The Death of Sarah and the Binding of Isaac: The Evolution of a Midrashic Tradition (Hebrew)

• In Event: Bible and its Aftermaths

Abstract

Sarah, the wife of Abraham, unlike many other women of the Bible, is accorded extensive representation in the verses of the Torah in most of the family stories and even in accompanying Abraham on his journeys to Egypt and Gerar. Alongside Sarah's extensive representation, her absence from the foundational narrative with an acute familial aspect – the command for the binding of Isaac, the walking of the father and son to Mount Moriah, and their peaceful return home – is perplexing. Sarah's absence from the binding of Isaac narrative, as the central figure in Abraham's household whose life would be most extremely affected should Abraham comply with the command of the binding, cries out to the heavens. In this Lecture, I aim to give voice to Sarah's silenced perspective on the binding narrative", attempting to grapple with the following questions:

1. Why did the biblical interpreters, who tended to extol Sarah's praises, not see fit to bridge the scriptural silence regarding Sarah's role in the binding episode?
2. What prompted the midrashic portrayal of Sarah's exposure to the binding plan, and why did they choose to time her exposure upon the return of the father and son from Mount Moriah?
3. What is the significance of the differences between the traditions in depicting how Sarah was informed of the binding event, and what do they teach about the background that led to the development of these traditions?
4. Does the parallel awakening of interest in Jewish and Christian literature regarding the silencing of Sarah's voice suggest a Jewish-Christian polemic?

Author

• Brachi Elitzur, Herzog Academic College