Chayei Sarah

Chayei Sarah, Chaye Sarah, Ḥayye Sarah, or Ḥayyei Sara, is the fifth weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 23:1–25:18. The parashah tells the stories of Abraham's negotiations to purchase a burial place for his wife Sarah and his servant's mission to find a wife for Abraham's son Isaac.
The parashah is made up of 5,314 Hebrew letters, 1,402 Hebrew words, 105 verses, and 171 lines in a Torah Scroll. Jews read it on the fifth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in November, or on rare occasion in late October.

Readings

In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or, aliyot. In the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible, Parashat Chayei Sarah has three "open portion" divisions. Parashat Chayei Sarah has one "closed portion" division within the "open portion" division of the second reading. The long first open portion spans the first five readings. The second open portion coincides with the sixth reading. The third open portion coincides with the seventh reading.

First reading—Genesis 23:1–16

In the first reading, Sarah lived 127 years and died in Hebron, and Abraham mourned for her. Abraham asked the Hittites to sell him a burial site, and the Hittites invited him to bury his dead in the choicest of their burial places. Abraham asked the Hittites to intercede for him with Ephron, son of Zohar, to sell Abraham the cave of Machpelah at full price. Before the Hittites at the town gate, Ephron offered to give Abraham the field and the cave that was in it, but Abraham insisted on paying the price of the land. Ephron named the value of the land at 400 shekels of silver, and Abraham accepted Ephron's terms, gave him the silver, and purchased the land. The first reading ends here.

Second reading—Genesis 23:17–24:9

In the second reading, Abraham thus established his title to the land through purchase, and he buried Sarah in the cave. Abraham was old and instructed his senior servant to put his hand under Abraham's thigh and swear by God that he would not take a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites, but would go to the land of Abraham's birth to get Isaac a wife. The servant asked if the woman did not consent to follow him to Canaan, should he take Isaac back to the land from which Abraham came? Abraham told him on no account to take Isaac back there, for God—who took Abraham from there and promised Abraham the land of Canaan for his offspring—would send an angel before the servant and allow him successfully to get a wife for Isaac from there, and if the woman did not consent to follow him, he would then be clear of his oath. So the servant put his hand under Abraham's thigh and swore to him as Abraham had asked. The second reading ends here.

Third reading—Genesis 24:10–26

In the third reading, the servant took Abraham's bounty and ten of Abraham's camels and traveled to Aram-Naharaim, the city of Nahor. He made the camels kneel by the well outside the city at evening, when women come out to draw water. The servant asked God to grant that the maiden whom he would ask to draw water for him and who replied by also offering to water his camels might be the one whom God had decreed for Isaac. He had scarcely finished speaking when Rebekah, the beautiful virgin daughter of Abraham's nephew Bethuel, came out with her jar on her shoulder, went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. The servant ran toward her and asked to sip a little water from her jar, and she quickly let him drink, and when he had drunk his fill, she offered to draw water for his camels until they finished drinking. When the camels had finished drinking, the servant took a gold nose ring and two gold bands for her arms and asked her whose daughter she was and whether there was room in her father's house for him to spend the night. She identified herself and told him that there was plenty of straw and feed and room at her home for him to spend the night. The servant bowed low to God. The third reading ends here.

Fourth reading—Genesis 24:27–52

In the fourth reading, the servant blessed God for steadfast faithfulness to Abraham. Rebekah ran and told everything to her mother's household. Rebekah's brother Laban ran out to the servant at the spring, and when he saw the nose-ring and the bands on Rebekah's arms, and when he heard his sister tell the story, Laban invited the servant to their house, had the camels unloaded and fed, and had water brought to bathe the feet of the servant and his party. But the servant would not eat before he had told his tale. The servant told how God had greatly blessed Abraham with sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and asses, and a son and sole heir. The servant told how Abraham made him swear to go to Abraham's kindred to get Isaac a wife and that God would send an angel to make his errand successful. And the servant told how he met Rebekah at the well. The servant then asked whether or not they meant to treat Abraham with true kindness, and Laban and Bethuel answered that God had decreed the matter and Rebekah could go and be Isaac's wife. The servant bowed low to God. The fourth reading ends here.

