בראשית רבה מ״זBereshit Rabbah 47

Section 1א׳

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים שָׂרַי אִשְׁתְּךָ וגו' (בראשית יז, טו), כְּתִיב (משלי יב, ד): אֵשֶׁת חַיִל עֲטֶרֶת בַּעְלָהּ, אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא בַּעֲלָהּ נִתְעַטֵּר בָּהּ וְהִיא לֹא נִתְעַטְּרָה בְּבַעֲלָהּ. רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי מָרְתָא לְבַעֲלָהּ. בְּכָל מָקוֹם הָאִישׁ גּוֹזֵר, בְּרַם הָכָא (בראשית כא, יב): כֹּל אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמַר אֵלֶיךָ שָׂרָה שְׁמַע בְּקֹלָהּ, אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קָרְחָה, יוּ"ד שֶׁנָּטַל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִשָּׂרַי, נֶחְלַק חֶצְיוֹ לְשָׂרָה וְחֶצְיוֹ לְאַבְרָהָם. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי יוּ"ד שֶׁנָּטַל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִשָּׂרַי הָיָה טָס וּפוֹרֵחַ לִפְנֵי כִּסְאוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אָמַר לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁאֲנִי קְטַנָּה שֶׁבָּאוֹתִיּוֹת הוֹצֵאתַנִּי מִשָּׂרָה הַצַּדֶּקֶת, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְשֶׁעָבַר הָיִית מִשְׁמָהּ שֶׁל נְקֵבָה וּבְסוֹפָן שֶׁל אוֹתִיּוֹת, עַכְשָׁיו אֲנִי נוֹתְנָךְ בִּשְׁמוֹ שֶׁל זָכָר וּבְרֹאשָׁן שֶׁל אוֹתִיּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יג, טז): וַיִּקְרָא משֶׁה לְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ. אָמַר רַבִּי מָנָא לְשֶׁעָבַר הָיְתָה שָׂרַי לְעַצְמָהּ, עַכְשָׁיו תְּהֵא הִיא שָׂרָה לְכָל בָּאֵי הָעוֹלָם.

“God said to Abraham: Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, as Sarah is her name” (Genesis 17:15). “God said to Abraham: Sarai your wife…” – it is written: “A woman of valor is her husband’s crown” (Proverbs 12:4). Rabbi Aḥa said: Her [Sarah’s] husband was crowned with her, but she was not crowned with her husband. The Rabbis say: She was her husband’s superior. Everywhere the man gives the orders; here, however, “Everything that Sarah says to you, heed her voice” (Genesis 21:12). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: The yod that the Holy One blessed be He took from Sarai was divided – half for Sarah and half for Abraham. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: The yod that the Holy One blessed be He took from Sarai soared and flew up before the throne of the Holy One blessed be He. It said before Him: ‘Master of the universe: Because I am the smallest of the letters, You have removed me from the righteous Sarah?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to it: ‘In the past, you were part of the name of a female and at the end of the letters; now I shall place you into the name of a male and at the beginning of the letters, as it is stated: “Moses called Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua [Yehoshua]” (Numbers 13:16). Rabbi Mana said: In the past she was a princess for her people. Now she will be a princess for all the inhabitants of the world.

Section 2ב׳

וּבֵרַכְתִּי אֹתָהּ וְגַם נָתַתִּי מִמֶּנָּה לְךָ בֵּן (בראשית יז, טז), רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר וּבֵרַכְתִּי אֹתָהּ לִתֵּן לָהּ בֵּן, וּבֵרַכְתִּיהָ לְבִרְכַת הֶחָלָב. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה וְכִי כְּבָר נִתְבַּשְׂרָה בֶּחָלָב וַהֲלוֹא עֲדַיִן לֹא נִתְעַבְּרָה, אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהֶחֱזִירָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִימֵי נַעֲרוּתֶיהָ. רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲנִינָא נוֹתֵן אֲנִי יִרְאָתָהּ עַל כָּל עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים, דְּלָא יְהוֹן מוֹנִין לָהּ וְצָוְוחִין דָּא עֲקַרְתָּא. רַבִּי יוּדָן בְּשֵׁם רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ עִקַּר מִיטְרִין לָא הֲוָה לָהּ, וְגָלַף לָהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עִקַּר מִיטְרִין. (בראשית יז, טז): מַלְכֵי עַמִּים מִמֶּנָּהּ יִהְיוּ, אָמַר רַבִּי חָמָא בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא מִיכָּן דָּרַשׁ אַבְרָהָם וְהֶחֱזִיר אֶת קְטוּרָה.

