וַתְּכַחֵ֨שׁ שָׂרָ֧ה ׀ לֵאמֹ֛ר לֹ֥א צָחַ֖קְתִּי כִּ֣י ׀ יָרֵ֑אָה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ׀ לֹ֖א כִּ֥י צָחָֽקְתְּ׃
Entonces Sara negó diciendo: No me reí; porque tuve miedo. Y él dijo: No es así, sino que te has reído.
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Gen. 18:15:) FAR BE IT FROM YOU TO DO SUCH A THING! Let our master instruct us: Is it correct for someone to stand and pray < the Amidah > with frivolity? Thus have our masters taught (in Ber. 5:1):39See TBer. 3:21; yBer. 5:1 (8d); Ber. 31a. ONE STANDS TO PRAY < THE AMIDAH > ONLY WITH REVERENCE. David said (in Ps. 2:11): SERVE THE LORD WITH FEAR, AND REJOICE WITH TREMBLING. There is a story about a certain person who stood < for the Amidah > with frivolity and supported himself against the wall, but R. Samuel bar Nahmani turned him back. He said that he should not behave with frivolity. And so you find with the ancestors of the world. When they prayed, they would pray with fear. < It is > just as Moses said (in Deut. 9:18, 25): THEN I PROSTRATED MYSELF BEFORE THE LORD, when he was seeking mercy for Israel. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 32:11): BUT MOSES IMPLORED < THE LORD HIS GOD >. He girded his loins in prayer [to speak in defense40Gk.: synegoria. of Israel]. He said to him: Sovereign of the World, (according to Exod. 32:11-13) WHY DOES YOUR WRATH BURN AGAINST YOUR PEOPLE… ? WHY, O LORD, SHOULD THE EGYPTIANS SPEAK, < SAYING: WITH EVIL INTENT HE BROUGHT THEM OUT TO KILL THEM IN THE MOUNTAINS > … ? REMEMBER YOUR SERVANTS, ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND ISRAEL…. Hezekiah bar Hiyya said: It was not pleasing to the Holy One until Moses mentioned the merit of the ancestors. The Holy One said to him: Moses, if they had not had the merit of the ancestors, I would have destroyed them. You do not know how to plead merit. R. Pinhas bar Hama the Priest in the name of R. Simon and R. Abbin in the name of R. Aha said: What did the Holy One do? He put on his prayer shawl, like the representative (shaliah) of a congregation [when he is passing] before the ark (i.e., leading the prayers), and said to Moses: Thus are you to pray to me and say (as in Exod. 34:6): THE LORD, THE LORD IS A MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS GOD…. < This interpretation is suggested by the beginning of the verse >, where it is stated: THEN THE LORD PASSED BEFORE MOSES AND PROCLAIMED…. What is the meaning of PASSED? < That the Holy One PASSED BEFORE MOSES > like < a prayer leader > passing before the ark. See how the righteous seek merit for the world and speak in defense41Ibid. of Israel! < They pray >, not only for Israel, but also for the wicked, since it is stated (in Ezek. 33:11): AS I LIVE, SAYS [THE LORD] GOD, I DO NOT DESIRE THE DEATH OF THE WICKED.42Cf. Matthew 5:44. Why? Perhaps they may repent. You yourself know that it is so. When the Holy One desired to destroy those five cities, he consulted with Abraham, as stated (in Gen. 18:20): THEN THE LORD SAID: THE OUTCRY AGAINST SODOM AND GOMORRAH IS < SO GREAT >. Abraham began to speak to the Lord in their defense: Think! Perhaps they will repent. Where is it shown? Where they read on the matter (in Gen. 18:25): FAR BE IT FROM YOU TO DO SUCH A THING!
Midrash Tanchuma
The nations shall know refers to the women who taunted Sarah by calling her a barren woman. I, the Lord, have builded the stricken places indicates that she was stricken with old age, as it is said: And Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken with age (Gen. 18:11). Have planted that which is desolate refers to her remark: After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure? (ibid., v. 12). And I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it is stated because it is said: And God remembered Sarah as He has said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken (ibid. 21:1).
