Genesis

בייה

Genesis 16 – Sarah’s Visions

We continue our study from (Genesis 15). Prophecy is the highest form of communication with God. (Genesis 15.1) says, ‘The Word of the Lord came to Abraham in a 360-degree, joyful, happy, euphoric, top and bottom vision.’ Abraham felt enraptured, enthralled, exhilarated, and saturated, like he was in seventh heaven on cloud nine, jumping for joy on top of the world, vision.’ Holy Scripture Informs us that a vision is a prophetic spiritual communication from the Lord. The vision Abraham received was בַּמַּחֲזֶה Bah Mah Cah Zeh – A Mystical Ecstatic Vision. I explain. He had a rare spiritual experience that was uniquely different.

(Beresheit Rabba 44.6) says, ‘Prophecy is expressed by ten designations.’

They are:

נְבּוּאָה – Nih Bu Awh – prophecy

חַזוֹן – Chah Zohn – vision,

הַטָּפָה – Hah Taw Fawh – preaching / sermonizing

דִבּוּר – Dee Boor – speech

אֲמִירָה – Ah Mee Rawh – saying

צִוּוּי – Tzee Vee – command / order

מַַשָׂא – Mah Saw – burden

מָָשָׁל Maw Shawl – parable,

מְלִיצָה Mih Lee Tzawh – metaphor

חִידָה – puzzle / riddle /enigma.

The purpose for revisiting this is that we have been learning how Abraham found the Lord. What about Sarah, Abraham’s wife? Sarah was a Prophetess. She was on a higher level of Prophecy than her husband, Abraham. Ha Torah Informs of an important issue. They are a married couple but not a family. Individually they wanted to be a family, but Sarai believed the Lord was preventing her from bearing children. Perhaps, but this seems odd because (Genesis 1.28) says, ‘God Blessed [Adam / husband and Chavah / wife], and God Said to them, ‘פְּרוּ – Pih Roo – Be fruitful, וּרְבוּ – Voo Rih Boo and increase exceedingly, וּמִלְאוּ – Voo Mee Lih Voo – and completely fill the earth to the hilt, and properly dominate it.’

Okay! God’s Will is for a man and a woman to marry, have at least one son and daughter, and train their children to properly dominate and care for mother earth. Remember, our body was formed from the dust of the ground from around the future area of the Holy Temple Altar. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, Jerusalem the Eye of the Universe, {New York, N.Y. Publishers: National Conference of Synagogue Youth / Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, 2002} pp. 13,14 – Adam and Chavah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, and Rebecca, and Jacob and Rachel and Leah, Zilpah, and Bilhah struggled with marriage and child-rearing Observances.

Abraham and Sarah are the Patriarch and Matriarchs of Judaism and other religions. However, at that time, they were looked upon as a holy couple by their many followers, who received Spiritual direction from them. They were messengers of Prophecy. They were Mystics. They opened doors for us to learn and follow Ha Torah. Individuals with such high levels of observance have greater levels of stringency. Their entire lives are under constant scrutiny. Every detail is noticed. Our purpose is to scrutinize Sarah independently of her husband and then analyze them as a couple.

Sarah knew Abraham wanted children. He stated in (Genesis 15.2), ‘Lord God, what will you give me, seeing I go childless?’ (Genesis 16.1-2) says, ‘Now Sarah, wife of Abraham, did not bare him children… so [after Abraham lived in Canaan ten years] Sarah said to Abraham, Behold! Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Sarah identified herself as the one who could not have children. What was the hold up? Sarah and Abraham had a history of idolatrous behavior. Sarah’s father, Haran, died in the fires of the Chaldeans. How dramatic is that for a young woman? Haran was a successful businessman who vacillated, dithering back and forth. It was like he had two minds that he fluctuated between. (Beresheit Rabba 38.13) Shares the story of how Haran died. Nimrod said to Abraham, ‘Behold, I will cast you into the fire, and let your God whom you adore come and save you from it.’ Now Haran was standing there undecided. If Abraham is victorious, [thought he], I will say that I am of Abraham’s belief, while if Nimrod is victorious, I will say that I am on Nimrod’s side. When Abraham descended into the fiery furnace and was saved, Nimrod asked him, ‘Of whose belief are you?’ ‘Of Abraham’s,’ he replied. Thereupon he seized Haran and cast him into the fire. He died in his father’s presence. Sarah’s father hemmed and hawed. The question is, would she do the same? In addition, Sarah’s brother, Lot, seemed conflicted at times. He was greedy. His conduct followed questionable unscrupulous behavior. So Sarah had to be tested before giving birth to Isaac. Like Sarah, each of us has conflicts we must rise above.

