Two Halves

Chayei Sarah

In parshat Bereishit we have a pasuk "Eileh Toldot Ha'Aretz be'Hibaram" (Bereishit 2:4), which the Midrash (Tanchuma, Bereishit 16) explains as "The reason the world was created was for Avraham" (if you rearrange the letters of the word Hibaram). Chazal tell us that HaKadosh Baruch Hu originally intended to create Avraham Avinu as Adam HaRishon, but in the end He did not, because if Avraham born as Adam HaRishon would have sinned, there would have been nobody afterwards to right the wrong, to do tikkun.

If you read the parshas in the Torah that detail the lives of Avraham and Sarah ([end of] Noach, Lech Lecha, Vayeira, Chayei Sarah), you cannot help but notice one thing – most of the "story" is about Avraham and only "snippets" are about Sarah. If you think that this is just the impression one gets but is not entirely true, a scientific statistical analysis will prove otherwise. If you search the entire Tanach (I did – with the help of a computer) for the words Avram/Avraham, there are 241 mentions of Avraham. If you search the entire Tanach for the words Sarai/Sarah, you will only find 47. Notice a pattern here?

It seems as if the "narrative" in the Torah focuses on the males and not the females, not just with Avraham/Sarah, but throughout the Torah and continuing in the Tanach. The fact that the female figures are "downplayed" is inescapable. What does this mean? Does it mean that the males are the "essence" and the females are just "secondary" in HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s creation? Obviously, we know that it doesn't. So, why the seeming "bias"?

To understand what is going on here, we need to go back to the 6^th day of Creation when HaKadosh Baruch Hu first created Adam HaRishon. The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 8a) says that HaKadosh Baruch Hu originally created Adam as an integral, hermaphrodite organism with two faces, joined at the rib, back-to-back. Following that, HaKadosh Baruch Hu paraded all the other animals in front of Adam and asked him to name them. While naming all the animals, Adam could not help but notice that for each species of animal, there were two distinct, separate creatures, one male and one female (Bereishit 2:20). Rashi (ibid.) says that Adam asked HaKadosh Baruch Hu "Why do I also not have a mate?" Immediately following that HaKadosh Baruch Hu put Adam to sleep and separated Adam into two halves, from the point of connection (i.e. one of the back ribs). From the original single, "connected organism" that was Adam HaRishon, you now have two separate "halves," Adam and Chava.

HaKadosh Baruch Hu brought Chava to Adam. The Gemara (Berachot 61a) describes it as a "chuppah," that HaKadosh Baruch Hu, as a gift to Adam, braided Chava's hair and led her up to the chuppah, as it were.

In the first mitzvah in the Torah HaKadosh Baruch Hu commanded Adam and Chava – Pru u'Revu – procreate. In previous shiurim we discuss how this commandment was not diligently performed.

Chava saw that things were not progressing swiftly enough and she decided to take things into her own hands, according to the Zohar (Part A 36, 1) by giving Adam wine to drink.

If it was a successful marriage, Chava should have instead discussed things with Adam first and try to resolve it. She should have turned to HaKadosh Baruch Hu – the Shechina was ever-present in the Gan. Why take unanimous action? This was the beginning of the breakdown and from there on in it was a slippery slope. The snake managed to dupe Chava and cause her to sin. She then, out of jealousy, caused Adam to sin. In the end everyone blamed everyone else. Your typical dysfunctional marriage.

Avraham and Sarah were the tikkun for Adam and Chava.

Let us contrast the story of Adam and Chava with that of Avraham and Sarah. We said previously that in the story of Avraham and Sarah – Avraham's name is mentioned 241 times and Sarah's name 47 times. In the story of Adam and Chava (while still in Gan Eden, after HaKadosh Baruch Hu separated Chava from his rib and they were two distinct people), Adam's name is mentioned 10 times. Chava's name (in various forms) is mentioned 18 times. Notice the difference?

When Chava was in the forefront, in the spotlight, ahead of Adam, that is when troubles began to happen. Contrast this with Avraham and Sarah. Avraham is in the forefront, in the spotlight - 241 times his name is mentioned. Sarah is in the background, her name is mentioned only 47 times.

Does this mean that Sarah was any less active, participant or influential than Avraham? Not at all. Avraham was simply more connected to the physical world - digging wells, going in search of guests, waging war against the four kings, rescuing Lot, etc. Sarah was more connected to the spiritual world, teaching the women Torah, preserving the sanctity of her tent (home). The Shechina was ever-present over Sarah's tent, the candle burnt from one Shabbat to the next, there was a blessing in the dough. Sarah was more conscious of the undertones in her household, with Hagar and Yishmael – than Avraham. The Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 1,1) says that Sarah's powers of prophecy were greater than Avraham's. The reason Avraham became wealthy was because of Sarah. The reason Yitzchak managed to become the continuation of Avraham's heritage – was solely because of Sarah, by banishing Hagar and Yishmael. 

Sarah and Avraham were not diverging tangents – Avraham doing "his thing" and Sarah doing "her thing" and never the twain shall meet. They were partners in everything. Avraham did Hachnasat Orchim with the men, Sarah with the women. Avraham taught Torah to the men, Sarah to the women. It was a division of labor in the same, joint labor of life! Just like Avraham underwent ten trials, so too did Sarah.

Avraham and Sarah were two halves of the same organism. Sarah was not subjugated to Avraham in any way, this was a FULL partnership, two halves of the same body. They lived together in complete harmonic motion and they were buried together in Me'arat HaMachpeilah, an indivisible, integral unit.

The fact that the Tanach's "male narrative" is more visible does not in any way diminish the "female narrative." They are equal and are equally powerful – one is simply in the spotlight and the other is simply more active behind the scenes. This was to do tikkun for what happened in Gan Eden where it was reversed.

Parshat HaShavua Trivia Question: What was Avraham's eulogy for Sarah?

Answer to Last Shiur’s Trivia Question: What is another name for Amrafel mentioned in the parsha (Bereishit 14:1)? Nimrod.