Fifth reading—Genesis 24:53–67

In the fifth reading, the servant brought out silver, gold, and garments for Rebekah and presents for her brother and her mother. Then the servant and his party ate, drank, and spent the night. The following day, the servant asked to leave to return to Abraham, but Laban and her mother requested that Rebekah remain for a period of time. The servant persisted, so they called Rebekah to ask her, and she agreed to go. So they blessed Rebekah—wishing that her children be thousands of myriads and seize the gates of their foes—and they sent off Rebekah and her nurse with the servant. Isaac had just come back from the vicinity of Beer-lahai-roi to his home in the Negeb and was out walking in the field toward evening when he looked up and saw camels approaching. Raising her eyes, Rebekah saw Isaac, alighted from the camel, and asked the servant who the man was. The servant said that Isaac was his master, so she covered herself with her veil. The servant told Isaac everything that had happened, and Isaac brought her into Sarah's tent and took her as his wife. Isaac loved Rebekah and found comfort after his mother's death. The fifth reading and the long first open portion end here with the end of chapter 24.

Sixth reading—Genesis 25:1–11

In the sixth reading, in chapter 25, Abraham took another wife, named Keturah, who bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Abraham willed all that he owned to Isaac, but to his sons, by concubines, he gave gifts while he was still living, and he sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the East. Abraham lived 175 years and died old and contented. Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah with Sarah. After Abraham's death, God blessed Isaac and he settled near Beer-lahai-roi. The sixth reading and the second open portion end here.

Seventh reading—Genesis 25:12–18

In the seventh reading, Ishmael had 12 sons, who became chieftains of 12 tribes. In the maftir reading that concludes the parashah, Ishmael lived 137 years and then died. Ishmael's progeny dwelt in lands all the way from Havilah, near Egypt, to Asshur. The seventh reading, the third open portion, and the parashah end here.

Readings according to the triennial cycle

Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle of Torah reading read the parashah according to the following schedule:

	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
	2022, 2025, 2028...	2023, 2026, 2029...	2024, 2027, 2030...
Reading	23:1–24:9	24:10–52	24:53–25:18
1	23:1–4	24:10–14	24:53–58
2	23:5–7	24:15–20	24:59–61
3	23:8–12	24:21–26	24:62–67
4	23:13–16	24:27–33	25:1–6
5	23:17–20	24:34–41	25:7–11
6	24:1–4	24:42–49	25:12–15
7	24:5–9	24:50–52	25:16–18
Maftir	24:5–9	24:50–52	25:16–18

In inner-Biblical interpretation

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:

Genesis chapter 23

Kiriath-arba, mentioned in Genesis 23:2, literally means “village of Arba.” Joshua 14:15 explains that Arba was the great man among the Anakites. Similarly, Joshua 15:13 reports that Arba was the father of Anak, and Joshua 21:11 tells that Arba was the father of the Anokites.
The 400 shekels of silver that Abraham paid Ephron the Hittite to buy the cave of Machpelah and adjoining land in Genesis 23:14–16 far exceeds the 100 pieces of silver that Jacob paid the children of Hamor for the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent outside the city of Shechem in Genesis 33:18–19; the 50 shekels of silver that King David paid Araunah the Jebusite for Araunah's threshing floor, oxen, and wood in 2 Samuel 24:18–24 ; and the 17 shekels of silver that Jeremiah paid his cousin Hanamel for his field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin in Jeremiah 32:7–9.
The cave of Machpelah in which Genesis 23:18 reports Abraham buried Sarah later became the burial site for Abraham himself and thereafter Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob.

Genesis chapter 24

The story of Abraham's servant's mission to get a wife for Isaac is told twice, once by the narrator in Genesis 24:1–27, and then a second time by Abraham's servant in Genesis 24:34–48. Isaac Abrabanel and other commentators noted a number of differences between the two recountings.

