11
votes
Accepted
Why is Sarah rebuked for laughing whereas Avraham is not?
The commentators have several different approaches here. [Sources are from a shiur my father gives. Text copied either from Sefaria (first two) or his sourcesheet (last two).]
Rashi's take (17:17), ...
- 23k
5
votes
Accepted
The abduction of Sarah Immeinu
Radak says that in those days, the only legal way to sleep with somebody's wife was to kill her husband on some pretext. The people believed they were sinning every time they slept with her, but ...
- 20.7k
5
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Articulation of resh with dagesh
There was a geminated resh at least during the Second Temple Period. In fact, there was a time where even the gutterals were geminated. Resh eventually became unable to receive dagesh (in the Tiberian ...
- 3,546
5
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Is Sarah old and withered, or young and attractive when Abimelech captures her?
Rashbam on Genesis 18:12:1:
עדנה - יתעדן הבשר ויתפשטו הקמטין.
Sefaria translation:
עדנה, a form of the skin becoming elastic and the wrinkles
straightening out.
This concept is supported by
...
- 70k
5
votes
Accepted
Why did Yitzchok use the same subterfuge for his wife that had not worked for Avraham?
The subterfuge was actually successful. Yitzchak was afraid of the people of the country and the trick worked until they had been there for long enough to get careless and get caught.
Toldos 26:7 - ...
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4
votes
Why was Sarah surprised?
Rav Hirsch points out that this was not a matter of disbelief in Hashem but the sudden shock caused her to laugh. Rav Hirsch implies that this laughter was from the same root cause as the laughter ...
- 42.9k
4
votes
Accepted
Who was Iscah mentioned in Beresheit?
The Talmud in Megillah 14a states that Yiskah is Sarah:
ואמר ר' יצחק יסכה זו שרה ולמה נקרא שמה יסכה שסכתה ברוח הקדש שנאמר כל
אשר תאמר אליך שרה שמע בקולה ד"א יסכה שהכל סוכין ביופיה
and R. ...
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4
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Are there any opinions about Yitzchak's parentage, or other children from Sarah?
It is safe to say there are no such opinions because they would contradict explicit pesukim
She certainly had no children from Pharoah. The Torah explicitly says she had no children after the story ...
- 4,893
4
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Why didn't Abraham tell Isaac and Sarah about God's commandment to sacrifice Isaac?
The scenario was clearly somewhat of an ethical dilemma that Avraham had to balance. The Yalkut Shimoni, Parshas Vayera 98 notes:
באותה שעה הרהר בלבו אברהם אם אני מודיע לשרה נשים דעתן קלה ואם לא ...
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4
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Accepted
Why does God appear to Avraham about Sarah’s laughter?
The Chizkuni explains that Avraham was worthy of rebuke above that of Sarah. Avraham also laughed at the notion of having children at such an old age, and his behaviour required more of a response ...
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3
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Why did Sarai & Abram have the slave Hagar?
How did the Egyptian handmaid named הָגָר Hagar [Bereshit 16:1] become servant to שָׂרַי Sarai ?
Rashi [1] believed : "She [Hagar] was a daughter of Pharaoh; when he saw the miracles which had ...
- 1,378
3
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Why did Sarai & Abram have the slave Hagar?
The [midrash][1] says after Avraham and Sara visited Egypt, Pharoh was so impressed with them that he gave his daughter (Hagar) to them as a slave. It was better for her to be a slave in Avrahams ...
- 2,515
3
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What was the name of Sarah's mother?
As @Zvi mentioned it is mentioned in the Sefer למכסה עתיק (Rav Chaim Kanievski)that Sarah's name was Yiska Bas Tissa(not sure pronunciation).
This is the footnote 44:
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Is Sarah old and withered, or young and attractive when Abimelech captures her?
Consider Rashi, Chizkuni and Rav Hirsch explaining why Parshas Chayei Sarah gives her age as 100 and 20 and 7. The comment in Chayei Sarah is that at 100 she was like 20 and at 20 she was like 7. Thus,...
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2
votes
Accepted
Sarah nursing idolaters' children
The woman is permitted to nurse if she has too much milk and it hurts (see Shul.Ar. YD 154, 2).
