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Hayé Sarah - en bref

Genèse 23, 1 - 25, 18

Sarah décède à l’âge de 127 ans. Elle est inhumée dans la grotte de Makhpelah à Hébron qu’Abraham acquiert d’Efron le Hittite, pour le prix de 400 shekels d’argent.

Chargé de cadeaux, Eliézer, le serviteur d’Abraham est envoyé à ‘Haran afin d’y trouver une épouse pour Isaac. Devant le puits de la bourgade, Eliézer prie D.ieu qu’un signe lui soit donné : la jeune fille qui offrira de faire boire les chameaux avec lesquels il a voyagé sera celle qui est destinée au fils de son maître.

Rébecca, fille de Bethouel, le neveu d’Abraham, accomplit le signe. Eliézer est reçu chez Bethouel à qui il relate les évènements qui viennent de survenir. Rébecca accepte de suivre Eliézer en Canaan où ils rencontrent Isaac priant dans les champs. Isaac épouse Rébecca qu’il aime profondément et par qui il est consolé de la perte de sa mère.

Abraham prend une nouvelle épouse, Kétourah (Hagar) qui lui donne six nouveaux fils, mais Isaac est désigné comme son seul héritier. Abraham décède à l’âge de 175 ans et est inhumé auprès de Sarah par ses deux premiers fils, Isaac et Ismaël.

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COMMEMORATION OF HAYÉ SARA IN HEBRON

On the very site where the Jewish patriarch Abraham offered food and drink to wayfarers from an open tent in the hot desert sun—standing through the ages as the picture of unstinting hospitality— Hebron will do its best to live up to his example when it hosts a record crowd of 6,000 at its annual Shabbat Chayei Sarah mega-gathering beginning Friday at sundown.

Held each year on the Shabbat coinciding with the Torah portion of Chayei Sarah—telling of Abraham’s purchase of the burial plot in Hebron for his deceased wife, Sarah, and later housing the tombs of all of the patriarchs and matriarchs except for Rachel—the event, incorporating food, song and togetherness, has become a model of Jewish unity, solidarity and continuity.

ended up sharing a large tent with a friend in front of the ancient edifice that houses the Me’arat Machpelah (“Cave of the Patriarchs”). “By morning, a few other guys had joined us. We were happy to have them.”

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One of the Jewish People’s Holiest Sites

The cave is the main attraction in Hebron—one of Israel’s four holy cities—housing the sunken tombs of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah. Rachel is buried on the road to Bethlehem.

Estimates put the number of visitors who converged on Hebron for the special Shabbat last year at more than 30,000, with some 5,000 choosing to pay a small sum to eat and celebrate under one of three cavernous tents, collectively referred to as the “Chayei Sarah Tent.”

Scriptural commentary also holds that Abraham was so dedicated to being hospitable that he interrupted a conversation with G‑d to run to tend to the needs of three angels disguised as men who appeared at his tent.

One of the modern-day wayfarers, Kayla Kohn, a middle-aged British immigrant to Israel who has made the trek from northern Israel to the Hebron festivities with friends or family for the past four years, bemoaned the possibility that a sore back might keep her home this year.

What impressed her most about the experience was being in a place with so many Jews adjacent to the burial place “that Abraham, our father, bought for his beloved wife,” she said. “It is very touching.”

“And then to sit with thousands of people underneath chandeliers in giant, giant tents and dine on a three-course Shabbat meal, it’s like the redemption had arrived,” related Kohn. “Whoever has not been there should make an effort to go.”

Le tombeau des Patriarches est un monument construit sur un ensemble de grottes, situé dans la vieille ville d' Hébron au sud-ouest de la Cisjordanie . Le monument abrite des cénotaphes construits au-dessus des tombes attribuées aux patriarches bibliques Abraham , Isaac , Jacob et leurs épouses Sarah , Rébecca et Léa . Un édifice accolé au mur sud-ouest abrite un cénotaphe attribué à Joseph . L'ensemble est considéré comme le centre spirituel de la ville d' Hébron . C'est un lieu saint et un site de pèlerinage pour les trois religions monothéistes: judaïsme , christianisme et islam ^{[ 1 ]} .

