The “lives” of Sarah

“And Sarah lived a hundred, and twenty, and seven years.”

The lives of Abraham and Sarah are intertwined with the spiritual changes in the Universe. In particular, the life of Sarah is the beginning of the revelation of Strength, when one requires spiritual perfection of himself and of others. It is well known that the name Sarah means “Princess,” and therefore she is connected to the level of the Crown, or Perfection. That is indicated by the letters of her name spelling “Rosh”, or “Head,” meaning the head of all. That is the symbolism of the 100, the letter yud (10 sefirot, with Keter, Crown being the highest) times yud (10*10).

Sarah’s twenty years represent Wisdom (Chochmah, starting with the letter chet, or 8), and Understanding (Binah, starting with the letter Bet, or 2). Since these are found in Crown, represented by the letter Yud, 10, we have twenty.

Seven are the six sefirot represented by the human body. Since they are lower than the Crown, the Crown’s ten is not added to them, but instead it is only 1, representing their unity.

Initially these years were called “Sarah’s lives,” because she was destined to live this lifespan. However, after she has lived them out, with everyday’s spiritual intensity, they were now called “years of Sarah’s life,” because in the whole world these were now years colored and influenced by her presence.

Art: Peter Paul Rubens - Portrait of Princess