Chayei Sarah, חַיֵּי שָׂרָה  "The Life of Sarah"  Genesis 23:1-25:18

Chayei Sarah / Hebron and Heaven

Poetic notes on parashat Chayei Sarah*

Sarah was Abraham's rose

From deep from within her one hundred 

and twenty-seven years of life

Sarah  gave birth to Isaac,

gave birth to Isaac like every mother who gives birth,

but used ninety of her glorious years to do this

But truly, with her one hundred and twenty-seven years

she gave everlasting birth to Isaac

And with Isaac she gave birth to All

Isaac was her son,

and All was her daughter

Sarah gave birth to all of the blessings of Abraham

when she gave birth to Isaac

Sarah gave birth to all of Abraham’s blessings as one

All of them were like Sarah's spiritual daughter,

Isaac’s spiritual twin sister

The Egyptian and the Philistine coveted to steal

Abraham's rose

They said, "I will repent of my idolatry and carnal greed!

And I will claim for myself what Abraham knows"

A mixed multitude of the nations also,

crowded around the Egyptian and Philistine with desire for this

All the nations clung to Abraham's clothes

The nations knew that they fought the wrath of God

They feared All would be one day lost forever

But they believed Abraham with Sarah

Had been given All as a hidden daughter

And they were certain that the secret daughter

was still concealed within the tent of Abraham’s rose

Or perhaps he had concealed her in his clothes

In truth, God adopted Sarah's daughter as His own

How the earth dances!

How the holy princess prances!

How the tents of the stars

sway with the music of God!

It is the day of the Divine espousal

The day of Machpelah

The day when Sarah's soul

and Sarah's body are laid to rest

and become the claim laid by God

upon the Land of Israel

Sarah”s womb is the claim of God upon her people

This is the moment of God's declared espousal

Sarah's tomb marked God's land claim

Having made All in the intimacy of Adam and Eve

and having lost her,

HaShem made All over again

in the intimacy of Abraham and Sarah

After He gave Abraham and Sarah a daughter,

He called her His bride

He called her Jerusalem

And made her the eternal Mother of All Living

Why live your life in bondage?

Why live a life of make-believe through the fear of death?

Your Creator is a redeemer

He cherishes all the creatures that His love has made

What have his prophets said from long ago?

Listen to me, you who pursue justice,

even if with feet of fear,

who seek Hashem, even if with frail hope,

Pay attention to Abraham,

the rock from which you were cut

Consider Sarah,

the quarry from which you were dug

For Abraham and Sarah were one pure and complete soul

Their’s was the first complete soul since Adam met Eve

But Adam and Eve were then deceived

and believed they could each alone be a god

Follow the aliyah advice of Rebecca

Follow the geulah lead of Leah and Rachel

Marry your soul to the promise of God

There is no math to measure the path

past the double-edged sword,

no storming the Gate of Eden

There is no back door

into the presence of God,

no technological torch to shine the way

into the eternal Sabbath

Adam was created to reveal the power of God’s name,

to give testimony that prayer to Hashem has the power

to make all creation blossom and bear fruit

But Adam's testimony failed

Adam’s attempted testimony, 

that one God of love created the heavens and the earth,

turned into stammering idolatry

The false testimony of darkness-demons and serpents

injected corrosive doubts into the mind of Adam

Adam toyed with the idea that others could be gods

Then the idea violently overtook Eve and Adam alike

Finally, the greatest disciple of Noah came,

Abraham came

and nothing was ever again the same

The student surpassed the master

How did Abraham's testimony crush the serpent's head?

Abraham and Sarah were the model for God’s witnesses

When Abraham and Sarah's testimony was not yet perfect,

their testimony was rectified in Isaac and in Jacob

Already, before his testimony had been rectified,

Abraham spoke to the mind of Adam

What did Abraham say to the mind o Adam?

Remember the good commandment,

the word of God that infused your heart

with the wisdom of faith

The commandment that kept you in your right mind

That commandment, said Abraham to the mind of Adam,

was like a Sabbath candle for you

Had you lit that candle, it would have shown you eternal life

Could Abraham's words alone remind Adam

of the hope of living as one with the mind of God?

Sarah listened to what Abraham said to Adam

But Sarah knew that only through Isaac

could Adam be restored to his right mind

From the moment Isaac was conceived in her faith,

Sarah knew that Ishmael would have to leave her house

She waited for Ishmael to demonstrate this necessity

Sarah knew this and Abraham learned this

And Abraham left All to Isaac

Abraham then spoke again to the mind of Adam

and he said, It is time now

to talk about God's great mercy

It is time now to make you, Adam and Eve,

to be no longer the head of the house,

but to be a grandfather and grandmother,

to be cared for in the house of a son and daughter

Shem and Keturah remained alongside Abraham

in order to testify that Abraham’s repentance

had been the repentance chosen by God 

for all the children of Adam

Abraham’s repentance was chosen 

to be redeemed out of Egypt and out of all the nations,

to make Abraham a father for all nations

Abraham knew that his house

would be made the chosen house of prayer 

and repentance for Adam’s failure

The home that Sarah built is the home of redemption

for all families and nations of the earth,

the house of re-creation

for all the stars and angels of the heavens

Abraham knew that his house

would be made a house of new creation,

through the grace and mercy of God,

a place to build life

The home of life began to be built

when Abraham gave his daughter in marriage

Shem and Keturah were witnesses

This is the testimony of Shem and Keturah:

It is necessary for us to enter as guests, they said,

and to be treated as family members by the hosts

of the house of salvation, if they will be so kind

If the hosts will be so gracious, we will be saved

We also will be redeemed

through the hospitality of the God of Abraham,

like the world that was saved in Noah's ark

For we will bless ourselves in Abraham

and rejoice with Israel in his children,

God’s people, His witnesses,

on the eternal day

when God Anoints David His king in Israel

and sits him upon his throne

in the arms of Jerusalem forever