Le lieu est identifié sur le site biblique de Machpéla (de) acheté par Abraham pour y enterrer sa femme Sarah puis les autres membres de sa famille. Il est appelé dans la tradition juive «grotte de Machpéla», en hébreu רת המכפלה ( ma'arat ha-makhpela ). Sanctuaire de l'Abrahim al-maghara )).

Un mur d’enceinte est construit autour du site à l’époque d’ Hérode le Grand au i ^er siècle av. J.-C. Les Byzantins ont ensuite transformé en église au v ^e siècle , les musulmans en mosquée ont sous le nom de «mosquée d'Abraham» au vii ^e siècle et ont ensuite croisés en «église Saint-Abraham» au xiii ^e siècle. Les cénotaphes datent des ix ^e siècle et xiv ^e siècle .

Aujourd'hui, on y trouve une synagogue et une mosquée.

Lorsque la cité de l' Hébron était sous le contrôle de l' Empire ottoman , les juifs ne pouvaient pas entrer dans le tombeau, mais pouvaient prier à l'extérieur.

En août 1929, 67 juifs sont tués par des civils et des policiers arabes lors d' émeutes sanglantes ; les magasins et habitations juives sont saccagées. La ville faisait alors partie de la Palestine sous mandat britannique . Ce massacre à l'issue ultime et durable de la communauté locale et des survivants sont forcés de quitter la ville.

Durant l'occupation jordanienne entre 1948 et 1967, il était interdit aux juifs de vivre dans la ville, et malgré les termes de l'armistice, de visiter le sanctuaire et d'y prier. On the out of the preuves of the presence juive to Hébron Ont été détruites (quartier juif rasé, cimetière juif profané, parc animalier de la synagogue Avraham Avinu ) ^{[ 13 ]} .

Pendant la guerre des six jours en 1967 , Israël était le contrôle de la région. Moshe Dayan , ministre de la Défense d'Israël, raconte dans ses mémoires ^{[ 14 ]} qu'il a retiré le drapeau israélien et que les troupes ont été placées sur le sanctuaire, qu'il était estimé inadéquat d'un étendard sur un lieu sacré.

TESTICULAR TESTIMONY

Testicular testimony When Abraham wanted his servant to swear to him, Abraham told him to put his hand under his thigh. Rashi explains that when people swear, they swear on something related to a Mitzva, such as a bible or Tefillin. Rashi writes that Abraham told his servant to swear by his Brit Mila, since this is the only Mitzva that he had. It should be noted that according to this explanation Abraham did not fulfill the Mitzvot of the Torah except for this one. The Baal Haturim points out that the Gematria (numerical value) of put your hand “Na-Yadecha” is equivalent to Mila. The most likely explanation is that of Ibn Ezra. Ibn Ezra explains that it was the custom at the time that a slave or son put their hand under their owner’s or their father’s thigh as a sign that he was subservient to him. He notes that it was still the custom in India during his lifetime (early 1100s). There are theories that the word, testify is of Latin origin and comes from the word 5 testicle. Some believe that the Romans would swear by placing their hand under the thigh as well since this indicates one is swearing on the life of their descendants. There is however no evidence of this custom and it is unclear if the words, testify and testicle are truly derived from each other. It is also unclear if the swearing by holding the thigh is just a euphemism for putting the hand on the testicle or whether they really simply held the other person’s thigh.