Bereshit Rabbah
“To the woman He said: I will increase your suffering and your pregnancy; in pain you shall give birth to children, and your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16).
“To the woman He said: I will increase your suffering and your pregnancy” – Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Yoḥanan in the name of Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Simon: The Holy One blessed be He never deigned to speak with a woman except for that righteous woman [Sarah], and that, too, was for a specific reason.17God had been speaking to Abraham: “Why is it that Sarah laughed?” (Genesis 18:13). Sarah interrupted with her denial: “I did not laugh” (Genesis 18:15). Then it was necessary for the Holy One blessed be He to set her straight: “No, but you did laugh” (Genesis 18:15). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: How He spoke in a roundabout manner with her: “No, but you did laugh” (Genesis 18:15).18Instead of saying: “Yes, you laughed,” He said it in an indirect manner. But is it not written [of Hagar]: “She called the name of the Lord, who spoke to her”? (Genesis 16:13). Rabbi Yehoshua bar Rabbi Neḥemya said in the name of Rabbi Idi: [He spoke to her] through an angel. Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: Through Shem.19Hagar had gone to consult Shem son of Noah, who was a spiritual leader at the time.
“I will increase [harba arbe] your suffering and your pregnancy” – Rabbi Abba bar Kahana says in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: Any fetus who has reached harba, I shall grant it growth [arbe]; any fetus that is [born after] two hundred and twelve days20That is, seven months. It is the numerical value of harba: heh – 5 + reish – 200 + beit – 2 + heh – 5 = 212. [of gestation] can survive. Rabbi Huna said: If it [the fetus] was formed to be born after nine months and is born at seven months, it will not survive; at eight months, it will not survive. If it is formed to be born after seven months and is born after eight, it will survive; all the more so after nine months. They asked Rabbi Abahu: From where is it derived that a fetus born during the seventh month can survive, [but one born during the eighth cannot]? He said to them: From your own [language] I will prove it to you: Zeta21This is the name of the seventh letter of the ancient Greek alphabet, and also means ‘live.’ – epta22It means seven. Seven thus indicates life.; eta23The name of the eighth Greek letter, also meaning “dying.” – okto.24It means eight. Eight thus indicates death.
Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: A woman will always give birth only after two hundred and seventy-one, two hundred and seventy-two, or two hundred and seventy-three days, which is nine months plus the days of their conception.25Conception can take place from one to three days after insemination. From that time gestation will last for two hundred and seventy-one days.
Ḥiyya bar Ada was sitting before Rav. He was explaining [a point] to him, but he did not grasp it. He said to him: ‘Why do you not grasp it?’ He said to him: ‘My donkey is supposed to give birth, and I am worried it might catch a chill and die.’ He said to him: ‘Why does it concern you?’26It is not yet time for it to give birth. He said to him: ‘Sometimes it gives birth early, and sometimes it gives birth late. When it gives birth early, it is never less than a lunar year; when it gives birth late, it is never more than a solar year.’27So there is an eleven day range of when it can give birth. He said to him: ‘But is it not written: “Do you know the time when ibexes give birth…will you count the months of their reaching term”?’ (Job 39:1–2).28This implies that there is a set term for animal pregnancies. He said to him: ‘There it is regarding a small animal, and here it is with a large animal.’ He said to him: ‘But Antoninus’s cattle were once inseminating, and they inseminated Rabbi’s cattle from them. Some of them calved at one time and some of them calved later.’29And the gap between the births was more than eleven days. He said to him: ‘That was regarding a kosher animal, this is regarding a non-kosher animal [a donkey]’.
“Your suffering” – this is the pain of conception; “and your pregnancy” – this is the discomfort of menstruation; “in pain” – this is the pain of miscarriage; “you shall give birth” – this is the pain of childbirth; “to children” – this is the difficulty of raising children. Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon said: It is easier for a man to support an entire legion with olives in the Galilee, than it is to raise one child in the Land of Israel.
