Shabbat Shalom!
Welcome to Chayei Sarah /Life of Sarah - this week’s Torah reading


Prophecy 41, 82, 120;
Genesis 23:1-25:18;
1 Kings 1:1-31;
John 4:3-14;



Genesis 23:1-25:18

1 And the life of Sarah was a hundred and twenty seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.
2 And Sarah died in Kirjath Arba, it is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
3 And Abraham rose up from before his dead and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,
4 I am an alien and a visitor with you. Give to me a possession among you, so that I may bury my dead from before the eyes.
5 And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
6 Hear us, my master. You are a prince of ELOHIM among us. Bury your dead in the best of our burying places. Not a man of us will withhold his burying place from you, from burying your dead.
7 And Abraham rose up and bowed himself to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth.
8 And he spoke with them, saying, If it is your desire to bury my dead out of my sight, hear me. Ask for me of Ephron the son of Zohar,
9 that he may give to me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is in the edge of his field. In full silver let him give it to me among you, for a possession of a burying place.
10 And Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. And Ephron the Hittite replied to Abraham in the ears of the sons of Heth, to all those entering the gate of his city, saying,
11 No, my master, hear me. I have given the field to you; also the cave that is in it. I have given it to you. Before the eyes of the sons of my people I have given it to you. Bury your dead.
12 And Abraham bowed before the people of the land,
13 and spoke to Ephron in the ears of the people of the land, saying, Only if you would hear me. I have given the silver for the field; take it from me, that I may bury my dead there.
14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,
15 My master, hear me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that between me and you? And bury your dead.
16 And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver of which he had spoken in the ears of the sons of Heth, four hundred silver shekels which passes with the merchant.
17 And was certified the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the cave and the field in it, and all the trees in the field, which were in all its borders around it,
18 to Abraham for a purchase before the sons of Heth, with all entering the gate of his city.
19 And after this Abraham buried his wife Sarah at the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre; it is Hebron, in the land of Canaan.
20 And the field was certified, and the cave in it, to Abraham for a burial possession from the sons of Heth.