LE MOIS DE KISLEV

Kislev est le neuvième mois du calendrier juif, en comptant à partir de Nissan. Il est surtout connu pour la fête de ‘Hanouka qui commence le 25 Kislev. Le message de ‘Hanouka est le pouvoir éternel de la lumière sur les ténèbres, c’est-à-dire du bien sur le mal. En plus de commémorer la victoire miraculeuse de la petite armée juive sur le puissant empire syro-grec, ‘Hanouka célèbre le miracle de l’huile. Quand les Juifs voulurent allumer la ménorah du Temple après la guerre, ils ne trouvèrent qu’une petite fiole d’huile. Miraculeusement, l’huile qui était seulement suffisante pour un jour brûla huit jours, et les sages instituèrent les huit jours de la fête de ‘Hanouka, lors desquels nous allumons la ménorah tous les soirs.

NOVEMBRE 2017

Avec le mois de Kislev nous entrons dans la période de l’année où les jours sont les plus

courts, où la nuit semble tout recouvrir d’un air frais et bleuté Au milieu de cette nuit les bougies de Hanoukka vont apparaître à la fois pour commémorer un événement historique (la victoire des Maccabées à l’époque des Séleucides) mais aussi pour nous rappeler qu’au milieu des ténèbres la lumière peut surgir, à la fois comme le symbole de l’espoir et le signal qui nous guide dans le noir.
Lorsque nous levons notre tête vers le ciel pendant ces longues nuits d’hiver, la lune qui apparaît dans une clarté parfois mystérieuse nous rappelle elle aussi que la lumière est toujours présente.

ROSH HODESH LEKISLEV

HAFTARA

Keeping warm without heat or electricity It’s starting to get colder out, and this week’s Haftara explains the old-fashioned method of keeping warm. In the Haftara (Kings I 1:1-31), we read about King David choosing Solomon as his successor over his other sons. This is similar to the parasha because Abraham indicates that Yitzhak will inherit him and not any other son. The Haftara starts with David becoming old and ill. He was in his bed, very cold and could not find comfort. They bring him a young virgin to lie next to him and to keep him warm but unfortunately for him this is ineffective.

Haye Sara Quiz

1) Q. Why does it say: and Hashem blessed Abraham with everything “Bakol”? A. Rashi explains that now that Abraham has a son, he has everything, and that is why he now needs to find Yitzhak a wife. Rashbam explains that this is coming to show us that Abraham had everything and that Yitzhak was the most eligible bachelor of the time. One might think that the reason Abraham sent his servant far away to find a wife for Yitzhak was because nobody wanted to marry him. Also, when Abraham’s servant meets Rivka, he explains to her that his master is very wealthy, so that she should not think that the only reason he came all the way to her was because he couldn’t find a wife in his own town. There is also an opinion in the Gemara that Bakol was the name of his daughter.

2) Q. Why did Abraham’s servant, run toward Rivka?

A. One midrash states that that the waters of the well rose when she approached and this was a sign to him that he found the right woman. Maimonides comments that Abraham’s servant simply bumped into Rivka by pure chance, and the rest is history.

3) Q. After Rivka began to draw water for the camels, Abraham’s servant was still unsure. What information did he still need in order to know if his mission was a success?

A. He didn’t know if she was from Abraham’s family. 4)

Q. Why did Rivka hide her face when she saw Yitzhak?

A. She was afraid of him when she saw him. In his book, Ha’emek Davar, the Netziv explains that Yitzhak and Rivka never had a relationship like Abraham with Sara or Ya’akob with Rachel. Since this first meeting, she was always afraid of him. We will see this when she disagrees with Yitzhak’s opinion of Esav but she is too afraid to tell him, so she sets up the whole trick (see Parashat Toledot, next week). This may be a hint that having one’s marriage arranged without meeting and falling in love naturally, leads to a very different type of relationship than the type Ya’akob and Rachel had which was full of love since he saw her and chose her on his own and worked to gain her hand in marriage as well.

