EXTRA · classical (not a TT unit)

Chayei Sarah 23:1 · EXTRA

Parashas Chayei Sarah · Passuk 23:1

The Complete Passuk

וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה׃

Sarah’s lifetime—the span of Sarah’s life—came to one hundred and twenty-seven years.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Bereshit Rabbah 58:1 / Rashi on Bereishis 23:1 (classical source on this passuk; not listed as a numbered Torah Temimah unit here).

Lemma / focus: ויהיו חיי שרה.

Sefaria

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה (בראשית כג, א), (תהלים לז, יח): יוֹדֵעַ ה' יְמֵי תְמִימִם וְנַחֲלָתָם לְעוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהֵן תְּמִימִים כָּךְ שְׁנוֹתָם תְּמִימִים, בַּת עֶשְׂרִים כְּבַת שֶׁבַע לְנוֹי, בַּת מֵאָה כְּבַת עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה לְחֵטְא. דָּבָר אַחֵר, יוֹדֵעַ ה' יְמֵי תְמִימִם, זוֹ שָׂרָה שֶׁהָיְתָה תְּמִימָה בְּמַעֲשֶׂיהָ, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן כַּהֲדָא עֶגְלְתָא תְּמִימָה, וְנַחֲלָתָם לְעוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה, מַה צֹּרֶךְ לוֹמַר שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה בָּאַחֲרוֹנָה, לוֹמַר לְךָ שֶׁחָבִיב חַיֵּיהֶם שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם בָּעוֹל…

English: Just as they [the righteous] are perfect, so their years are perfect: at twenty she was like a seven-year-old in beauty; at one hundred she was like a twenty-year-old with regard to sin.

On the daf / in context: The repeated word “year” after each numeral is taken to teach that each stage of Sarah’s life is evaluated on its own: sinless at one hundred as at twenty, and beautiful at twenty as at seven.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (midrash aggadah) — not a formal named middah of the 13: the repeated “shanah” is read as requiring separate evaluation of each age-band.

What Is Learned

Sarah’s years are described as perfect: free of sin at one hundred as at twenty, and of the beauty of a child at twenty; each stage of her life stands complete in its own right.