Shabbat Parshat Chaye Sarah - 5763
Sarah and Jewish Humor

The Parshah begins with what could be an excerpt from the eulogy delivered by Avraham Avinu for his beloved wife, Sarah Imenu, “Sarah’s lifetime was one hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years...” (Bereshit 23:1) RASHI cites the Midrash from Bereshit Rabbah 58:1, “At the age of one hundred, she was as innocent as she was at twenty... and at the age of twenty she was as beautiful as she was at the age of seven.” It continues with the story of Rivkah’s entrance into the Family of Avraham, as Yitzchak’s wife, because her sterling characteristics qualified her as a worthy partner with Sarah among the Mothers of Israel. When Eliezer brought Rivkah to Yitzchak and she entered the tent of Sarah, three indicators of the Divine Presence: the encampment of a Cloud of Glory at the entrance to the tent, the fact that the Shabbat lamp remained lit all week, and that blessing was always to be found in the dough, that had been present during the lifetime of Sarah, but had ceased with her death, all returned.

What was so very special about Sarah Imenu?

Apparently, one of those things was that together with her husband, she was uniquely endowed with the gift of “Tzchok,” Laughter, the ability to laugh and to inspire laughter. They had a sense of humor, a sense of the absurd. The root word of “Tzchok” is “Tzadi,” “Chet,” “Kuf” – and it appears first in the Bible in connection with Avraham and Sarah. When HaShem tells Avraham that Sarah will give birth after a lifetime of barrenness, his initial reaction is “And he fell upon his face and he laughed.” (Bereshit 17:17) When Sarah hears the miraculous news, her reaction is similar, “And Sarah laughed inwardly...” (Bereshit 18:12)

After the Brit Milah of Yitzchak, the Chumash records Sarah’s words of joy, “And Sarah said, ‘Laughter has the L-rd made for me. Anyone who hears of it will laugh for me.’ And she continued, ‘Who could have said to Avraham, that Sarah would give suck – that I would bear him a son in his old age?!’ ” (Bereshit 21:6-7)

And indeed, the joy that came into the world at that time was of a boundless nature, “Many barren women were remembered by G-d with her, many sick people were healed on that day, many prayers were answered together with hers, and much joy came into the world.” (Bereshit Rabbah 53:8) In fact, the description is similar to that of the Revelation at Mt. Sinai, where the Midrash says that many sick people were also healed, so that they could fully appreciate the joyful event of the arrival into the world of the Torah.

To be an effective teacher, one must have a sense of humor, in order to engage the hearts of the students. One can imagine the infectious smiles of “Morah” Sarah and “Rabbi” Avraham, as they “created souls in Charan” (Bereshit 12:5), Avraham “converting” the men to monotheism and Sarah “converting” the women.

“Tzchok” is one of those words in Hebrew that have double meanings – the basic meaning, and its opposite. For example, the word “Chessed” means loving-kindness (and Avraham is indeed considered the “Pillar of Loving-Kindness in the world). But loving-kindness overflowing without boundaries, becomes an “abomination.” One out of the approximately three hundred occurrences of that word in the Bible has that opposite meaning: “But if a man live with his sister ... it is an abomination.” (Vayikra 20:17)

The vast majority of the words whose root is “Kuf,” “Dalet,” “Shin” mean or have the connotation of holiness. But there is also a word, derived from the same root, and related to one of the powerful life-forces built into a human being that one is commanded to sublimate; namely, the sexual drive, except that it involves a perversion of that drive. That word is “kedeshah,” meaning prostitute.

Similarly, in the case of laughter, there is a negative side; namely, “mocking,” which is captured accurately in the English expression “laughing at,” rather than “laughing with.” As one who introduced laughter into the world, Sarah was extremely sensitive to its perversion, as on the day that Avraham and Sarah made a feast celebrating the weaning of Yitzchak, we find “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian woman, mocking.” (Bereshit 21:9) Her reaction was swift in coming, “And Sarah said to Avraham, ‘Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of that bondwoman will not inherit with my son, with Yitzchak.’ ” (Bereshit 21:10)

In fact, mockery is forbidden, except in the case of idol-worship. When he receives reproof from his own donkey (BaMidbar 22:28), the pagan prophet Bilaam is being mocked by G-d. “He Who sits in the heavens laughs; the L-rd has them in derision.” (Psalms 2:4) Eliyahu HaNavi, in his confrontation with the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18:20-40), mocks his opponents, “...Call louder, perhaps he (the Baal) is in the bathroom, or on a journey; perhaps he is asleep, so that you can wake him up.” (I Kings 18:27) Otherwise, one is not allowed to abuse the gift of speech by descending into mockery.

We await “Techiyat HaMetim,” the Revival of the Dead, when once again we will hear the sweet laughter of Sarah our Mother. And before that, the time of the Mashiach, about which David HaMelech prophesied, “Then will our mouths be filled with laughter, and our tongues with songs of praise.” (Psalms 126:2)

Rabbi Pinchas Frankel

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