The Lifetime of Sarah

1.’ And the lifetimes of Sarah was a hundred years and twenty years and seven years; the years of the lifetimes of Sarah-וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה (4743=18 counting final Mems as 600).

The verse can be divided so:

·         And the lifetimes of Sarah was a hundred years- וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָהמֵאָה שָׁנָה(971=17=8);

·         And twenty years and seven years, the years of the lifetimes of Sarah- וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה (3772=19=10=1 or +7 words=26=8 counting final Mems as 600).

The word "lifetimes of Sarah" is written twice in the verse, once at the beginning and once at the end. Thus is a very big hint that she had a "double" life and that her soul was to return from the Eighth Sphira. This is also proven from the following gematria:

Lifetime of Sarah-Lifetime of Sarah

חַיֵּי שָׂרָה- חַיֵּי שָׂרָה

1066+4 words=1070=8

Rashi comments here that the years were written in three stages to teach us that at one hundred years old Sarah was like a twenty year old who has not sinned and not liable to punishment and when she was twenty years old she was as a seven year old with regard to beauty (Beraishit Rabbah 58.1). All the years of Sarah’s life were equal in goodness.

 

The gematria of the word “one hundred”- מֵאָה is 46=1.

 

The gematria of the word “twenty”- עֶשְׂרִים is 620=8.

 

The gematria of the word “and twenty”- וְעֶשְׂרִים is 626=14=8.

 

The gematria of the words “and twenty years”- וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה is 981=18.

 

The gematria of the word “and seven”- וְשֶׁבַע is 378=18.

 

The gematria of the words “and seven years”- וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים is 1338+2 words=1340=8.

 

The gematria of the words “one hundred and twenty and seven”- מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים וְשֶׁבַע 1610=8 counting final Mem as 600.

 

The gematria of the words “a hundred years and twenty years and seven years”- מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים is 2160=1+8.

 

127= 10=1

 

The number 2160 is 10 the number of letters in the Explicit Name of Hashem (216). This is the Name that came into existence at the time of the "division" of the Name "Hai" (18) into two halves (1 and 8), the physical and the metaphysical worlds.

 

This is proven by the fact that the gematria of the word "half"- חצי is180. Thus two halves are 216.

 

The number 216 also corresponds to the volume in Tefachim (fists) of the Two Tablets of the Testimony that Moses received from Hashem on Mount Sinai. Each Tablet had a volume of 108 Tefachim. The joint volume (6*6*6 Tefachim) is 216.

 

We can thus understand from this gematria of 2160 that the age of Sarah in this lifetime had been fulfilled. Her soul had reached perfection in this current state and it was time to return at another level to complete the work of World Rectification in the body of Rivkah.

 

The words “the years of the life of Sarah”- שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה can be understood as “twice the life of Sarah”.

 

We read that she had two lifetimes- שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה. These two lifetimes relate to the life she had before the birth of Isaac (at 90 years old) and the life she had after his birth (37 years).

 

The joint gematria of the words:

·         Ninety-    תשעים =820
·         Thirty-     שלשים =680
·         Seven-        שבע  =372

1872 =18

 

Although Rashi states that all the years of Sarah’s life were equal in goodness, nevertheless it is self -evident that the 37 years after the birth of Isaac were her happiest and full of laughter as she calls him Isaac which means “He shall laugh” and after his birth Sarah says“Hashem has made laughter for me whoever hears will laugh for me”-וַתֹּאמֶר שָׂרָה צְחֹק עָשָׂה לִי אֱלֹהִים כָּל הַשֹּׁמֵעַ יִצְחַק לִי.

 

The number 37 corresponds to the three upper Sphirot of the metaphysical world and the 7 Lower Sphirot of the physical world. Thus in these years she was complete.

 

The joint gematria of the words “thirty”- שלשים and “seven”- שבע is 1052 = 8.

 

From all the above gematriot we can conclude that the soul of the Prophetess Sarah Immenu emanated from an extremely lofty place in the Eighth Sphira as is proven by the following gematria:

·         Sarah-                 שָׂרָה=505=10=1

·         Prophetess- נביאה   =68=14=8

573+2 words=17=8