The four matriarchs, along with Chavah, are all one spark, one flow, one stream. But Sarah is the model for all, the source of all Israel – not only of the Israel born from her, but the source of converts as well.
Every convert is called the son of Sarah, despite not being her biological son. “And Sarah was barren; she had no offspring.” (Bereshit 11:30). There is a seeming redundancy: If she is barren, certainly she has no offspring. At the time, the verse stresses, she did not have children born of her womb, she did not have offspring, but she had many spiritual children, the converts of all generations (Arizal, Sefer Hagilgulim). All of Israel emanates from Sarah; likewise all the converts who joined the Nation during every generation, even though they are not directly linked by a biological chain.
Sarah, like Chavah, was the mother of all living things, the woman who generated the world at the beginning. This not only refers to a biological start; but also to a start from an educational perspective, for Sarah was the supreme teacher. Education is a great responsibility.
She converted the women (Bereshit Rabbah 39:14; Rashi on Bereshit 12:5) with a powerful responsibility which she undertook. Even in her own home she was a supreme teacher, for the foundation of education is naturally within the tent. In the song of Devorah, Yael is blessed: You shall be blessed from the women in the tent (Shoftim 5:24). Our Sages interpret this to mean that these “women” were the matriarchs (Horayot 10b). This supreme teacher, Sarah, who was sensitive to the atmosphere in her home, firmly demanded: “Drive out this maidservant and her son” (Bereshit 21:10).
Yishmael, the wild son of a maidservant, was not fit to live with Yitzhak. Sarah was not prepared to let Yitzhak be corrupted by Yishmael’s unholy influence and from the idol worship which Yishmael learned from his mother. Sarah had reason to drive him from the home (Zohar 1, Vayera 118:2; see Rashi on Bereshit 21:9). Our father Avraham was troubled by Sarah declaration. He did not understand how Sarah, the epitome of loving-kindness, could put forward such a demand – which appeared to be so cruel. The Master of the Universe corrected him: “Everything that she tells you to do, you should obey” (Bereshit 21:12; see Shemot Rabbah 1:1).
She decided matters of the household. She understood more than he. A woman has a higher intelligence in dealing with complicated and unique life situations; a man has a higher intelligence in understanding simple and theoretical situations. But the reality in the home is complicated and delicate, not plain and theoretical. Sarah, knowing what had to be done, was so certain that she did not consult with Avraham before deciding.
She exuded power and deep confidence. The truth is clear, exact and not in doubt. A person can express himself clearly, and be persuasive, but only if he has confidence in the truth and can transmit it to others. Sarah was a prophetess, one of the seven in Israel (Megillah 14a), and the power of a prophet is to understand the depth of a given reality. Avraham was also a prophet, but as Rashi notes, Avraham was second to Sarah in prophecy (Rashi on Bereshit 21:12). Therefore, G-d told him to obey her. A woman is more adept in prophecy than a man.
Our Sages say that Sarah was called “Yiscah,” the one who gazed with Divine Inspiration (Megillah 12a; Rashi on Bereshit 12:29). She would look and understand matters with Divine Inspiration, and so it is said, “We have not found that G-d speaks with any woman except with Sarah” (Jerusalem Talmud, Sotah 7a). Avraham fulfilled Sarah’s will after he received Divine permission, and Sarah did everything that Avraham taught her.
They listened to each other and in this lay their strength – they were one.
HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook taught we are to learn from Sarah’s deep wisdom and insight. We, the descendants of Sarah, say to the descendants of Hagar: “Understand that you can dwell in our Land and live in our country. But do not forget who the masters are.”\
This declaration on the surface may be painful and embarrassing, but it is the truth. We are the descendants of Sarah. She is the source. The offspring of Yishmael are the descendants of Hagar. Each nation has its place. We also learn from Sarah that the experiences of the fathers are a sign for the children (Ramban on Bereshit 12:6; ibid. 12:10). There is no contradiction between the household wisdom of Sarah and the fact that she is the mother of all mankind. She was a person who felt responsible and worried about everyone, just like our father Avraham who was concerned about all humanity and negotiated with the Master of the Universe on the punishment of Sodom (Bereshit 18:23–33).
Avraham converted men, converting them to belief, to ethical rectitude and connection to G-d. He wandered throughout the land (ibid. 12:9) to speak with as many people as he could (See Rambam, Laws of Idol Worship 1:3). He wrote many books of which only one remains, profound and mysterious, the “Book of Creation” (Sefer Ha-Yetzirah; See Kuzari 4:15). His helpmate all these years was Sarah who converted women. Our Sages question how the letter “yud” happened to be detached from her name, transforming it from Sarai to Sarah. The name Sarai has a personal possessive meaning, my princess.
Later she was transformed to the princess of the whole world [Sarah]. Sarah sent away Yishmael after an exhaustive and responsible deliberation. There was no possibility of guiding him with a gentle hand. As long as Hagar did not understand what her place should be, there was no room for her in Avraham’s house. Much later, the Torah relates that Avraham married another woman whose name was Keturah (Bereshit 25:1). Some say that Keturah was Hagar and that she had repented. Yet she did not enter the tent of Sarah (Bereshit Rabbah 61:4); Rashi on Bereshit 25:1). She came to know her specific place.
A lesson for today.
[Translated by Rabbi Mordechei Tzion, sent to Arutz Sheva by Tzvi Fishman]