Living Anew

 

And the life of Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years; )(these were] the years of the life of Sarah.                                                                                   Genesis 23:1 The reason the word “shana” (year) is written with every detail is to tell you that each detail is to be explained by itself: at the age of one hundred Sarah was as a twenty-year old, without sin – just as at age twenty-one is considered as not having sinned (since that is the age of punishment); at age twenty, she was as beautiful as at age seven.        Rashi, based upon Breishit Rabba

            Based upon Rashi’s comment, the repetition of the word “shana” conveys that there is a measure of equivalence among all the years of Sarah’s life.

            Rebbi Natan, the spiritual successor of Rebbi Naḥman of Breslov, writes:

The essential aspect of personal perfection is that one begins living (anew) at all times; even when one reaches old age, he should still consider himself a child who has just begun to live and serve God. In such a way, one continually renews his service of God.

            Sefat Emet [Parashat Ḥayye Sarah, 5653] comments that each stage of a person’s physical development conveys its own positive attributes; for example, as one ages, he becomes wiser and more deliberate in decision-making, while the advantage of youth includes a greater level of energy and enthusiasm. The way of the world is that the qualities of the various stages of development do not exist simultaneously within a given individual, but each quality is unique to a particular stage. However, “The completely righteous possess all manner of perfection throughout their lives.” The meaning of the equivalence of all the years of Sarah’s life is that at each stage of her life she was able to combine the positive qualities of all the stages.