Parashat Chayei Sara.

Genesis 23:1 to 25:18 · fifth portion of the book of Genesis

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When is it read?

diaspora and IsraelSaturday, November 27, 2027 Saturday, November 11, 2028 Saturday, November 3, 2029

Opening verses

וַיִּהְיוּ֙ חַיֵּ֣י שָׂרָ֔ה מֵאָ֥ה שָׁנָ֛ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים שְׁנֵ֖י חַיֵּ֥י שָׂרָֽה׃

23:1And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.

וַתָּ֣מָת שָׂרָ֗ה בְּקִרְיַ֥ת אַרְבַּ֛ע הִ֥וא חֶבְר֖וֹן בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַיָּבֹא֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם לִסְפֹּ֥ד לְשָׂרָ֖ה וְלִבְכֹּתָֽהּ׃

23:2And Sarah died in Kiriatharba—the same is Hebron—in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.

וַיָּ֙קָם֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֣י מֵת֑וֹ וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֶל־בְּנֵי־חֵ֖ת לֵאמֹֽר׃

23:3And Abraham rose up from before his dead, and spoke unto the children of Heth, saying:

Masoretic text and JPS 1917 translation.

The seven aliyot

Aliyah	Verses	Opening
1	Genesis 23:1 to 16	And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
2	Genesis 23:17 to 24:9	So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border thereof round about, were made sure
3	Genesis 24:10 to 26	And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed; having all goodly things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose, and went to Aram-naharaim, unto the city of Nahor.
4	Genesis 24:27 to 52	And he said: ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who hath not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD hath led me in the way to the house of my master’s brethren.’
5	Genesis 24:53 to 67	And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah; he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.
6	Genesis 25:1 to 11	And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah.
7	Genesis 25:12 to 18	Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s handmaid, bore unto Abraham.
Maftir	Genesis 25:16 to 18	these are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their villages, and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their nations.

Rashi on the first verse

וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים

And the life of Sarah was. 127 YEARS (literally, 100 years, 20 years and 7 years), The reason the word שנה is written at every term is to tell you that each term must be explained by itself as a complete number: at the age of one hundred she was as a woman of twenty as regards sin, for just as at the age of twenty one may regard her as having never sinned, since she had not then reached the age when she was subject to punishment, so, too, when she was one hundred years old she was sinless, and when she was twenty she was as beautiful as when she was seven (Genesis Rabbah 58:1).

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Zion Torah's English rendering of Rashi's commentary, CC BY-SA 4.0.