By Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk
Our Devri Torah is in the loving Memory of Mr. Donald Wayne Belk and Mr. Gary Lee Belk, may they rest in peace.
Parshat Chayei Sarah
Bereisheit [Genesis] 23.1 - 25.18
Our Parshat begins with these three Words hr:c; yy´j Wyh]yiwæ Vah Yeeh Yoo - Chah Yay Sarah {And it was the lifetime of Sarah}. One should inquire, What was the lifetime of Sarah? In so doing they would find these three words reveal rich treasures. The Gematria of Vah Yeeh Yoo - Chah Yay Sarah is 570. Why is 570 so special?
570 = h5 r200 c300 - y10 y10 j8 - w6 y10 h5 y10 w6
570 = r200 v300 [70
570 = ˆ50 y10 [70 µ40 m40 ˆ50 y10 v300
570 = r200 [70 v300
570 = [70 v300 r200
570 = [70 r200 - r200 x90 y10
570 = r200 v300 n50 k20
570 = µ40 y10 q100 w6 - y10 j8 - ˚20 l30 m40 - ˆ50 y10 n50 p80 l30 - y10 n50 a1 - h5 d4 w6 m40
First 570 represents what the lifetime of Sarah our Matriarch was. Sarah Emeinu, our mother's, lifetime was one of great wealth. Sarah Emeinu's life was filled with richness. How do we know this? rvæ[; Aw Shahr means to be rich. Aw Shahr is the Gematria 570. So the Gematria of the entire lifetime of Sarah Emeinu and the Gematria to be rich equals both are 570. From this Mysticism we learn that every second of Sarah Emeinu's life was one of wealth. Every second of Sarah Emeinue's life was one of richness.
Shlomo Ha Melech [King Soloman] said in Mishlei [Proverbs] 31.10 An accomplished woman [wife] who can find? Far beyond [rich] pearls is her value.
Our sages Teach Sarah's tent was Sarah's Temple. Sarah Emeinue brought Holiness into her home. Her home was no ordinary tent. It had extraordinary qualities: A cloud [the Shechinah] of Holiness [resting over it], doors which proclaimed their openness to all passers-by, a blessing in her dough, a Shabbath lamp that remained lit all week long. These miracles were not Abraham's doing; they ceased with Sarah's death. Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and Rabbi Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Tanach Series - Bereishis Vol. I(b) (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 3rd Impression, 1989), p 832
The Shechinah over Sarah's Home represented that this was a holy home. G-d's Presence Rested over it. The home was protected! There were special blessings of satisfaction in Sarah's dough that flowed out to the entire community. Just as the bread of the Bet HaMikdosh {the Holy Temple} Brought prosperity and abundance to B'nei Yisroel so did Sarah's bread. Sarah's Shabbat candles represented spiritual growth that would begin with each Erev Shabbat and last all week. When Sarah Emeinu died all of these vanished. With Sara's death the Cloud of Glory over the tent vanished, the blessing in the dough ceased, and the candle that had burnt in the tent from one Erev Shabbas to the next was extinguished. Rabbi Moshe Weissman, The Midrash Says (Brooklyn, New York: Benei Yakov Publications 1980), p. 210
You find that as long as Sarah lived a cloud hung over her tent; when she died, that cloud disappeared; but when Rebekah came, it returned. As long as Sarah lived, her doors were wide open; at her death liberality ceased; but when Rebekah came, the openhandedness returned. As long as Sarah lived, there was blessing on her dough, and the lamp used to burn from the evening of the Shabbath until the evening of the following Shabbath; when she died, these ceased, but when Rebekah came they returned. Rabbi Dr. H. Freedman, Midrash Rabba Genesis II (New York, NY: The Soncino Press 1983) p 538
Within Gematria there is a particular mysticism known as Gematria Miluy in which one totals all the normal Gematria Letters in a word or phrase. Such is the instance with the Word Shema {Hear}. This reveals the wealth of Sarah's prophecy. Notice the seventeenth Hebrew Word of Bereisheit [Genesis] 21.12. It is [mæv] Shih Mah. Rashi points out that it is from this Passuk of Ha Torah that we learn Avraham was inferior to Sarah with regard to prophecy. Rabbi Avrohom Davis / Rabbi Avrohom Kleinkaufman, The Metsudah Chumash / Rashi (Hoboken, NJ: KTAV Publishing House, Inc. 1993) p221
The entire spelling for [mæv] Shih Mah is ˆy[ µm ˆyv. The Gematria for the Miluy of Shema is 570. Here we observe the wealth of Sarah's prophecy.
The life of Sarah Emeinu was a lifetime of paying her tenth to Shem the son of Noach {Noah} who was a Kohen {a Priest} of the Most High Alm-ghty and who was also known as Malki Tzedek {King of Righteousness}. Rabbi Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, The Sapirstein Edition Rashi Bereisheit / Genesis {Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. First Edition 10th impression 2007}, p 139
How do we know this? Shem was the head of the tribe that Avraham belonged to. As head of the tribe he was a priest. Who does one pay their tithes to? A Kohan {a Priest} of the Most High G-d! Today in place of a Priest we pay tithes to good organizations and good causes. Yet the point is that we are supposed to pay tithes. rcæ[; Aw Sar means to tithe to pay a tenth. The Gematria of Aw Sar is 570. Sarah Emeinu paid tithes all her lifetime! She set a good example for all her children to follow!
There are many other Gematrias that relate the wealth of Sarah Emeinu. She kept evil away from her door. Shlomo Ha Melech writes in Mishlei {Proverbs} 31.31 Let her be praised in the µyri[;v]bæ Vah Shih Aw Ree {gates} by her very own deeds! Vah Shih Aw Ree is plural for Shah Ahr {gate}. Shah Ahr is the Gematria 570. We know that Sarah Emeinu's home was holy! Holiness began at the gate entrance to Sarah's tent area. Remember G-d Instructed Kayin {Cain} Sin is crouching at your door, Bereisheit 4.7. We must keep the [v;r... Raw Shaw evil at a distance. The Message G-d Was Giving to Kayin is the same message for all of us. Keep the Raw Shaw outside of our Temple! Be aware that the Raw Shaw is waiting outside our Temple to try and pounce on us, G-d Forbid! Our mother Sarah, was successful in keeping the evil checked at the gate entrance. The Gematria for Raw Shaw is 570. Sarah kept her [r... rx,ye Yay Tzehr Raw in check. Our sages teach that Sarah was perfect! The only way Sarah Emeinu could be perfect was to have a firm control on her evil inclination! This she did! This is all a part of the wealth of Sarah. She soared on wings like eagle Isaiah 40.31. rv,n≤K] Cih Neh Shehr, Like an eagle she stirred her nest hovering over her young, Devarim 32.11. Sarah was all of these Gematrias in one. Then Sarah prayed! She begin her day with prayer. µy...qæw" yjæ ˚l≤m, ˚'yn≤p,l] yniaæ hd≤wm... And the vast wealth of Sarah goes on and on. Avraham in part was great because of Sarah!
May every lady merit to be like Sarah and may every husband merit a wife like Sarah!
Blessings and peace,
Dr. Akiva Gamliel