A couple lived in the town of Tzidon. They were married for 10 years without being blessed with children. They consulted with Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a tzaddik, to discuss if they should separate. He advised them to joyfully celebrate their separation and divorce just as they celebrated their marriage. So the wife arranged a banquet with eating, drinking, fine music, and dancing. While they were eating and drinking, the husband proclaimed to his wife, ‘upon leaving my house, you may take with you whatever object most precious to you. After the wife heard this proclamation, she fed her husband fine food and poured him much wine. He became considerably intoxicated and fell asleep. She instructed her servants too carefully to carry him to her father’s house. He woke up in the middle of the night and found himself in a strange bed and a strange place. He wondered where I am. He called out where I am? His wife answered, ‘didn’t you proclaim at the banquet that I could take the most valuable thing of all my possessions to my father’s house? Is there anything in the world more precious to me than you?

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai learned of these events. He prayed on their behalf to the Lord. He sought the Lord that this couple might have children. His prayer was excepted, and the couple was blessed with children. (Genesis 11.30) says, ‘Sarah was barren; she had no child.’ Why does Ha Torah inform us of Sarah’s barren state?

Because Sarai was on a higher level of Prophecy, it would take 25 years before she could have a holy child. Sarah had issues she needed to work out before Isaac could be born.

90 years minus 25 years = 65 years of age.

The Gematria of 25 reveals some remarkable insights into Sarah’s life.

The Gematria shows the direction Sarah was going in at the age of 65. ה‫ִלֵל‬ – Hee Layl means to praise, to laud, to glorify, to commend. The Gematria of ה‫ִלֵל‬ – Hee Layl is 65. From within her tent, Sarah praised and lauded the Lord. (Genesis Chapter 11) states that Sarah’s name was also called Iscah. Why? She was the younger daughter of Abraham’s brother Haran. Milkah was the older daughter. Normally Abraham would have married Milkah, but he saw special unique qualities in יִסְכָּה – Iscah / Sarah. She was a prophetess who could gaze into the future. She had personal devotional virtues. R. Isaac observed: Iscah was Sarai, and why was she called Iscah? Because she foresaw [the future] by divine inspiration; hence it is written (Genesis 21.12), ‘In all that Sarah said to you, hearken unto her voice.’ She could gaze into the future. יסכה is derived from the Aramaic root סכא to gaze, to look.

Sarah’s tent had extraordinary qualities: Sarah’s tent is compared to the Mishkan, the tabernacle in the wilderness where HaShem God Dwelt amid B’nei Yisroel. Regarding Sarah’s tent, it is said that the Cloud / the Shechinah covered the entrance to her tent. The doors to her tent were open to everyone to every wayfarer… God says, ‘…My house shall be called a House of Prayer for all people.’ (Isaiah 56.7).

Sarah’s Challah was a blessing to all who partook… Her dough brought feelings of satisfaction and prosperity. The Loaves… The showbread in the Holy Temple is representative of Sarah’s Challah… The Holy Temple was the source of prosperity for the entire nation of Yisroel.

The Seventh-day Candles… the Shabbat Candles Sarah lit at the beginning of every Seventh-day were a bridge of Spirituality that carried from one week to the next like the Parshat of Ha Torah. They are symbolic of the Western Lamp. The lighting of the candles ushered in the day of rest, contentment, holiness, and remembrance of the seventh day of creation.

When Sarah died, these manifestations stopped until Rebeckah entered her tent.

The Gematria of 25 reveals some remarkable insights into Sarah’s life.

Genesis 17.17 informs us that Sarah is ten years younger than Abraham. So in Genesis 12 when Sarah and Abraham left Haran when she was 65 years of age. Abraham was 75 years of age. She was now on the path to having a son 25 years later.

(Psalms 127) reminds us, ‘Unless the Lord Builds the house, those who build it labor in vain; unless the Lord Watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.’

We can be the difference in our sphere. Sarah did much of her heavy lifting from the background. Her advice and guidance to Abraham were priceless.

Dear Ones, sometimes, we look out of place and wholly disconnected because we do not see the entire picture. We do not enjoy that Mystical, Ecstatic Vision that Sarah and Abraham had. It is easy for us to become distracted. Ha Torah Encourages us to do as our Father Abraham. ‘And Sarah and Abraham believed in Lord, and the Lord Counted it to them for righteousness.’ I pray that each of us will do our best to follow in Sarah and Abraham’s footsteps.

May each of us be blessed with Torah Learning to encourage us, enlighten our way, and help others.

Good Sabbath,

Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk

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