*~Genesis Chapter 24 ~*


1 And Abraham was old, going on in days, and YAHUVEH had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 And Abraham said to his slave, the oldest in his house, the one who ruled in all that was to him, Please put your hand under my thigh.
3 And I will cause you to swear by YAHUVEH, ELOHIM of the heavens and ELOHIM of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, among whom I dwell.
4 But you shall go to my country and to my kindred and take a wife for my son, for Isaac.
5 And the slave said to him, Perhaps the woman will not be willing to go after me to this land; shall I indeed bring back your son into the land from out of which you came?
6 And Abraham said to him, Take heed for yourself that you not take my son back there.
7 YAHUVEH, ELOHIM of the Heavens, who took me from the house of my father and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, I will give this land to your Seed; He shall send His Messenger before you, and you shall take a wife from there for my son.
8 And if the woman will not be willing to go after you, then you shall be clear from this oath of mine; only do not take my son back there.
9 And the slave put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore to him concerning this thing.
10 And the slave took ten camels from his master’s camels and left. And all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he rose up and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
11 And he made the camels kneel outside the city, by a well of water at the time of the evening, the time that women go out to draw.
12 And he said, YAHUVEH, ELOHIM of my master Abraham, I pray, cause her to meet before me this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13 Behold! I am standing by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
14 And let the girl to whom I shall speak this: Please let down your pitcher that I may drink; and she will say, Drink and also I will water your camels; let it be her You have approved for Your servant, for Isaac. And by this I shall know that You have shown kindness to my master.
15 And it happened before he had finished speaking. Behold! Rebekah came out, she who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham, with her pitcher on her shoulder.
16 And the girl was very good of form, a virgin, a man not having known her. And she went down to the well and filled her pitcher and came up.
17 And the slave ran to meet her and said, Please let me sip a little water from your pitcher.
18 And she said, Drink, my master. And she hurried and let down her pitcher on her hand and gave him a drink.
19 And she finished giving drink to him. And she said, I also will draw for your camels until they have finished drinking.
20 And she hurried and emptied her pitcher into the trough. And she again ran to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.
21 And watching her, the man kept silent in order to know if YAHUVEH had prospered his way, or not.
22 And it happened when the camels had finished drinking, the man took a golden ring, its weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her hands, ten of gold their weighing.
23 And he said, Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to stay in your father’s house?
24 And she said to him, I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.
25 And she said to him, Both straw and fodder are plentiful with us, also a room to pass the night.
26 And the man bowed and worshiped YAHUVEH.
27 And he said, Blessed be YAHUVEH, ELOHIM of my master Abraham, who has not left off His kindness and His truth with my master, I being in the way, YAHUVEH guided me to the house of the brother of my master.
28 And the girl ran and told these things to the house of her mother.
29 And Rebekah had a brother, his name being Laban. And Laban ran out to the man, to the fountain.
30 And it happened when he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s hands, and when he heard his sister’s words, Rebekah, saying, So the man spoke to me, then he came to the man and saw him standing by the camels at the fountain.
31 And he said, Come in, blessed of YAHUVEH! Why are you standing outside? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.
32 And the man came into the house. And he unloaded the camels and gave straw and fodder to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.
33 And food was set before him to eat, but he said, I will not eat until I have spoken my message. And he said, Speak.
34 And he said, I am the slave of Abraham.
35 And YAHUVEH has blessed my master much, and he is great. And He has given to him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and male slaves and slave-girls, and camels and donkeys .
36 And my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and he has given to him all that is his.
37 And my master caused me to swear, saying, You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in whose land I live.
38 But you shall go to the house of my father and to my family and you shall take a wife for my son.
39 And I said to my master, Perhaps the woman will not go after me.
40 And he said to me, YAHUVEH, before whom I walk, will send His Messenger with you and prosper your way. And you shall take a wife for my son from my family, from my father’s house.
41 Then you shall be released from my oath, when you have come to my family, and if they do not give one to you; then you shall be released from my oath.
42 And today I came to the well. And I said, YAHUVEH, ELOHIM of my master Abraham, I pray, if You will, prosper the way in which I am about to go.
43 Behold! I stand at the well of water, and when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher,
44 and she says to me, Both you drink and also I will draw for your camels, may she be the woman whom YAHUVEH has approved for my master’s son.
45 Before I had finished speaking within my heart, even behold, Rebekah was coming out, her pitcher on her shoulder. And she went down to the well and drew. And I said to her, Please let me drink.
46 And she hurried and let down her pitcher from her and said, Drink, and I also will water your camels. And I drank, and also she watered the camels.
47 And I asked her and I said, Whose daughter are you? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him. And I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands.
48 And I bowed and worshiped YAHUVEH, and I blessed YAHUVEH, ELOHIM of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the true way, to take for his son the daughter of the brother of my master.
49 And now, if you are going to do kindness and truth with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me so that I may turn to the right or to the left.
50 And Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing has come from YAHUVEH; we are not able to speak to you good or evil.
51 Behold! Rebekah is before you, take her and go. And let her become the wife of the son of your master, as YAHUVEH has spoken.
52 And it happened when the slave of Abraham heard their words, he bowed himself to the earth to YAHUVEH.
53 And the slave brought out vessels of silver and vessels of gold and garments, and he gave to Rebekah. And he gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.
54 And they ate and drank, he and the men who were with him; and they stayed the night. And they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away to my master.
55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the girl stay with us, perhaps ten days. Afterwards she may go.
56 And he said to them, Do not delay me, for YAHUVEH has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.
57 And they said, we will call the girl and inquire of her mouth.
58 And they called Rebekah and said to her, Will you go with this man? And she said, I will go.
59 And they sent away their sister Rebekah, and her nurse, and Abraham’s slave and his men.
60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, Our sister, may you become myriads of thousands, and may your seed possess the gate of the ones hating them.
61 And Rebekah and her maidens rose up, and they rode on the camels and went after the man. And the slave took Rebekah and went.
62 And Isaac had come from the gate Lahai-Roi . And he was dwelling in the land of the Negev.
63 And Isaac had gone out to meditate in the field as it turned evening. And he raised his eyes and looked. And behold, camels were coming.
64 And Rebekah lifted her eyes and she saw Isaac. And she dismounted from the camel.
65 And she said to the slave, Who is this man walking in the field to meet us? And the slave said, It is my master. And she took the veil and covered herself.
66 And the slave told Isaac all the things that he had done.
67 And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah. And he took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. And Isaac was comforted after his mother.

*~Genesis Chapter 25 ~*


1 And Abraham added and took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
2 And she bore to him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 And Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim and Leummim.
4 And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah.
5 And Abraham gave all that was his to Isaac.
6 And to the sons of the concubines who were to Abraham, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away eastward, from his son Isaac, while he was still alive to an eastern land.
7 And these are the days of the years of the life of Abraham, which he lived, one hundred seventy five years.
8 And Abraham breathed out and died in a good old age, aged and satisfied, and was gathered to his people.
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him at the cave of Machpelah, at the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite which is before Mamre,
10 the field which Abraham bought from the sons of Heth. Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there.
11 And it happened after the death of Abraham, ELOHIM blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac lived by The Well of the Living One, My Seer.
12 And these are the generations of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, the slave-girl of Sarah, bore to Abraham.
13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the first-born of Ishmael was Nebajoth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
14 and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
15 Hadad, and Tema, and Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these their names in their settlements and in their camps, twelve chiefs according to their nations.
17 And these were the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred thirty seven years. And he breathed out and died, and was gathered to his people.
18 And they lived from Havilah to Shur, which is facing Egypt as you come toward Assyria; he settled facing all his brothers.