AND SARAH DIED IN KIRYATH-ARBA, ETC. R. Abba said: ‘Of Sarah alone among all women do we find recorded the number of her days and years and the length of her life and the place where she was buried. All this was to show that the like of Sarah was not to be found among all the women of the world.
You may object that we find a somewhat similar record in connection with Miriam, of whom it is written, “And Miriam died there, and was buried there” (Num. 20, 1). But the object there was to show the unworthiness of Israel, for whom water was made to flow forth only through the virtue of Miriam. Hence Miriam’s death was not recorded with such full details as that of Sarah.’
R. Judah discoursed on the verse: Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a free man (Eccl. 10, 17). ‘This verse,’ he said, ‘the companions have already explained, but further lessons may be derived from it. Happy are Israel, to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah, by the study of which all hidden paths should be made known to them and sublime mysteries should be revealed to them.
The “land” here is “the land of life”, and it is “happy” because its King showers upon it all the blessings pronounced upon it by the patriarchs. This is through the mystic influence of the Vau, who is always in readiness to pour on it blessing, and who is the “son of freedom” and “son of Jubilee”, who obtains for slaves their freedom. He is a scion of the supernal world, and the author of all life, of all illuminations, and all exalted states. All this does the first-born son draw towards that land. Hence, “Happy art thou, O land.”
On the other hand, the words “Woe to thee, O land, when thy King is a boy” (Ibid.) refer to the nether earth and the nether world which draw their sustenance only from the dominion of the uncircumcised, and from that king called “boy”.1Metatron. Woe to the land that has to draw its sustenance in this manner!
For this “boy” possesses nothing of himself, but only such blessings as he receives at certain periods. But when these blessings are withheld from him, when the moon is impaired and darkness prevails, then woe to the world that needs to draw sustenance at that time! And how much the world has to endure before it obtains sustenance from him!
Observe, now, that in the words “And Sarah died in Kiryath-arba” there is an inner meaning, to wit, that Sarah’s death was not brought about by the tortuous serpent, which possessed no power over her as over the rest of mankind. For through him the people of the world have died since the sin of Adam, with the exception of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, who died, as it is written, “by the mouth of the Lord” (although this expression is not used in connection with Miriam, out of respect for the Shekinah).
The Scripture, however, here indicates that Sarah died not merely in, but by the hands of Kiryath-arba (lit. city of four), so called because it is the same as Hebron, where David joined the patriarchs. Her death thus was brought about by the hands of no one save Kiryath-arba.
Observe that when the days of a man are firmly established in the supernal grades, that man has a permanent abiding in the world; but if not, those days gradually descend until they approach the grade wherein death resides. The angel of death then receives authority to take away the soul, traverses the world with one sweep, takes away the man’s soul, and pollutes his body, which remains permanently unclean. Happy are the righteous who have not polluted themselves and in whom no pollution has remained.
וַתָּמָת שָׂרָה בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע. רַבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר כְּגַוְונָא דָא לָא הֲווּ בְּכָל נְשֵׁי עַלְמָא דְּהָא אִתְּמָר חוּשְׁבַּן יוֹמָהָא וּשְׁנָהָא וְקִיּוּמָהָא בְּעָלְמָא וְהַהוּא אֲתַר דְּאִתְקַבְרַת בֵּיהּ. אֶלָּא לְאַחֲזָאָה דְּלָא הֲוָה כְּשָׂרָה בְּכָל נְשֵׁי עָלְמָא.
AND SARAH DIED IN KIRYATH-ARBA, ETC. R. Abba said: ‘Of Sarah alone among all women do we find recorded the number of her days and years and the length of her life and the place where she was buried. All this was to show that the like of Sarah was not to be found among all the women of the world.
וְאִי תֵימָא הָא מִרְיָם דִּכְתִיב (במדבר כ׳:א׳) וַתָּמָת שָׁם מִרְיָם וַתִּקָּבֵר שָׁם. בְּגִין לְאַחֲזָאָה סָרְחָנָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל קָא אֲתָא, דְּהָא מַיָיא לָא אָזְלֵי לְהוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא בִּזְכוּתָא דְמִרְיָם. אֲבָל לָא אִתְּמָר בְּמִיתָתָהּ כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר בְּשָׂרָה.