“To the woman He said: I will increase your suffering and your pregnancy” – Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Yoḥanan in the name of Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Simon: The Holy One blessed be He never deigned to speak with a woman except for that righteous woman [Sarah], and that, too, was for a specific reason.17God had been speaking to Abraham: “Why is it that Sarah laughed?” (Genesis 18:13). Sarah interrupted with her denial: “I did not laugh” (Genesis 18:15). Then it was necessary for the Holy One blessed be He to set her straight: “No, but you did laugh” (Genesis 18:15). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: How He spoke in a roundabout manner with her: “No, but you did laugh” (Genesis 18:15).18Instead of saying: “Yes, you laughed,” He said it in an indirect manner. But is it not written [of Hagar]: “She called the name of the Lord, who spoke to her”? (Genesis 16:13). Rabbi Yehoshua bar Rabbi Neḥemya said in the name of Rabbi Idi: [He spoke to her] through an angel. Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: Through Shem.19Hagar had gone to consult Shem son of Noah, who was a spiritual leader at the time.
“I will increase [harba arbe] your suffering and your pregnancy” – Rabbi Abba bar Kahana says in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: Any fetus who has reached harba, I shall grant it growth [arbe]; any fetus that is [born after] two hundred and twelve days20That is, seven months. It is the numerical value of harba: heh – 5 + reish – 200 + beit – 2 + heh – 5 = 212. [of gestation] can survive. Rabbi Huna said: If it [the fetus] was formed to be born after nine months and is born at seven months, it will not survive; at eight months, it will not survive. If it is formed to be born after seven months and is born after eight, it will survive; all the more so after nine months. They asked Rabbi Abahu: From where is it derived that a fetus born during the seventh month can survive, [but one born during the eighth cannot]? He said to them: From your own [language] I will prove it to you: Zeta21This is the name of the seventh letter of the ancient Greek alphabet, and also means ‘live.’ – epta22It means seven. Seven thus indicates life.; eta23The name of the eighth Greek letter, also meaning “dying.” – okto.24It means eight. Eight thus indicates death.
Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: A woman will always give birth only after two hundred and seventy-one, two hundred and seventy-two, or two hundred and seventy-three days, which is nine months plus the days of their conception.25Conception can take place from one to three days after insemination. From that time gestation will last for two hundred and seventy-one days.
Ḥiyya bar Ada was sitting before Rav. He was explaining [a point] to him, but he did not grasp it. He said to him: ‘Why do you not grasp it?’ He said to him: ‘My donkey is supposed to give birth, and I am worried it might catch a chill and die.’ He said to him: ‘Why does it concern you?’26It is not yet time for it to give birth. He said to him: ‘Sometimes it gives birth early, and sometimes it gives birth late. When it gives birth early, it is never less than a lunar year; when it gives birth late, it is never more than a solar year.’27So there is an eleven day range of when it can give birth. He said to him: ‘But is it not written: “Do you know the time when ibexes give birth…will you count the months of their reaching term”?’ (Job 39:1–2).28This implies that there is a set term for animal pregnancies. He said to him: ‘There it is regarding a small animal, and here it is with a large animal.’ He said to him: ‘But Antoninus’s cattle were once inseminating, and they inseminated Rabbi’s cattle from them. Some of them calved at one time and some of them calved later.’29And the gap between the births was more than eleven days. He said to him: ‘That was regarding a kosher animal, this is regarding a non-kosher animal [a donkey]’.
“Your suffering” – this is the pain of conception; “and your pregnancy” – this is the discomfort of menstruation; “in pain” – this is the pain of miscarriage; “you shall give birth” – this is the pain of childbirth; “to children” – this is the difficulty of raising children. Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon said: It is easier for a man to support an entire legion with olives in the Galilee, than it is to raise one child in the Land of Israel.