“I will bless her, and I will also give you a son from her; I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples will be from her” (Genesis 17:16). “I will bless her, and I will also give you a son from her; [I will bless her…]” – Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya, Rabbi Yehuda says: I will bless her by giving her a son, and I will bless her with the blessing of milk. Rabbi Neḥemya said to him: Was she already given tidings regarding milk? Why, she was not even pregnant yet. Rather, it teaches that the Holy One blessed be He restored her body to the days of her youth. Rabbi Abahu in the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina: [God said:] ‘I will impose fear of her over all the idolaters so that they will not torment her and call her the barren woman.’ Rabbi Yudan in the name of Reish Lakish: She did not even have a womb, and the Holy One blessed be He now carved out a womb for her. “Kings of peoples will be from her” – Rabbi Ḥama ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: From here Abraham expounded when he remarried Ketura.

Section 3ג׳

וַיִּפֹּל אַבְרָהָם עַל פָּנָיו וַיִּצְחָק (בראשית יז, יז), שְׁתֵּי פְּעָמִים נָפַל אַבְרָהָם עַל פָּנָיו וּכְנֶגְדָן נִטְּלָה מִילָה מִבָּנָיו שְׁתֵּי פְּעָמִים, אֶחָד בְּמִצְרַיִם וְאֶחָד בַּמִּדְבָּר. בְּמִצְרַיִם בָּא משֶׁה וּמָלָן. בַּמִּדְבָּר בָּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וּמָלָן. (בראשית יז, יז): וַיֹּאמֶר בְּלִבּוֹ הַלְּבֶן מֵאָה שָׁנָה יִוָּלֵד וגו', רַבִּי יוּדָן וְרַבִּי עֲזַרְיָה, רַבִּי יוּדָן אָמַר הַלְּבֶן מֵאָה שָׁנָה יִוָּלֵד, לָמָּה שֶׁשָּׂרָה הֲבַת תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה תֵּלֵד, הָאִישׁ אֵינוֹ מַזְקִין וְהָאִשָּׁה מַזְקֶנֶת. רַבִּי עֲזַרְיָה אָמַר אַף לָזֹאת לֹא נִצְרַךְ שֶׁהֲרֵי שָׂרָה בַּת תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה לֹא הִזְקִינָה. אֵי זוֹ הִיא זְקֵנָה כָּל שֶׁקּוֹרִין אוֹתָהּ אִמָּא פְּלָנִית וְאֵינָהּ מַקְפֶּדֶת.

“Abraham fell upon his face, and he laughed. He said in his heart: Shall a child be born to one who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” (Genesis 17:17). “Abraham fell upon his face, and he laughed” – Abraham fell on his face twice, and corresponding to them, circumcision was twice withheld from his descendants – once in Egypt and once in the wilderness. In Egypt, Moses came and circumcised them; in the wilderness, Joshua came and circumcised them. “He said in his heart: Shall a child be born to one who is one hundred years old?” Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Azarya, Rabbi Yudan said: “Shall a child be born to one who is one hundred years old” – why? Because “Shall Sarah, a ninety-year-old woman, give birth?” A man does not grow old, but a woman grows old. Rabbi Azarya said: Regarding this, too, it was not necessary, as Sarah at ninety years old had not grown old. What is an old woman? It is one whom they call: Mother So-and so, and she does not mind.