You may object that we find a somewhat similar record in connection with Miriam, of whom it is written, “And Miriam died there, and was buried there” (Num. 20, 1). But the object there was to show the unworthiness of Israel, for whom water was made to flow forth only through the virtue of Miriam. Hence Miriam’s death was not recorded with such full details as that of Sarah.’
רַבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח (קהלת י׳:י״ז) אַשְׁרֵיךְ אֶרֶץ שֶׁמַּלְכֵּךְ בֶּן חוֹרִין וְשָׂרַיִךְ בָּעֵת יאכֵלוּ. הַאי קְרָא (צה ב) אוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָיא, אֲבָל אִית לָן לְאִסְתַּכָּלָא בֵּיהּ, דְּזַכָּאִין אִינוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָהַב לוֹן אוֹרַיְיתָא לְמִנְדַע כָּל אוֹרְחִין סְתִימִין וּלְאִתְגַּלְּיָיא לוֹן רָזִין עִלָּאִין וְהָא אִתְּמָר.
R. Judah discoursed on the verse: Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a free man (Eccl. 10, 17). ‘This verse,’ he said, ‘the companions have already explained, but further lessons may be derived from it. Happy are Israel, to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah, by the study of which all hidden paths should be made known to them and sublime mysteries should be revealed to them.
אַשְׁרֵיךָ אֶרֶץ, דָּא אֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים, בְּגִין דְּמַלְכָּא דִילָהּ אַזְמִין לָהּ כָּל בִּרְכָאן דְּאִתְבָּרְכָא מֵאֲבָהָן עִלָּאִין, רָזָא דְוא"ו דְּאִיהוּ קַיְימָא לְאַרְקָא עֲלָהּ בִּרְכָאן תָּדִיר, וְאִיהוּ בֶּן חוֹרִין בֶּן יוֹבֵלָא דְּאַפִּיק עַבְדִּין לְחֵירוּ, בְּרָא דְּעַלְמָא עִלָּאָה דְּאַפִּיק תָּדִיר כָּל חַיִּין וְכָל נְהִירוּ וְכָל מְשַׁח רְבוּת, וְכֹלָּא אָעִיד (נ"א אנגיד) הַאי בְּרָא בּוּכְרָא לְהַאי אֶרֶץ כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (שמות ד) בְּנִי בְּכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבְגִין כָּךְ אַשְׁ"רֵיךְ אֶרֶץ.
The “land” here is “the land of life”, and it is “happy” because its King showers upon it all the blessings pronounced upon it by the patriarchs. This is through the mystic influence of the Vau, who is always in readiness to pour on it blessing, and who is the “son of freedom” and “son of Jubilee”, who obtains for slaves their freedom. He is a scion of the supernal world, and the author of all life, of all illuminations, and all exalted states. All this does the first-born son draw towards that land. Hence, “Happy art thou, O land.”
וּמַה דְּאִתְּמָר אִי לָךְ אֶרֶץ שֶׁמַּלְכֵּךְ נַעַר כְּמָה דְאוּקְמוּהָ, דְּהַאי אֶרֶץ תַּתָּאָה וְעַלְמָא תַּתָּאָה לָא יָנְקָא אֶלָּא מִגּוֹ שָׁלְטָנוּתָא (דעילא) דְּעָרְלָה. וְכֹלָּא מֵהַהוּא מַלְכָּא דְּאִקְרֵי נַעַר כְּמָה דְאוּקְמוּהָ. וַוי לְאַרְעָא דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לִינָקָא הָכִי.
On the other hand, the words “Woe to thee, O land, when thy King is a boy” (Ibid.) refer to the nether earth and the nether world which draw their sustenance only from the dominion of the uncircumcised, and from that king called “boy”.1Metatron. Woe to the land that has to draw its sustenance in this manner!
תָּא חֲזֵי, הַאי נַעַר לֵית לֵיהּ מִגַרְמֵיהּ כְּלוּם בַּר כַּד נָטִיל בִּרְכָאן לְזִמְנִין יְדִיעָן, וְכָל זִמְנִין דְּאִתְמְנָעוּ מִנֵּיהּ וְאִתְפְּגִים סִיהֲרָא וְאִתְחֲשָׁךְ וּבִרְכָאן אִתְמְנָעוּ מִנֵּיהּ, וַוי לְעַלְמָא דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לִינָקָא בְּהַהִיא שַׁעְתָּא. וְעוֹד בְּכַמָּה דִינִין אִתְדָן הַאי עַלְמָא עַד לָא יָנְקָא מִנֵּיהּ, דְּכוֹלָּא בְּדִינָא אִתְקַיָּים וְאִתְעֲבַד וְאוּקְמוּהָ (הכי).
