Vayeira 18:13 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 18:13

The Complete Passuk

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֑ם לָ֣מָּה זֶּה֩ צָחֲקָ֨ה שָׂרָ֜ה לֵאמֹ֗ר הַאַ֥ף אֻמְנָ֛ם אֵלֵ֖ד וַאֲנִ֥י זָקַֽנְתִּי׃

And Hashem said to Avraham, “Why is it that Sarah laughed, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am old?’”

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Bava Metzia 87a.

TT lemma: ואני זקנתי.

Sefaria — Bava Metzia 87a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וַאֲנִי זָקַנְתִּי. תָּנָא דְּבֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל, גָּדוֹל הַשָּׁלוֹם שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שִׁנָּה בּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַתִּצְחַק שָׂרָה לֵאמֹר וַאֲדֹנִי זָקֵן, וּכְתִיב דַּאֲמַר ה׳ אֶל אַבְרָהָם לָמָּה זֶּה צָחֲקָה שָׂרָה לֵאמֹר וַאֲנִי זָקַנְתִּי.

English: “When I am old.” A teaching of the school of Rabbi Yishmael: Great is peace, for even the Holy One, blessed be He, altered [a statement] for its sake. As it is said, “And Sarah laughed, saying, ‘…and my lord is old,’” yet when Hashem reported it to Avraham He said, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘…when I am old?’”

On the daf / in context: Hashem changed Sarah’s words from “my lord is old” to “I am old” in order to preserve peace between husband and wife.

Type of Learning

R’ Yishmael (school of) / Custom (peace takes precedence). The divine report deliberately softens the original wording.

What Is Learned

Peace is so great that even Hashem altered Sarah’s words—from “my lord is old” to “I am old”—so as not to strain the relationship between husband and wife.