereishit 12:2, 13:16, 15:5, 17:4–5, 22:17.
       promises to continue her legacy.                                          3   Bereishit 23:1.
                                            catalyze the fulfillment of  Hashem’s   4   Literally  in  the  middle  of the narratives,  as
       At the climax/transition in the nar-  promises, of Land and descendants,      highlighted through chiasmus in the Avra-
       ratives of Avraham Avinu, the Torah   merits her to become  Am Yisrael’s   5   ham stories.
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                                                                                     See Radak 11:29-31.
       tells us a story of Sarah Imeinu (Bere-  first Matriarch.                 6   See Ramban 16:2.
       ishit 16). This is the story that will   The Netziv  explains that although   7   Netziv, HaEmek Davar, 23:1.
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       determine who will be the “Mother”   Avraham received direct messages of   8   Bereishit Rabbah 41 – “Avraham left (Ur
       of the promised nation. Sarah has    prophecies from  Hashem command-         Kasdim) in promise, I (Sarah) left in faith.”
       followed Avram from Ur Kasdim to     ing him to leave his father’s home,   9   Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, “Land and Children,”
       Canaan, accompanying him as they     and later to sacrifice his future hopes   Covenant and Conversation (Genesis), p. 126.
       both sacrificed their pasts for Divine   through the binding of Yitzchak,
       promise.  But 10 years have passed,   Sarah surmounts similar challenges
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       a  covenant  of  Land  has been  forged   through  ruach haKodesh – Divine
       and promises of a child have yet to be   inspiration and pure faith in the ways
       fulfilled. Sarah does not wait around,   of  Hashem. She  willingly  undergoes
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       passively anticipating their fulfill-  her  own  “sacrifice”  of  a  child  before
       ment. She is determined to play a role   Avraham is told by Hashem to do so.
       in the actualization of Hashem’s word.   This is Sarah Imeinu’s legacy.   Rabbanit Shani Taragin is Educational
       So she forfeits her entire future and                                     Director of Mizrachi and the Director of
       potential status of national matriarch,   Upon her death, Avraham is inspired   the Mizrachi Matan Lapidot Educators’
       and  gives  her  maidservant  Hagar  as   and determined to perpetuate Sarah’s   Program.




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