Kedushat Levi
Genesis 23,1. “The years of Sarah’s life were one hundred years, etc.;” I believe, G’d willing, that I have understood the reason why Sarah is the only woman in the Bible of whose age at the time of her death we have been told. The Talmud Nedarim 64, in referring to Rachel’s outburst (Genesis 30,1) that unless her husband Yaakov would give her children she considered herself as “dead,” is quoted by Rashi on that verse saying that seeing that a woman’s primary task in life is to mother children, any woman who has not given birth to a live child is considered as dead. We also know from Shabbat 156, that when G’d took Avraham outside (Genesis 15,5) that He showed him that according to the constellation of the stars, Sarai was not slated to give birth to children. This מזל, astrological prognosis of her life, could be changed only due to merits she would acquire during the years to come. She did indeed acquire such merits, as our sages conclude from a comment they made in Shir Hashirim Rabbah, 2,32 where the phenomenon of all the matriarchs originally being barren is discussed. Among a variety of answers offered there, one is that G’d was desirous of listening to their praying to Him to be granted children, just as He is desirous of listening to the prayers of the righteous, generally. In other words, Sarah, (after a name change) both due to her merits and her supplications, was “lifted” out of the limitations predicted for her by a zodiac sign she had been born under, so that she could conceive. When the Torah refers to her “life” as being 127 years long, this means nothing less than that she had spent all these years accumulating merits for the good deeds she performed. Expressed somewhat differently, the Torah states that it was Sarah, who with her good deeds gave “life” to her years.
Bnei Yissaschar
In Sefer Yetzirah (5:10) it is written: “He made the letter Tzadik king over taste And He bound a crown to it... And with them He formed Aquarius in the Universe Shevat in the Year And the Korkeban in the Soul Male and female.” The early commentators taught that the constellation of the Bucket (Aquarius) is the constellation of Israel. And even though we have learned, “there is no constellation for Israel,” meaning Israel overturn the judgement of the constellation through their actions and Torah learning, nonetheless they do have a constellation concerning their time of birth (See Shabbat 156a). And one could say that the bucket is the constellation of Israel because the bucket is made to draw water, and this is its function. See, it handles and serves with the water. And “there is no water but Torah” (Bava Kamma 17a), as it is written: “Ho, all who are thirsty, Come for water” (Is. 55:1). This teaches that the constellation of Israel is a servant handling and serving with the Torah. And even if the judgement of the constellation obligates [i.e. burdens] one in a certain [negative] way, through engaging with Torah and mitzvot, everything is turned to good. And the constellation will incline towards everything they want, for their constellation is a servant serving the Torah. And you will understand through this what our Sages taught about the faithful servant of Abraham, our father, that he was the very first of those connected to us, and the blessed Holy One raised him higher than the constellations (see Gen. 15:5 with Rashi). The verse “his servant, the elder of his household” (Gen. 24:2), they explain with, “he one in charge of my household is Dammesek Eliezer!” (Gen. 15:2), meaning that he draws [doleh] and gives drink [mashke] to others from his master’s Torah (Yoma 28b). And this is alluded by [the name of Abraham's] servant to teach the above, that the bucket is the constellation of Israel, for the bucket is a servant, serving the water, which is Torah. And the servant has no will of their own, rather only the will of their master, as the pious one wrote in Obligations of the Heart (Gate of Divine Service, ch. 4-5). And understand this matter.
Mevo HaShearim
Again, none of this involves new ideas which eluded the earlier Kabbalists. Rather, the revelation and avodah of hasidism is to reveal that the light inheres even in the lowly, and that one can engage in a lofty avodah using the emotions and sensory inclinations, for they are holy as well and can used for self-inspiration [hitpaalut]. Therefore, every hasid is capable of self-work and becoming impassioned, and if it is difficult for him to do so with them he should utilize spiritual advice [etzot] in order to do so. As it is asked in the holy work Noam Elimelekh, Lekh Lekha: “Look upon the heavens,”355Genesis 15:5. ‘How a person can gaze upon the majesty of the heavens and the stars in their paths and come to a reverence, allowing him to comprehend the majesty of God?!’ And see there, how he instructs that one should envision himself as if he literally sees the Temple, built, before his eyes, and him standing in the Holy of Holies. Or as is said in Beit Aharon, that before prayer one should envision himself lying in the grave, suffering greatly, with people telling him ‘Arise and pray!,’ as we have cited in Hovat haTalmidim, chapter 9.