"And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah." (Bereshit 23.1) "The years of the life of Sarah." They were all equal in goodness. (Rashi)
"And these were the days of Abraham which he lived, one hundred years and seventy and five years." (Bereshit 25.7)
"And Abraham was old, advanced in days." (Bereshit 24.1)
Rabbi Acha said: "Some people grow old in age but not in days, some grow old in days but not in age. In this case, his age paralleled his days and his days paralleled his age."
The words "These were the years of the life of Sarah" appear, at first glance to be unnecessary in this verse. The beginning of the verse already states, "And the life of Sarah was." Rashi interprets this apparent redundancy to signify that all of Sarah's years were equally rich in spirit and full of goodness.
The Malbim, and other commentaries ponder the meaning of this repetition. The Malbim explains that man encompasses two distinct levels of experience: the level of intellect and spirituality, and the level of emotion and impulse. Man's superiority over the animal kingdom lies in his capacity to process experience on the intellectual, spiritual level. Emotion and impulse alone do not dictate his behavior. He elevates himself through a continual process of spiritual growth and creation. The special richness and fullness of Sarah's life stemmed from her ability to actualize herself on both levels of human experience.
In Abraham's case, the Torah says: "And these were the days of Abraham which he lived, on ehundred years and seventy years and five years." Here again, the words, "Which he lived" call for special interpretation, since the verse would apperar to be quite complete without them. The Midrash explains: "Some people grow old in age but not in dats, some grow old on days, but not in ahe. In this case, his age paralleled his days, and his days paralleled his age."
What is this Midrash telling us? Life can be measured quantitatively in terms of God's gift of years. But the Torah emphasizes the qualitative dimensions of Abraham's life. "And these were the days of Abraham" refers to the content of Abraham's days. His years were shaped by righteous deeds, caring for his fellow man, instilling faith in others, and standing strong in the face of trial.
The Talmud (Yonah 71a), referring to the verse in Proverbs (3.2), "For the length of days and years filled with life and peace will be granted you," asks: "Does this imply that some years are filled with life and others not?"
For some people, lives are measured only in years. Their lives are characterized by the passage of time. Lives filled with years. For others, in contrast, their years are filled with life. Their years are alive, vital. The Torah tells us that Sarah's life was not only measured in terms of her one hundred twenty seven years, but that each one of her years was full of life, purpose and blessing. In the span of the average lifetime, some years may be more eventful, more developing than others. Not all may be equally creative. The early years of life may be full of new learning; other years may be relatively void of personal growth, even wasteful. A man may live seventy years, only to live the same year seventy times. He stands in place. Only time passes.
Sarah's years were similar only to the extent that they were all filled with goodness. Even in her final year she continued in God's labor and in righteous deeds to her fellow man. We must ask ourselves whether our years are filled with life. How do we progress from year to year? To what new spiritual goals do we aspire? There are those who achieve long life in quantitative terms. We must also ensure that our years are filled with value and substance. As the Sages tell us (Brachot 18a): "The righteous, even in their passing are considered alive." A life that is long and a life that is full are, together, the formula for a life that is complete."
years and five years." Here again, the words, "Which he lived" call for special interpretation, since the verse would apperar to be quite complete without them. The Midrash explains: "Some people grow old in age but not in dats, some grow old on days, but not in ahe. In this case, his age paralleled his days, and his days paralleled his age."