The Talmud quoted says that
נעשה נס בשרה אמנו ונפתחו דדיה כשני מעיינות והניקה את כולם
"her breasts ...
- 1,495
2
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If Sarah's anger was only toward Ishmael, then could Sarah have halakhically asked Abraham to only expel Ishmael?
Sforno says that Yishmael's taunting was initiated by his mother, Hagar.
גרש האמה הזאת ואת בנה, seeing that what the son did was at the instigation of his mother. He spread lies about Yitzchok’s ...
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2
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Does Hashem speak Lashon Hara about Sara?
You ask that all aspects of the question presented by the OP be addressed. So first, to restate the specific points enumerated from the OP:
is Hashem indeed speaking L'H, and
is this only permissible ...
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2
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(Why) did Sarah allow herself to be put in a compromising situation
The Zohar (part 1, 81b-82a) says that Avraham saw the Shechinah with Sarah, and therefore knew that she'd be safe:
רַבִּי יֵיסָא אָמַר יָדַע הֲוָה אַבְרָהָם דְּכֻלְהוּ מִצְרָאֵי שְׁטִיפִין אִנּוּן ...
- 7,781
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Abraham's female partners
Interestingly, Radak believes the passage does not refer to any of Abraham's 8 sons, but to the sons of the concubines of his male servants:
He had no concubines from whom he had fathered children, ...
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2
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Why did Sarah demand to expel Hagar?
As far the latter part of your question, as to Avraham could remarry her....
It says in Bereishis 25:1
וַיֹּ֧סֶף אַבְרָהָ֛ם וַיִּקַּ֥ח אִשָּׁ֖ה וּשְׁמָ֥הּ קְטוּרָֽה׃
Avraham took another wife, and ...
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1
vote
Accepted
Why Abraham noticed Sarah's beauty in Egypt?
Similary, the Midrash Tanchuma (Lech Lecha 5) describes how the behaviour of Avraham changed when he entered Mitzrayim:
When they reached the Egyptian border, and were standing on the bank of the ...
- 8,770
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vote
Why did Sarai & Abram have the slave Hagar?
So, according to the Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (26:7), Sarai was taken to the Pharaoh in order to be his wife and because of his love for Sarai, he wrote in her marriage document all his wealth. Not only ...
- 8,770
1
vote
Why not interpret consistently the way the age at death is expressed?
Rav Hirsch actually compares the usage at the death of Avraham with the usage at the death of Sarah He states that the two lived life fully with every day significant ימי שני חיי. On the other hand ...
- 42.9k
1
vote
Why was Sarah surprised?
Rav Yosef Yehudah, the son of the Sorotzkin Rebbe, gives I think a nice explanation to this question in his sefer Magged Yosef. Long story short, she wasn't surprised. She was faking it, as will be ...
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1
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If Sarah's anger was only toward Ishmael, then could Sarah have halakhically asked Abraham to only expel Ishmael?
Rabbi Hertz among others point out that the sending away of Yishmael and his mother was the official method at that time of disinheriting the child of a concubine. This is similar to the gifts given ...
- 42.9k
1
vote
Why does God Tell Abimelech that he is innocent?
Partial answer for now, as you have asked a series of questions:
This answers Q5 as well as the question in your title:
Or Hachaim on Gen. 20:2 cites Maimonides rule that a Ben Noach (non-Jew) that ...
- 70k
1
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Why is Sarah rebuked for laughing whereas Avraham is not?
Actually, I think it is obvious that there are two different laughters being spoken of. Avraham Avinu heard it from Hashem Himself. Obviously, Avraham is not laughing off Hashem's word. His laughing ...
- 4,988
1
vote
Pharaoh should have asked for his presents back when he found out that Soroi was Abram's wife?
An article on thetorah.com describes how it was the perceived duty of the Egyptian king to keep cosmic balance. The article suggests that after accidentally taking Sarai, Pharaoh had to do something ...
- 9,777
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Why did Sarah banish Hagar and Yishmael - Meaning of צחק
Sarah demanded that Avraham banish (geresh) Hagar and Ishmael, while Avraham sent (shalach) them away because Sarah saw Ishmael making sport of Isaac (laughing at the idea that Isaac would inherit ...
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