AND THE LIFE OF SARAH WAS A HUNDRED YEARS AND TWENTY YEARS AND SEVEN YEARS. Each of these periods was marked by its own peculiar degree of virtue. R. Simeon said: “‘There is an inner significance in the fact that with the other numbers the word for “years” (shanah) is in the singular, whereas with the number seven it is in the plural (shanim).
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אֶלָּא כֹּלָּא חֲד. מֵאָה שָׁנָה כְּלָלָא דְכֹלָּא (נ"א כלא כחדא ברזא דמאה ברכאן בכל יומא. וכן עשרים שנה דאתכליל עלאה סתימא דכל סתימין, ובגין כך כתיב שנה רזא דיחודא). קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּאִתְכְּלִיל מֵאֲתַר עִלָּאָה סְתִימָא דְכָל סְתִימִין בְּמֵאָה בְּרָזָא דְמֵאָה בִּרְכָאָן דְּכָל יוֹמָא, וְכֵן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה, וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב שָׁנָה רָזָא דְּיִחוּדָא דְּלָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ (צא ב) מַחֲשָׁבָה וְיוֹבְלָא לְעָלְמִין.
The hundred forms a unit because the Holy One is united with the highest and most mysterious by the secret of the hundred benedictions pronounced each day. Similarly the number twenty symbolises the unity of the Thought with the Jubilee. Hence the singular shanah (year).
Whereas the seven years correspond to the seven lower realms that issue separately from the mysterious supernal essence, and which, though they also form, in a sense, a unity, diverge in respect of the categories of justice and mercy into diverse sides and paths. This is not so in the supernal region. Hence, there we have “year”, but here we have “years”. But they are all called “life”. Thus “the life of Sarah was” means “really was”, having been created and established in the supernal regions.
R. Hiya said: ‘It has been established that when Isaac was bound on the altar he was thirty-seven years old, and immediately after Sarah died, as it is written, “And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.” Whence did he come? He came from Mount Moriah, after his binding of Isaac. These thirty-seven years from Isaac’s birth to the time of his being bound were thus the real life of Sarah, as indicated in the expression “and the life of Sarah was (vayihyu)”, the word VYHYV having the numerical value of thirty-seven.’
וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה. אִינוּן חַיִּין כֻּלְּהוּ לְעֵילָא, מֵאָה שָׁנָה לְעֵילָא. וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה לְעֵילָא, וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים לְעֵילָא, כֻּלְּהוּ הֲווּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן תָּא חֲזֵי רָזָא דְמִלָּה, מַאי שְׁנָא בְּכֻלְּהוּ דְּאָמַר שָׁנָה שָׁנָה, וּבְאִינוּן שֶׁבַע דְּאָמַר שָׁנִים. דִּכְתִיב מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה, וּלְבָתַר שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים.
AND THE LIFE OF SARAH WAS A HUNDRED YEARS AND TWENTY YEARS AND SEVEN YEARS. Each of these periods was marked by its own peculiar degree of virtue. R. Simeon said: “‘There is an inner significance in the fact that with the other numbers the word for “years” (shanah) is in the singular, whereas with the number seven it is in the plural (shanim).
אֶלָּא כֹּלָּא חֲד. מֵאָה שָׁנָה כְּלָלָא דְכֹלָּא (נ"א כלא כחדא ברזא דמאה ברכאן בכל יומא. וכן עשרים שנה דאתכליל עלאה סתימא דכל סתימין, ובגין כך כתיב שנה רזא דיחודא). קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּאִתְכְּלִיל מֵאֲתַר עִלָּאָה סְתִימָא דְכָל סְתִימִין בְּמֵאָה בְּרָזָא דְמֵאָה בִּרְכָאָן דְּכָל יוֹמָא, וְכֵן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה, וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב שָׁנָה רָזָא דְּיִחוּדָא דְּלָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ (צא ב) מַחֲשָׁבָה וְיוֹבְלָא לְעָלְמִין.
The hundred forms a unit because the Holy One is united with the highest and most mysterious by the secret of the hundred benedictions pronounced each day. Similarly the number twenty symbolises the unity of the Thought with the Jubilee. Hence the singular shanah (year).
שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים אִלֵּין אִתְפָּרְשָׁן וְנָפְקָאן מִכְּלָלָא סְתִימָאָה דִלְעֵילָא. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּכֹלָּא יִחוּדָא חָדָא, אֲבָל מִתְפָּרְשָׁן בְּדִינָא וְרַחֲמֵי בְּכַמָּה סִטְרִין וְאוֹרְחִין מַה דְּלָא הֲוִי הָכִי לְעֵילָא. וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב שָׁנָה רָזָא דְּיִחוּדָא דְּלָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ לְעָלְמִין. שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים אִלֵּין אִתְפָּרְשָׁאן בְּדִינָא וְרַחֲמֵי בְּכַמָּה סִטְרִין וְאוֹרְחִין מַה דְּלָא הֲוֵי הָכִי לְעֵילָא. וּבְגִין כָּךְ בְּאִלֵּין שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים כְּתִיב בְּהוּ שָׁנִים וְלָא שָׁנָה, וְכֻלְּהוּ אִקְרוּן חַיִּים. וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה, דְּהֲווּ מַמָּשׁ דְּאִתְבְּרִיאוּ וְאִתְקַיְּימוּ לְעֵילָא.
Whereas the seven years correspond to the seven lower realms that issue separately from the mysterious supernal essence, and which, though they also form, in a sense, a unity, diverge in respect of the categories of justice and mercy into diverse sides and paths. This is not so in the supernal region. Hence, there we have “year”, but here we have “years”. But they are all called “life”. Thus “the life of Sarah was” means “really was”, having been created and established in the supernal regions.
אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא הָא אוּקְמוּהָ דְהָא כַּד אִתְעַקַּד יִצְחָק בַּר תְּלָתִין וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים הֲוָה, וְכֵיוָן דְּאִתְעַקַּד יִצְחָק מִיתַת שָׂרָה, דִּכְתִיב וַיָּבֹא אַבְרָהָם לִסְפֹּד לְשָׂרָה וְלִבְכֹּתָהּ. מֵאַיִן בָּא, מֵהַר הַמּוֹרִיָּה בָּא מִלְּמֶעֱקַד לֵיהּ לְיִצְחָק, וְאִינוּן תְּלָתִין וְשֶׁבַע שְׁנִין מִיּוֹמָא דְּאִתְיְילִיד יִצְחָק עַד שַׁעְתָּא דְּאִתְעַקַּד אִינוּן הֲווּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה וַדַּאי כְּחוּשְׁבַּן וַיִּהְי"וּ בְּגִימַטְרִיָּ"א תְּלָתִין וּשְׁבַע שְׁנִין הֲווּ כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר מִדְּאִתְיְלִיד יִצְחָק עַד דְּאִתְעַקַּד.
R. Hiya said: ‘It has been established that when Isaac was bound on the altar he was thirty-seven years old, and immediately after Sarah died, as it is written, “And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.” Whence did he come? He came from Mount Moriah, after his binding of Isaac. These thirty-seven years from Isaac’s birth to the time of his being bound were thus the real life of Sarah, as indicated in the expression “and the life of Sarah was (vayihyu)”, the word VYHYV having the numerical value of thirty-seven.’