Rashi zt"l makes note of the unusual wording in the beginning of this week's parshah: after each 'unit' of the years in Sarah's life (i.e. the hundreds, the tens and the ones), the Torah repeats the word 'years' - i.e. "one hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years."

This wording is uncommon, and the only other time we find this 'age' format used in the Torah is in regard to Avraham Avinu's lifetime (written at the end of this week's parshah), where we are told, "And these are the years of Avraham's life which he lived: a hundred years and seventy years and five years" [Genesis 25:17].

In a footnote to the Artscroll Saperstein Edition of the Torah (with Rashi's Commentary elucidated), the Levush HaOrah points out that there are times when Scripture uses shanim or shana ["years"] only once when stating an age after the entire age number has been stated [see Exodus 6:16 and Exodus 6:18]. And there are other times when the Torah states "years" only twice:  Either once after the single units and once again after the tens and hundreds [see Genesis 5:17 and Genesis 47:28], OR once after the single units and tens and once again after the hundreds [see Genesis 5:20]. But only with regard to Sarah and Avraham does the verse mention "years" three times - after the hundreds, after the tens and after the single units.

In explanation of this unusual format, Rashi zt"l says that this is coming to teach us that each set of years takes on its own particular explanation: When Sarah was a hundred years old, she was like a twenty year old with respect to sin (i.e. without sin); and when Sarah was twenty years old, she was like a seven year old with regard to beauty [based on a Midrash in Bereshis Rabba 58:1].

Although many people are familiar with this well-known Rashi - what exactly does it mean?

First of all, it seems a bit strange that the Midrash would emphasize Sarah's 'beauty'. Don't we say every Friday night at our Shabbos table when singing Eishes Chayil ['A Woman of Valor', Proverbs 31:10-31], "Sheker hachain v'hevel hayofi, eeshah yiras Hashem hee tees'ha'lal - Grace is false and beauty is vain; a G-d fearing woman, she should be praised." So, why should the Midrash zero in on this particular middah here? We do know that Sarah was particularly beautiful; so much so that during their travels, Avraham and Sarah had to contend with Sarah's abductions by both Pharoah, King of Egypt [see Genesis 12:10-20], and Avimelech, King of Gerar [see Genesis 20:1-18] who both attempted to take Sarah to be their wife! And so it seems that Sarah's exceptional beauty and youthful countenance extended even beyond the 'twenty years' mentioned in the Midrash. Since we know that the Torah always emphasizes good middos (character attributes) over physical beauty (especially when relating the deeds of our forefathers and foremothers in sefer Bereshis), then why does the Torah and Midrash go out of its way to accentuate Sarah's beauty?

One of the most startling episodes of Sarah's miraculous youthfulness is found in the beginning of last week's parshah (Veyeira), when Avraham (and Sarah) are told by the visiting angel(s) that Sarah will finally conceive and bear a child - at the age of ninety! When overhearing of this incredible news, Sarah wonders, "Acharei v'losee, hy'sa li edna." How should we translate and interpret this very cryptic statement? The word 'eden' means 'time' and implies timelessness (as in Gan Eden - the Garden of times and timelessness). So here, Sarah says, "After I have physically become old, I (nevertheless) will be rejuvenated" and regain the ability to have children (which, according to another Midrash, she never ever had!). So, here we have a hint at the nature of Sarah's perpetual beauty and youthfulness: It is a special bracha from Hashem where Sarah is physically able to transcend time and the effects of aging (and perhaps also conferred to Avraham as well, as alluded to in the thrice-fold usage of the word "years" when reporting his death).

If this is so, then why were Avraham and Sarah afforded this very special bracha of transcendence?

The answer is given in the first part of the Rashi/Midrash given above:  When Sarah was a hundred years old, she was like a twenty year old with respect to sin. That is to say, Sarah lived a life of tziddkus that was practically unblemished by sin. The 'beauty' of Sarah's physical appearance mirrored the 'beauty' of Sarah's spiritual existence: since her soul was unblemished by sin, then her body was unblemished by the passage of time and also remained pure. 

There are other examples of righteous individuals transcending normal physical constraints:  Moshe Rabbeinu was able to survive for forty days without food or water on Har Sinai (when receiving the Torah) - on two separate occasions! It is said that Eliyahu Hanavi never actually died when he left this world, but rather entered in Gan Eden alive - only to reappear to other righteous individuals at various times throughout history (since Gan 'Eden', the Garden of 'Time', allows access and egress to all times without limitation). And, we are told that even after death, the physical bodies of righteous individuals do not decompose, but rather remain physically intact. This was the special bracha given to Sarah Imeinu: that her tziddkus allowed her to remain 'beautiful' and youthful (and free from sin), physically protected from the ravages of time.

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In the beginning of last week's parshah, we are told not less than three times [Genesis 18:1,3,10] that Avraham and Sarah were both sitting at the "pesach ha'ohel" - the entranceway to their tent. What were they doing there at the pesach? They were working together as a team in order to do chesed for all those who came along their path and strove to bring all they met closer to derech Hashem. When the malachim (angels) came to Avraham and Sarah's tent, they asked Avraham (who they met first), "ayei Sarah eesh'te'cha - where is Sarah, your wife?" Avraham answered: she is here, in the tent; we are partners in chesed, we work together to be m'karev ha'brios (bring all people closer to a religious perspective) and to do ratzon Hashem (the will of G-d). Rashi zt"l quotes a Midrash [Bereshis Rabba 48:15] that not only did G-d ask Avraham about Sarah, but also asked Sarah about the whereabouts and welfare of Avraham [see Genesis 18:9 and the drasha on the word eilav].

Taking a page out of R' David Foreman's book and his method of Biblical exegesis, it seems that the combination of the words pesach ("entranceway"), ayei and ayo ("where is so-and-so?") plus Sarah's use of the root word eden (as in "Gan Eden") all point to a post Gan Eden story where similar words are used:

Kayin (Cain) is annoyed that his brother's, Hevel (Abel), offering to Hashem has been found acceptable, while his has not [Genesis 4:6,7]. G-d tells Kayin, "Why are you annoyed and why has your countenance fallen? Is it not true that if you do good, you will be forgiven? But if you do not do good, at the entrance (the pesach) sin crouches; its longing is toward you, yet you will rule over it." However, Kayin does not rule over the sin crouching at the pesach and instead kills his brother, Hevel. G-d comes to him and asks, "ai Hevel a'chi'cha? - where is Hevel your brother?" Cain answers, "I don't know; am I my brother's keeper?" [Genesis 4:9].

Similar words - but a very different story! With Avraham and Sarah, instead of sin crouching at the door, there is only chessed and caring crouching at the door! Instead of not knowing or caring where their spouse was, both Avraham and Sarah know immediately and point out how they are always working together! Instead of fighting and killing, there is chessed and shalom bayis. Instead of expulsion and Divine displeasure, there is s'yata d'sh'maya (help from Heaven) and a special bracha of transcedence. And all this moves Sarah to ponder, "Acharei v'losee" - after we have withered from Divine displeasure - perhaps, "hy'sa li edna" - we will once again merit to have entrance to Gan Eden. It is in the merit of chessed and tziddkus and caring that we may once again merit all this - if we use our "openings" (pesachim) for growth and kindness and not for harm and destruction.

[Take note of the story of the malachim in Sodom and once again the words "Where are the men..." [Genesis 19:5] and multiple uses of the word pesach. However, in this story, the 'openings' are shut tight due to the extreme wickedness of the people of Sodom.]

Wishing everyone a wonderful Shabbos Kodesh from Yerushalayim, Ir Hakodesh