Posted on 11/03/20
The malochim told Sarah in Bereishis 18:10 we will return in a year and she will have a child. Sarah heard the besurah from behind the door. Why did the malochim have to say this news to Sarah? Avraham was already told straight from Hashem in Parshas Lech Lecha that he will have a child with Sarah. Why did Avraham not tell Sarah?
There are a few answers to explain this. The Meshech Chochma says that the reason Sarah was punished for laughing at the nevuah and Avraham was not punished is because Avraham heard it straight from Hashem. In that case, things could change as a result of sins, so he therefore was entitled to laugh. Many opinions say that Sarah heard it from the Navi, Avraham. In that case, the nevuah has to be mekuyam, so she had no right to laugh. This answer is does not fit according to the Ramban since the Ramban says that Avraham did not tell her. A second tirutz is based on the Ramban’s position that Avraham did not tell Sarah, as the posuk in Amos 3:7 says that Hashem won’t do anything unless he reveals the secret to his servants, the neviim. Avraham did not want to ruin the nevius that Sarah was going to receive. A third tirutz, also based on the Ramban, says that Avraham was very occupied doing the mitzvah of bris milah, so he had no time to tell Sarah the news.
A fourth tirutz is based on the Zos Hatorah 71. Avraham felt that if he would tell Sarah by himself, she won’t believe it, and thereby cause her to get punished, so he felt it should come from Hashem and then she would believe it. Ultimately, it came from Hashem and she still did not believe it and was punished, hereby giving credence to the famous pisgam, “ A mentch tracht un G-D lacht.” A fifth answer is that Avraham was worried that if he will tell Sarah, there might be a change and he didn’t want to cause her unnecessary pain. We find both after a gezeira tova and a gezeira ra’a; that based on the actions of the people involved, things can change. This was a risk Avraham was unwilling to take. A sixth answer is that he wanted her to continue to daven, thereby guaranteeing that she will have a child.
The seventh answer is that Avraham was an anav and did not want to show off that Hashem appeared to him also. We know that Sarah was greater than Avraham in nevius, as it says in Rashi on the posuk, “Whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her.” Avraham felt it would be ga’aveh to say to her, Hashem told me and not you.
An eighth answer is based on the Divrei Shaul who brings a Ramban and Ran that say that before mattan Torah a navi was not allowed to tell people the nevius he was told. A ninth answer is based on the minhag of the velt that we don’t say a besura tova until it actually happens so it should happen in a good way, as we find Yaakov told the shevatim, “Lama tisra’u.” Despite the fact that at that time the family of Yaakov had enough food, he still commanded his children not to show it off. This is all so that the satan should not be mekatreg and people should not be jealous and possibly cause an ayin hora.
May we be zocheh to hear and have besoros tovos! May the besurah of the Geulah come speedily!
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