Parshat Chayei Sara "Sarah's life" November 8 - November 14, 2009

Parshat Chayei Sara "Sarah's life" · Genesis 23:1–25:18

Haftarah:    1 Kings 1:1-31

Supplemental Readings:

S	1 Samuel 10–12; Matthew 21
M	1 Samuel 13, 14; Matthew 22
T	1 Samuel 15, 16; Matthew 23
W	1 Samuel 17, 18; Matthew 24
Th	1 Samuel 19, 20; Matthew 25

Comments

[John Schutz]

In B'resheet (Genesis 25:5) We are told that Avraham had concubines (plural)... I think I've always glossed over that, not noticing the plurality, and also for some reason thinking of the passage dealing entirely of his new wife K'turah and her sons.

Now, I'm thinking that he had a new wife who had these sons listed by name, and he also had concubines (I wonder how many) who had children by him, and all of these children where sent off in like manner.

I would speculate that the sons of K'turah were given more than the others.

I was also thinking about how long he lived after Sarah died... She died at 127 and he died at 175. He was approximately 9 years older than she, so it seems that he lived in the neighborhood of 39 after she had passed on, so he didn't necessarily move on the K'turah and the others right away.

I know I'll miss my wife terribly if she happens to go first, but it's hard to imagine that much activity at such an old age...

It's a little different look at the spiritual father of our faith, in view of his culture.

Do you have any thoughts on this...?
Shalom, John

[John Schutz]

1. I’ve always wondered about this business of putting someone's hand under someone else's thigh when making an oath (see In B'reshit [Genesis] 24 and 47)?

The KJV Bible commentary indicates that 'thigh' is "a euphemism for the procreative organ." They say that this act “either symbolized that the yet unborn children would avenge any violation of the oath, or solemnized the oath in the name of the God who gave circumcision as the sign of His covenant” (Ryrie, p. 42; cf. 47:29 for the only other instance). KJV Bible commentary.

Is the word used here יָרֵךְ or is that just the root word? Is the meaning a general one that could mean thigh OR loins (that’s the sense I’m getting from Stong's...?

At 'Navigating the Bible' (bible.ort.org) it says "This was a form often used for an oath; see Genesis 47:29. According to Biblical idiom, children issue from the 'thigh' of the father (Genesis 46:26, Exodus 1:5, Judges 8:30), and hence, it is a euphemism for the procreative organ. According to Talmudic tradition, the servant was to place his hand near (Saadia; cf. Abarbanel) the holy sign of the covenant, just as in later times an oath would be made on a Torah scroll (Shevuoth 38b; Targum Yonathan; Rashi). According to some, it was a sign of obedience (Ibn Ezra).[b][/b]"

So, they seem to agree (for the most part). Do you agree/disagree with this or have any other input on the subject?

2. A scholarly friend responded:

The short answer is that I don't know :-)

My recollection from a class I took with Shaye Cohen on circumcision is that outside of the Hebrew Bible we have only one other extant reference to a person in an ancient near eastern context doing this. So, we cannot say that it was done often. Though conjecture, I would tend to agree that it is probably related to the organ of procreation, though not necessarily in relation to the covenant since there is precedent in the ANE more generally.

3. Then I received more insight on the ‘hand under the thigh’ issue; an interesting thought, posed as a question, from my father this time.
He says/asks:
Was he “Pointing to our salvation which was to come through their seed?”
Shalom, John