Guest Columnists
"Listen to Her Voice"

“Sarah died in Kiryat-Arba which is Hebron in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to eulogize Sarah and to cry for her.” (Genesis: 23:2)

On this verse, the Zohar points out that Sarah represents the body and Abraham, the soul.

Sarah died—the body died.

In Kiryat-Arba—arba (which means "four" in Hebrew) symbolizes the four basic elements of every physical being: fire, spirit, water and dust.

Which is Hebron—Hebron comes from the Hebrew word mechubar, "connected." While the body is alive, these four elements are connected.

And Abraham came to cry for her—even after the soul leaves the body, they are still related and thus the soul cries over its separation.

Sarah represents the body and Abraham, the soul There is another verse associated with Sarah, our Matriarch. It is very well known in my house and is often quoted by all the children from a young age, thanks to my mother who is also named after our matriarch Sarah (not a coincidence)! She used to declare loud and clear (and still does when she finds it necessary): “Whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice” (Genesis 21:12). And my mother would add a comment to those biblical words: “The Rebbe said this applies to all Jewish women.”

Regardless of the fact that every woman on earth would gladly accept this verse as a rule, a question still remains regarding what the Zohar says about Sarah representing the body, the physical and materialistic part of us. Is that the Torah vision? Should we always listen to our materialistic voices, and run after all our desires and ambitions? Doesn’t the Torah teach us about souls, higher purposes, G-dly aspirations, selflessness and divine missions which lead us to a more spiritual life?

The Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement, brings an explanation from another verse to teach us how the body and soul should join forces, put aside years of war, and be capable of reaching their individual goals.

When a Jew is walking on the road and he sees his enemy's donkey—in Hebrew, donkey comes from the word chomer, "material." The soul sees her enemy, the body,

lying under its burden—struggling with the heavy load it is determined to carry through life, all the do's and dont's of Torah and Jewish law,

Help the donkey!—commands the Torah. Don't leave him on the road, don't take the load off of him, help him carry it. Don't leave the physical behind! (Hayom Yom, Shevat 28, on Exodus 23:5)

Be spiritual. Listen to Sarah. Listen to your body. Use it. Use your animalistic drives and earthly achievements for G-dly missions. That’s exactly what G-d wants from you.

Today it is hard to see the holiness in physicality, but we are still waiting for the days when all eyes will see the glory of G-d filling the whole universe. That’s the legacy of our matriarchs and patriarchs; their experiences are eternal inspirations in our daily lives. They had an appetizer of the World-to-Come in this world. But we, too, can taste it a little.

(And for all the women out there, now more than ever, we can know that we are always right!)