זוהר, חיי שרה כ״דZohar, Chayei Sara 24

Segment 1א׳

וַיְבִיאֶהָ יִצְחָק הָאֹהלָה שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי הַאי קְרָא קַשְׁיָא. הָאֹהלָה. לְאֹהֶל שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַאי הָאֹהֱלָה. דַּאֲהַדְּרַת תַּמָּן שְׁכִינְתָּא, בְּגִין דְּכָל זִמְנָא דְשָׂרָה קָיְימָא בְּעָלְמָא שְׁכִינְתָּא לָא אַעֲדֵי מִינָהּ, וּשְׁרַגָּא הֲוָה דְלִיקַת מֵעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת לְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת וְהֲוָה נָהִיר כָּל אִינוּן יוֹמֵי דְשַׁבַּתָּא, בָּתַר דְּמִיתַת, כָּבְתָה הַהִיא שְׁרַגָּא. כֵּיוָן דְּאָתַת רִבְקָה אֲהַדָּרַת שְׁכִינְתָּא וּשְׁרַגָּא אַדְלִיקַת. שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ, דְּדַמְיָא לְשָׂרָה בְּכָל עוֹבָדָהָא.

AND ISAAC BROUGHT HER INTO THE TENT (OF ) SARAH HIS MOTHER. R. Jose remarked: ‘The letter he at the end of the word haohelah (into the tent) is a reference to the Shekinah, which now returned to the tent. For during the whole of Sarah’s life the Shekinah did not depart from it, and a light used to burn there from one Sabbath eve to the other; once lit, it lasted all the days of the week. After her death the light was extinguished, but when Rebekah came the Shekinah returned and the light was rekindled. Thus the verse reads literally: “And he brought her into the tent-Sarah his mother”, the last phrase implying that Rebekah was in all her works a replica of Sarah his mother.’

Segment 2ב׳

רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר כְּמָה דְּדִיוּקְנֵיהּ דְּיִצְחָק הֲוָה כְּדִיוּקְנִיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם, וְכָל מַאן דְּחָמֵי לְיִצְחָק אָמַר דָּא אַבְרָהָם, וַודַּאי אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק, הָכִי נָמֵי רִבְקָה דִּיוּקְּנָהּ מַמָּשׁ הֲוַת דִּיוּקְנָא דְשָׂרָה, וּבְגִין כָּךְ שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ וַדַּאי.

R. Judah said: ‘Just as Isaac was the very image of Abraham, so that whoever looked at Isaac said, “there is Abraham”, and knew at once that “Abraham begat Isaac”, so was Rebekah the very image of Sarah. She was thus, so to say, in the phrase of our text, “Sarah his mother”.’

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בְּכֹלָּא הָכִי הוּא, אֲבָל תָּא חֲזֵי, רָזָא אִיהוּ דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּשָׂרָה מִיתַת, דְּיוּקְנָה לָא אַעֲדֵי מִן בֵּיתָא, וְלָא אִתְחֲזֵי תַּמָּן מִיּוֹמָא דְמִיתַת עַד דְּאֲתַת רִבְקָה, כֵּיוָן דְּעָאֳלַת רִבְקָה אִתְחֲזִיאַת דִּיוּקְנָא דְשָׂרָה, דִּכְתִיב וַיְבִיאֶהָ יִצְחָק הָאֹהלָה וְגו' מִיָּד שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ אִתְחֲזִיאַת תַּמָּן, וְלָא הֲוָה חָמֵי לָהּ בַּר יִצְחָק בִּלְחוֹדוֹי כַּד אָעִיל תַּמָּן, וְעַל דָּא וַיִּנָּחֶם יִצְחָק אַחֲרֵי אִמּוֹ (ס"א מאי אחרי אמו, אחרי) דְּאִמּוֹ אִתְחֲזִיאַת וְאִזְדַּמְּנָא בְּבֵיתָא, וְעַל דָּא לָא כְּתִיב אַחֲרֵי מִיתַת אִמּוֹ, אֶלָּא אַחֲרֵי אִמּוֹ.

R. Eleazar said: ‘All this is truly said. But observe a deeper mystery here. For, verily, although Sarah died, her image did not depart from the house. It was not, however, visible for a time, but as soon as Rebekah came it became visible again, as it is written, “and he brought her into the tent-Sarah his mother”, as much as to say, “and forthwith Sarah his mother made her appearance”. No one, however, saw her save Isaac, and thus we understand the words, “and Isaac was comforted after his mother”, that is, after his mother became visible and was installed in the house again.’