Although the Name of This Week's Parasha Is Chayei Sarah – the Life of Sarah – It Begins with Her Death. It's an Abrupt

Chayei Sarah Genesis 23:1-25:18 Although the name of this week’s parasha is Chayei Sarah – the life of Sarah – it begins with her death. It’s an abrupt narrative switch from the Akedah – the end of last week’s reading. Some scholars speculate that she died of a broken heart upon hearing that Abraham had left to sacrifice her only child and that she never knew Isaac had survived. The text itself says only that she died and what her age was. Abraham needs to bury his wife and he buys the cave of Machpelah as a tomb. Although he has been promised the entirety of the land by G-d and is offered a burial place as a gift by the local people, he insists on buying it and paying what is asked without haggling. The narrative then tells us that Abraham was now old and that he was “blessed in all things.” What does that mean? Genesis Rabbah (midrashic compilation) offers a few divergent explanations. One is that he had a daughter as well as sons, although she is not named in the text. Another is that he no longer had to endure any tests, having passed the ultimate test of the Akedah. A third points out that Abraham only is described as “blessed in all things” when he becomes old. Therefore it is an indication that the elderly are to be greatly respected, for they are blessed. The latter is a favorite explanation among senior citizens! Having buried Sarah, Abraham is now concerned with another familial obligation – finding a wife for his son Isaac. Abraham sends his servant back to the land of Abraham’s birth to look for a wife for his son from among his kin. The servant travels with camels and expensive gifts and stops at the well at a place called Aram-Naharaim, the city of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. As the young women come to the well to draw water for their households, he prays to G-d that the proper wife for Isaac will be shown to him by a particular demonstration of kindness. He will ask her for some water from her jug and he prays that she will not only give him water but offer to draw water for all of his camels. Rebecca, Nahor’s granddaughter and, therefore, Isaac’s first cousin once removed, does just that. The servant gives her gifts and asks if he can spend the night in her father’s house. When there he reveals his mission and asks for Rebecca as wife for his master’s son. The text says that the servant has the camels kneel and wait by the well. Rashi comments that by “kneel” it means “lie down.” Living in camel-free France and before modern world-wide communication, Rashi was not familiar with camels, which unlike most animals actually do kneel. Rebecca’s ability to provide water for all the camels is questionable. Camels are known for their ability to go without drinking for long periods of time, but when they do drink, they can drink 20 gallons of water in just a few minutes. It’s unlikely that one person could carry a 20 gallon jug of water, which would weigh 160 pounds when full. A five gallon jug is more likely, weighing 40 pounds. With four jugs per camel and multiple camels to satisfy, she would have been drawing water for a long time and be thoroughly exhausted by the time she came home. We needn’t shed a tear on our fatigued matriarch’s behalf, though, as the story is unlikely to have happened as told, since camels had not been domesticated in the time of the patriarchs. The final section of Chayei Sarah completes the story of the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca, which has been used as a model for Jewish betrothal and marriage ever since. Rebecca’s family suggests she stay at home for a while, but Abraham’s servant wants to hurry back and complete the mission. So her family asks her if she will go right now with Abraham’s servant to marry Isaac and she says yes, which is deemed the proof text that women must consent to marriage. She is offered a blessing, wishing her fertility. Rebecca then goes to Isaac, who takes her for his wife. The text says that he loved her – a term not often used in the Torah for romantic love – and that he felt comforted for the loss of his mother. Rebecca’s family that she leaves behind seems to be her mother and brother. Her father, Bethuel, is mentioned early in the encounter with Abraham’s servant, but has somehow disappeared by the end of the chapter. The gifts given to the family are given to Rebecca and her mother and brother. It is those two relatives who ask for her to stay at home a little longer, who send for her to see if she wants to leave right away, and who bless her when she says she does. What happened to Bethuel? Rashi says he was against the marriage, so an angel slew him. Who knew it was so dangerous to stand in the way of young love? When Rebecca and Isaac meet, he is out in the fields, meditating, before nightfall. The Talmud says that Isaac originated the mincha service, said in the afternoon, and points to this text as evidence. As the parasha continues, Abraham takes another wife, Keturah, and has children by her. Some commentators have identified Keturah with Hagar, suggesting that she came back to Abraham’s household after Sarah’s death. Others see her as a new character. Either way, we are told that Abraham had a seivah tovah – a good old age – and died and was buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael in the Cave of Machpelah with Sarah. The parasha ends with a genealogy, a common biblical literary structure to mark transitions. In this case it is the listing of the sons of Ishmael: who they were, where they settled, and how long Ishmael lived. Haftarah 1 Kings 1:1-31 The haftarah recounts events at the end of King David’s life. It opens with him described as very old and always cold, unable to ever get warm in spite of being well covered. He is provided with a living bed warmer, a young woman named Abishag the Shunamite. She sleeps with him in only the non-euphemistic sense, the text clearly stating that he did not “know” (have sex with) her. One of David’s sons, Adonijah, decides to use the opportunity of his father’s decline to proclaim himself the heir. The prophet Nathan gets wind of this and warns Bathsheva to intercede and remind the king that he had promised that her son, Solomon, would be king. Many commentators have remarked on the fact that that promise is not mentioned in the text before that point. Is it elided, or was their really no such promise? Is she taking advantage of David’s decline and poor memory to convince him he had sworn an oath? In any event, he swears one now. This haftarah was likely chosen because King David, like Abraham, is nearing the end of his life and is providing (albeit differently) for a son. Interestingly, both last week’s and this week’s haftarot feature Shunamite women, a group not often mentioned in the Tanakh. .

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