For this “boy” possesses nothing of himself, but only such blessings as he receives at certain periods. But when these blessings are withheld from him, when the moon is impaired and darkness prevails, then woe to the world that needs to draw sustenance at that time! And how much the world has to endure before it obtains sustenance from him!
תָּא חֲזֵי, וַתָּמָת שָׂרָה בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע. רָזָא אִיהוּ, בְּגִין דְּלָא הֲוָה מִיתָתָהּ עַל יְדָא דְּהַהוּא נָחָשׁ עֲקִימָאָה, וְלָא שָׁלַט בָּהּ כִּשְׁאָר בְּנֵי עָלְמָא דְּאִיהוּ שַׁלִּיט בְּהוּ. וְעַל יָדֵיהּ מֵתוּ בְּנֵי עָלְמָא מִיּוֹמָא דְּגָרִים לוֹן אָדָם בַּר משֶׁ"ה וְאַהֲרֹ"ן וּמִרְיָ"ם דִּכְתִיב בְּהוּ עַל פִּי יְיָ. וּבְגִין יְקָרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא לָא כְּתִיב בְּמִרְיָם עַל פִּי יְיָ.
Observe, now, that in the words “And Sarah died in Kiryath-arba” there is an inner meaning, to wit, that Sarah’s death was not brought about by the tortuous serpent, which possessed no power over her as over the rest of mankind. For through him the people of the world have died since the sin of Adam, with the exception of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, who died, as it is written, “by the mouth of the Lord” (although this expression is not used in connection with Miriam, out of respect for the Shekinah).
אֲבָל בְּשָׂרָה כְּתִיב בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע, רָזָא דְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע בְּרָזָא עִלָּאָה, וְלָא עַל יְדָא אָחֳרָא. בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע, וְלא בְּנָחָשׁ. בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע הִיא חֶבְרוֹן, דְּאִתְחַבַּר דָּוִד מַלְכָּא בַּאֲבָהָן, וְעַל דָּא לָא הֲוָה מִיתָתָהּ בִּידָא אָחֳרָא אֶלָּא בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע.
The Scripture, however, here indicates that Sarah died not merely in, but by the hands of Kiryath-arba (lit. city of four), so called because it is the same as Hebron, where David joined the patriarchs. Her death thus was brought about by the hands of no one save Kiryath-arba.
תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד יוֹמִין דְּבַר נָשׁ אִתְקַיְימוּ בְּדַרְגִּין עִלָּאִין, אִתְקָיָּים בַּר נָשׁ בְּעַלְמָא. כֵּיוָן דְּלָא אִתְקַיָּים בְּדַרְגִּין עִלָּאִין, נָפְקֵי וְנָחֲתֵי לְתַתָּא עַד דִּקְרִיבוּ לְהַאי דַרְגָּא דְּמוֹתָא שַׁרְיָא בֵּיהּ, וּכְדֵין נָטִיל רְשׁוּ לְאַפִּיק נִשְׁמָתָא וְטָאס עַלְמָא בְּזִמְנָא חָדָא וְנָטִיל נִשְׁמָתָא וְסָאִיב לֵיהּ לְגוּפָא וְאִשְׁתָּאַר מְסָאֲבָא. זַכָּאִין אִינוּן צַדִּיקַיָּא דְּלָא אִסְתָּאֲבוּ וְלָא אִשְׁתָּאַר בְּהוּ מְסָאֲבוּתָא.
Observe that when the days of a man are firmly established in the supernal grades, that man has a permanent abiding in the world; but if not, those days gradually descend until they approach the grade wherein death resides. The angel of death then receives authority to take away the soul, traverses the world with one sweep, takes away the man’s soul, and pollutes his body, which remains permanently unclean. Happy are the righteous who have not polluted themselves and in whom no pollution has remained.