5) Q. What was Yitzhak doing in the field when Rivka saw him? A. The Midrash states that he was praying. According to the Midrash, Abraham instituted Shaharit, Yitzhak instituted Minha, and Ya’akob, Arbit. The Kli Yakar comments that people should be very careful not to miss Tefilat Minha. Even though each of the prayers were instituted by one of the Patriarchs, only Yitzhak’s prayer, Minha, was answered immediately. He was praying for Hashem to help him find a wife, and the instant he finished praying, he looked up, and saw the camels approaching with Rivka. Today this is why some women have the custom of choosing minha as the prayer that they say daily.

6) Q. What three miracles were in Sara’s tent? A. The Midrash teaches that while Sara was alive, the Shabbat candles would not go out until the next Friday night, the bread was always fresh, and there was a cloud over her tent. These three miracles were due to her keeping the three Mitzvot specifically for women, lighting Shabbat candles, separating Challa when making bread, and Nida (purity). Of course a man can do the first two mitzvot as well but it is more common for women to be in that position. When she died, these three miracles ceased until Yitzhak brought Rivka to his mother’s tent and the three miracles came back. This is an example of a beautiful midrash, which displays their greatness but simply cannot be understood literally. One example of why it can’t be taken literally is that the mitzvah of Challah, is to take a piece of dough and give it to the Kohen. A kohen comes from the tribe of Levi who was not born yet. What were Sara and Rivka doing with the Challah? What the midrash may actually be trying to impress upon us, is it that although Sara did not have the actual Torah and mitzvot she was still able to be a good person and would voluntarily give bread to the poor. Sometimes we think it is very difficult and one must be a scholar to be a good Jew, but in reality being a good Jew is very simple. In the desert, Moshe tells the people, what does God ask of you; just to have fear of Heaven. What Moshe is likely trying to teach the people is not to be overwhelmed by all the mitzvot and laws and customs. Sometimes it seems impossible to know everything and always do the right thing. What Moshe is explaining is that as long as we act as good people we are already fulfilling the will of God. Once we do that we can spend the time to learn the details of the laws.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“Little by little, day by day, what is mean for you WILL find its way”

Don’t forget you’re human. It’s okay to have a meltdown. Just don’t unpack and live there. Cry it out. Then refocus on where you’re headed”

If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely”

Be so happy that when others look at you, they become happy too”

“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe”

When you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine”

So, what if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow”

LE SOURIRE DU CHABBAT

Quel est le comble pour un électricien ?

– C'est de ne pas être au courant.

Quel est le comble pour un médecin ?

– C'est d'examiner son crayon pour voir s'il a bonne mine.

Quel est le comble pour un serrurier ?

– C'est d'être mis à la porte.

Quand tu envoies des blagues, c'est du courrier inutile.

Quand ton patron le fait, c'est de l'humour.

Quand tu maintiens ta position, tu es entêté.

Quand ton patron le fait, il est ferme.

Quand tu n'es pas dans ton bureau, tu es oisif.

Quand ton patron n'est pas dans son bureau, il est en réunion.

Quand tu fais quelque chose sans qu'on te l'ait demandé, tu outrepasses ton autorité.

Quand ton patron le fait, il fait preuve d'initiative.

Un homme se présente à la pharmacie et demande au pharmacien :

– Je voudrais un médicament à base d'acide acétylsalycilique, ayant des propriétés analgésiques, antipyrétiques et anti-inflammatoires !

– Heu... vous voulez dire de l'aspirine ?

– Ben oui, j'ai toujours eu de la difficulté à me rappeler du nom !

Sol and Abe, both elderly, meet one day in the Shopping Centre.
"So, how's by you Abe?" asks Sol.
"It could be worse, Sol. I’m surviving. And what about you?" asked Abe.
Sol replied, "I've been ill quite a lot recently and it's costing me a lot of money. I have no private medical insurance and in the last five months, I've spent over $ 6,000 on doctors fees and medicine."
Abe replied, "Ach. In the old days, you could be ill for at least two years for that kind of money."

How much are the bagels?”
“40 cents for two.”
“How much for one?”
“25 cents ”
“Then I’ll take the other one.”

Chabbat Chalom

Maghen Abraham David Hasson