Adult Learning Group in Williamsburg: Chayei Sarah

About this event

Please spend a moment and let Marilyn know if you plan to join the group on Sunday, November 8th at 1 pm behind the Williamsburg General Store. In the meantime, here are some thoughts to explore about Chayei Sarah from The Five Books of Miriam for you to prepare and ponder:

5 Books of Miriam: Sarah’s death, the first Jewish burial, triggered all the events that followed. At age 137 Abraham was old. Her death aged him. Then he turned his attention to marrying off Isaac. This is the first time in the Bible that a woman’s age is noted at her death.

Abraham’s servant Eliezer is sent to Charan, laden with gifts to find a wife for Isaac . At the village well, Eliezer asked God for a sign . When the maidens come to the well, he will ask for some water to drink. The woman who will offer to give his camels to drink as well shall be the one destined for his master’s son.

5 Books of Miriam: Eliezer’s test was designed to locate a woman discreet enough not to approach a stranger but bold enough to extend herself, once approached by him. This kind of cagey gumption is precisely what later enabled Rebecca to secure Jacob’s future by tricking Isaac and Esau out of the birthright.

5 Books of Miriam: Love did not come easily to Isaac. Ishmael hated him for dispossessing him. His father, Abraham, almost sacrificed him on Mount Moriah. Even Sarah could not stop Abraham from leading Isaac off to slaughter. How could Isaac trust his God-intoxicated father to choose a proper wife for him? After he married Rebecca and brought her into Sarah’s tent he discovered love can heal as well as wound.

5 Books of Miriam: Who is Keturah? She was only a child when she married Abraham. She was told her name was full of stories. Her name is related to incense. Some say her name means circle or wreath and therefore she may be of royal descent, a princess like Sarah. One of her children is Midian, who will be influential in the biblical story later on.