In our parasha this week, Chayyei Sarah, we read of the death of Sarah. When we look back at Sarah’s life, we see a woman who lived a long life with a man she loved, with whom she travelled and supported in his endeavors. Her family meant everything to her, and her son, Isaac, was the center of her life. Sarah is a powerful figure, and a strong personality, but she rarely spoke. There are whole segments of the story of Abraham where she doesn’t appear. Based on the Torah itself, one could think Sarah was a minor, insignificant character. When she did speak however Sarah had great authority.
The Mussar middah of Anavah (humility) teaches us that strength and power can come from quiet, unexpected places. Dena Weiss, a Talmud scholar, offers a text which reminds me of both Anavah and Sarah.
In Talmud there is [A story of] one old woman who came before Rav Nahman. She said to him, “The Exilarch and all of the Rabbis of his house are sitting in a stolen sukkah!” She cried out, but he paid no attention to her. She said, “A woman whose father had 318 servants is crying out before you and you don’t pay attention to her?!” (Sukkah 31a)
‘In this story, an older woman, who does not have high social status, feels confident in bringing her case against the most powerful political figures of her community—the Exilarch’s household and the Rabbis close to him—to one of the most powerful Rabbis at the time, Rav Nahman himself. And indeed, even when Rav Nahman does not heed her claim that their sukkah was stolen from her, she will not be silenced because she is the descendent of a man who has 318 servants. According to Rashi,6 this anonymous wealthy ancestor is Avraham. This woman’s awareness of herself as Avraham’s descendant is what empowers her to demand what she believes is her right and allows her to assert herself before those who would dismiss her.’ (Dena Weiss)
Both the woman in the Talmud and Sarah, our matriarch, are examples of women who knew their own strength and power, and chose to use it judiciously, and perhaps unexpectedly. This Shabbat, I invite us to appreciate the strength and power within us, and use those strengths wisely and well. May we find the ability to speak from a place of integrity and honesty to affect change for the good in our lives and our world.
I wish us a Shabbat full of the awareness of our capabilities,
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Marcia Plumb
Congregation Mishkan Tefila 384 Harvard St. Brookline, MA 02446