Genesis 24:1–27 As Told by the Narrator	Genesis 24:34–48 As Told by Abraham's Servant
¹ And Abraham was old, well stricken in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.	³⁵ And the Lord has blessed my master greatly; and he is become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, and silver and gold, and men-servants and maid-servants, and camels and asses. ³⁶ And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him has he given all that he has.
² And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, that ruled over all that he had: "Put, I pray you, your hand under my thigh.	³⁴ And he said: "I am Abraham's servant.
³ And I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.	³⁷ And my master made me swear, saying: You shall not take a wife for my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell.
⁴ But you shall go to my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son, even for Isaac."	³⁸ But you shall go to my father's house, and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son.
⁵ And the servant said to him: "Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land; must I bring your son back to the land from which you came?"	³⁹ And I said to my master: ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.'
⁶ And Abraham said to him: "Beware you that you do not bring my son back there.
⁷ The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house, and from the land of my nativity, and who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying: ‘To your seed will I give this land'; He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.	⁴⁰ And he said to me: The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you, and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father's house;
⁸ And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you shall be clear from my oath; only you shall not bring my son back there."	⁴¹ then shall you be clear from my oath, when you come to my kindred; and if they do not give her to you, you shall be clear from my oath.
⁹ And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
¹⁰ And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed; having all good things of his master's in his hand; and he arose, and went to Aram-Naharaim, to the city of Nahor.
¹¹ And he made the camels to kneel down without the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water. ¹² And he said: "O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray, good speed this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.	⁴² And I came this day to the fountain, and said: ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now You do prosper my way that I go:
¹³ Behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water ¹⁴ So let it come to pass, that the maiden to whom I shall say: ‘Let down your pitcher, I pray, that I may drink'; and she shall say: ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also'; let her be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant, even for Isaac; and thereby shall I know that You have shown kindness to my master."	⁴³ behold, I stand by the fountain of water; and let it come to pass, that the maiden that comes forth to draw, to whom I shall say: ‘Give me, I pray, a little water from your pitcher to drink'; ⁴⁴ and she shall say to me: ‘Both you drink, and I will also draw for your camels'; let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.
¹⁵ And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. ¹⁶ And the maiden was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her; and she went down to the fountain, and filled her pitcher, and came up. ¹⁷ And the servant ran to meet her, and said: "Give me to drink, I pray, a little water of your pitcher."	⁴⁵ And before I had done speaking to my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the fountain, and drew. And I said to her: ‘Let me drink, I pray.'
¹⁸ And she said: "Drink, my lord"; and she hastened, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. ¹⁹ And when she had done giving him drink, she said: "I will draw for your camels also, until they have done drinking." ²⁰ And she hastened, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels.	⁴⁶ And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said: ‘Drink, and I will give your camels drink also.' So I drank, and she made the camels drink also.
²¹ And the man looked steadfastly on her; holding his peace, to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
²² And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; ²³ and said: "Whose daughter are you? tell me, I pray. Is there room in your father's house for us to lodge in?" ²⁴ And she said to him: "I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor."	⁴⁷ And I asked her, and said: ‘Whose daughter are you?' And she said: ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' And I put the ring upon her nose, and the bracelets upon her hands.
²⁵ She said moreover to him: "We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in."
²⁶ And the man bowed his head, and prostrated himself before the Lord. ²⁷ And he said: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master; as for me, the Lord has led me to the house of my master's brethren.'	⁴⁸ And I bowed my head, and prostrated myself before the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son.

Abraham's servant's meeting of Rebekah at the well in Genesis 24:11–27 is the Torah's first of several meetings at watering holes that lead to marriage. Also of the same type scene are the meeting of Jacob and Rachel at the well in Genesis 29:1–12 and the meeting of Moses and Zipporah at the well in Exodus 2:15–21. Each involves a trip to a distant land, a stop at a well, a young woman coming to the well to draw water, a heroic drawing of water, the young woman going home to report to her family, the visiting man brought to the family, and a subsequent marriage.