Taste of Torah
A Bima-Ready D'var Torah 

15 Cheshvan 5782
   

Parashat Vayeirah
Looking Forward
Torah Portion: Genesis 18:1 - 22:24
Haftarah Portion [Ashkenazi]: II Kings 4:1 - 4:37
Haftarah Portion [Sephardi]: II Kings 4:1 - 4:23

Shalom!

Vayeira, the parashah for this week, covers several iconic instances in the narrative of Abraham’s life. One part, in particular, discusses the fulfillment of the covenant that God made with Abraham concerning children. Although God made the covenant with Abraham, our text says that “God took note of Sarah as God had promised, and God did for Sarah as God had spoken” (Genesis 21:1).

Why do both of these phrases need to be here? If God “took note” of Sarah, wouldn’t that mean that God did as promised? Or if God did as promised, wouldn’t that automatically mean that God took note of Sarah? According to Abarbanel, a fifteenth-century rabbinic commentator,[i] the verb used in this verse, meaning “taking note,” could be positive or negative; the text needs the second phrase to explain that God granted Sarah a child, indicating that the “taking note” was positive.[ii] As we might remember, Sarah is 90 years old at this point, and logically speaking, having a child should be an impossibility. Therefore, according to the RaDak, a twelfth-century rabbinic authority,[iii] the line is “repeated and reemphasized over and over again due to the miraculous nature of the event.”[iv] Sarah’s pregnancy and the subsequent healthy birth of her child are an aberration in the whole of human history.

However, these rabbinic interpretations emphasize the event of Sarah conceiving or of God taking note of her rather than putting the focus on Sarah herself. To that end, Nachmanides, a thirteenth-century rabbinic authority,[v] says that “taking note” here simply means “remember;” God “remembered” Sarah.[vi] Sarah has been waiting, our matriarch has endured, and in the end, God grants her a much-longed-for son.

This situation seems like a foregone conclusion since we know how the story turns out and how it is supposed to go. However, there is still doubt at this point for Sarah, not only because of her age but because of how long she has already been waiting. It would be so easy to be disheartened by wanting something for years, kn0wing it will happen someday, and still seeing no evidence of its arrival. Especially as time passed, achieving her goal seems less and less likely. After all, by the time of Isaac’s birth, it has already been years since God made the agreement in the first place. But all Sarah had to do was be patient, and her time came, just as was promised.

​As for us, we don’t know the entirety of our stories, just as Sarah and Abraham did not know theirs. The Bible is messy, the Bible is shocking, the Bible is violent, and yet it is a book of laws that still guides us through our life, even after thousands of years. Similarly to Sarah, we can often feel like we are in a chaotic and disappointing world. While we might know where we want our stories to lead, we can’t always see a path to get there. As we face our own challenges and disappointments, as well as our triumphs, may we remember that our stories are not done. Be patient, there are whole books still to come, entire chapters left for us to write.

Shabbat Shalom!
​​
Rabbi Caroline Sim
​Director of Rabbinic Services

Please share this message with family and friends; we also invite you to read this Taste of Torah from the bima or share it during digital services. As always, please be in touch. We particularly appreciate hearing about simchahs (moments of joy) like births, birthdays, engagements, anniversaries, graduations, as well as illnesses or other challenges in your family or community. 

---

---

[i] Don Isaac Abarbanel (1437-1508) was a Sephardic politician and financier, who also commented on biblical text. He was born in Portugal but fled Spain for Italy in 1492.
[ii] Sforno on Genesis 21:1.
[iii] David Kimchi (~1160-1235), also known by his rabbinic acronym “RaDak,” was a French rabbi, biblical commentator, grammarian, and philosopher, who came from a family of scholars. Most of his commentary is on Genesis.
[iv] Kimchi on Genesis 21:1.
[v] Moses ben Nachman (~1195-1270), also known by his acronym “Raman,” commonly known as Nachmanides. He was a leading medieval Jewish scholar, philosopher, rabbi, physician, kabbalist, and biblical commentator. Concerning commentary, he is especially known for analyzing both Rashi and Ibn Ezra.
[vi] Nachmanides on Genesis 21:1.

---

Support our work

---