Shabbat Parashat Vayeira - 5782

Shabbat Parashat Vayeira - 5782

Rabbi Hal Miller

And he said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year and behold,

Sarah your wife will have a son." [Bereishit 18:10]

The conversation between the angels and Avraham has many seemingly odd

portions. In our verse, the head angel tells Avraham that he (unspecified as to

whether that means the angel or God Himself) will return. He tells him when, in

the Hebrew, "ca'eit chayah". But it is not clear what those two words mean.

Many commentators translate it as "same time next year", but others disagree.

The kof prefix (ca') usually means like, or as. It can mean when, or possibly at

or about. The word eit can mean time or season. Chayah means life, and

sometimes refers to specific animals or animals in general. Combining these

possibilities gives us many options, but none of them fit together very well.

Rashi interprets it, "there will be life", referring to a newborn son. Alternatively

he says, "like this time which will be living for you", meaning that all of you

will be sound and alive. Onkelos is similar, "when you are alive", promising

that Avraham and Sarah will live out the year. Thus ca'eit chayah would mean

"at this time, alive", to which he adds "when you are". He also indicates that

this may be an idiom for "after a life cycle" or "at the end of a pregnancy".

Radak generalizes, "At about this time of year next year." Sforno puts it in

context of the entire chapter, "At the time of each and every circumcision."

Ramban looks at verse 14, "At the appointed time I will return to you", though

regarding a different question, but indicates that this helps us in our question

too. "Appointed time" is a phrase used for holidays, cyclic events that happen

each year in a specific season. Our verse, then, has nothing to do with animals,

rather with a cycle of life. Rav Hirsch agrees, saying, "as the present moment

recurs in the living cycle of time, so I will return." Ramban continues with what

he calls the "soundest" explanation, that God was saying that He would bring

back this very season, they would be alive, and Sarah would have a son,

meaning in effect a "do-over", bringing them back to the same point in time.

Abarbanel, more or less following Ramban, sees it in context of kindness to

Sarah. The angels had come for a visit, and the custom was that the lady of the

house, accompanied by her son, would serve visitors. Since Sarah had no son,

she was unable to follow the custom. Thus the angels were promising her, next

time we drop by, you'll be able to do it. Thus ca'eit chayah refers to her being

able to fulfill this life event. Many options, and the Torah means them all.