PARSHA "CHAYYEI SARAH" (Sarah lives) Gen 23-25

[Ben Avraham]

PARASHA: "Chayei Sarah" (Sarah Lives)


GENESIS 23:1- 25:18 1 KINGS 1:1-31 MATTHEW 8:19-22


In this Parasha, we see the death of Sarah at 127 years old. Does the age have any meaning? well, if we write the number "127" in Hebrew letters, we would get "Qof"=100 "Kaf" = 20 and "Zayin" = 7 The "Qof" can mean "calling upon God" and "God answering" the "Kaf" could mean "God's glory and might and a person's humble submission, and the "zayin" = "God's spiritual sustenance".

What did Sarah do in her life, she called upon God for a child, and she was humble and waited upon YHVH's answer, and the LORD sustained her with faith and hope for the birth of Isaac. But we also see the other side of Sarah, which is part of us all, the "wanting to get ahead of God" or "help God out" and wrongly suggested to Abraham to have the "promised child" through Hagar, which actually created the problems we have today, through "Ishmael" came the enemies of Israel, Yes, God still listened and blessed Ishmael (Ish=man, Shema=hear/listen, El=G-d) G-d listened to the man Ishmael and he was blessed with 12 sons, and Jacob later was also blessed with 12 sons, but today, these descendants are at war one with another, Sarah NEVER should have suggested Hagar to be concubine of Abram, but, what's done is done.

It says "Sarah's life" or some say "Sarah lives" But...isn't she dead? Yes, physically, she died, BUT...her influence and the memories of her live on. That is what is important today. We will ALL go the way of all man, to the grave, death will catch up to us sooner or later. It doesn't matter and will not matter what kind of car you drive, nor how many books you have, nor how big of a TV screen you have, no one will remember that. What people WILL remember is the influence that you leave behind. What did you teach others? the ? good advise, What things did you do for others? give to others? how did you serve your fellow man (and woman)? THESE will matter, and THESE mitzvoth will produce rewards in Heaven some day.

We remember Oskar Schinlder, a Nazi business man, yet a righteous person, as he saved many Jewish people from extermination, through providing them jobs in his factory "Deutsch Enamel Werks" he was sick of the idea of killing so many innocent people and decided to do something about it. We remember what he DID, not what kind of suit he wore nor what kind of car he drove. and also Corrie Ten Boom, the kind dutch lady who also saved many Jewish people by hiding them in her attic, but no one remembers or cares what kind of food she cooked or what kind of watches she fixed.

So Abraham, wanted the same kind of wife for Isaac, so, he sent his servant Eleazar, . to find a wife for his son, to HIS people, We see a strange act, His servant placed his hand under Abraham's thigh and made the promise to go only to his people to look for a wife for Isaac. By doing this, his hand was very close to Abraham's testes, and this is where the sperm in made, Abraham's "seed" and the idea is saying "I swear by your future descents that I will find a wife for your son , only a wife from your own people" today, a "hand shake" is in order, unless you want to.......Oh never mind, I won't even go there.

Rivka (Rebecca) was the choice, but you can see how she acted, she had the spirit of "servant hood" she got Eleazar water and also for the camels, it takes a lot of water to feed thirsty camels, this is an example of a noble and a good wife, she cares about others, and goes out of the way to show this, Eleazar asks the question "will she go a be Isaac's wife?" she says yes, (don't you wish it were that simple today to get married?) Eleazar gives gold bracelets and a gold nose ring for her (kind of like an engagement ring today) and gives gifts (dowry) we follow the same practice today, the guests give wedding gifts to the bride and groom.

Now Abraham gets re married, to Keturah, and has sons through her, BUT some of these sons are the fathers of.. the Midianites and the "Ashurim" the Assyrians who proved to be enemies of Israel, Jethro, Moshe's father in law and Moshe's wife were Midianites. Abraham honors Sarah and buys an expensive burial cave and land to go with it, nothing would be too expensive for the woman he loved.
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I KINGS 1:1-31

King David is also dying, but his lack of discipline in his house hold shows results, Adonijah (YHVH is my master) He proclaims himself to be king, even before David breaths his last. SO David has to act fast, and proclaims Shlomo (Solomon) as future king. Main idea? any kind of rebellion against authority will sooner of later catch up with us, so, honor those who rule over us, they call the shots, whether we like the "shots" or not. (I have to live with this every day at my work station). Where we are NOW is where YHVH wants us to be.
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MATTHEW 8:19-22

Are we willing to give up ALL and follow Mashiach Yeshua? a few have, But giving up all things, (jobs, homes, etc) is not a calling for all, for a selected few perhaps, but....If YOU are one of those selected few, be faithful to this calling,
If we haven't been called to give up all things, we can still serve Him where we are, be faithful in that too.

Shalom.....

Rabbi Jacob Ben Avraham

[alon]

Nov 15, 2014 13:46:49 GMT -8 Ben Avraham said:

PARASHA: "Chayei Sarah" (Sarah Lives)


GENESIS 23:1- 25:18 1 KINGS 1:1-31 MATTHEW 8:19-22


... Sarah NEVER should have suggested Hagar to be concubine of Abram, but, what's done is done.

...

You make some excellent points here concerning this par'sha. But let's talk about Sarai and Hagar.

1st, in Gen 16:3b we see "Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife." Hagar was not a concubine, but a wife, with all the privileges and claims this would have entailed. However Sarai was still the family matriarch, and due the respect that went with her position. So when in vs. 4b "when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress" this wronged Sarai greatly. Hagar became insolent, and Avram did nothing to curb this injustice.

Later in ch. 20 vs. 9 "Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking." He was making fun of his half brother Yitz'chak, who was of the line chosen by YHVH. So rather than herself and her son be subjected to this attitude in both Hagar and Yishma'el, Sarai has them sent away. They were not however sent away empty handed. They had food and water, and were probably sent to the very well where they ended up. If this well was given to them as an inheritance, they had an estate! A well was very valuable to desert dwellers.

Sarai acted well to have Hagar and her son sent away. Imagine what effect all this bitterness and venom directed at Sarai and himself would have had on Yitz'chak growing up. And they were not, as most Christian commentators say, sent away to die. Would Yishma'el have come to honor Abraham at his funeral had this been the case? They were sent away to a well with food and water for the journey. The notion that Avram was weak and sent his wife and son to die to please another, "vengeful" wife is another anti-Semitic slant put on the interpretation of this passage by mainstream scholars. Avram did right by Hagar and Yishma'el. And Sarai did right by everyone to have them expelled.

Yishma'el flourished in ways he never could when taken from the camp of Avram and raised in the Pa'ran Desert.

Yitz'chak grew to be a much better man without the constant put-downs of an older, jealous brother.

And the whole camp was probably much happier without the tension between the two wives of Avraham.

Certainly Sarah was much happier without having to deal with Hagar's insolence.

All this aside, we have only to look to Gen 21:12 to see this action on the part of Sarai was indeed correct; "But God said to Avraham, "Don't be distressed because of the boy and your slave-girl. Listen to everything Sarah says to you, because it is your descendants through Yitz'chak who will be counted.""

Dan C