Комментарий о цитате к Берешит 18:10

כאשר אמר, “as He had said,” when the angel said that he would return around the same time in the following year and by then Sarah would have a baby. (Genesis 18,10)

The verse also reports something we have explained on 18,10 and again on 17,19, namely that the son Sarah bore originated in the female (negative) side of the emanations. This in turn was the reason Isaac needed to submit to the binding on the altar, something that resulted in Sarah's death. The word דבר always refers to speech containing some harsh element. The Torah therefore uses it when it wants us to note that the birth of Isaac was not something that was perfect. He had to undergo a process of refinement as a result of which he could become holy. When the Torah says ויעש ה׳ לשרה כאשר דבר, this really means that "G'd did to Sarah as He had foretold." Isaac was born in response to Sarah's prayer, not in response to Abraham's.

And the Lord took account of Sarah, etc. [until] and Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian (Genesis 21:1-9): Since it stated above (Genesis 20:18) that, "The Lord surely sealed every womb in the house of Avimelekh for the matter of Sarah, the wife of Avraham," it juxtaposed it to, "And the Lord took account of Sarah" - meaning to say that the Lord sealed up her enemies, but took account of her, that she should give birth when she was barren. And [the Sages,] may their memory be blessed, said that one who prays for the sake of his fellow is first answered himself. And so it was that since Avraham prayed for Avimelekh, the Lord took account of Sarah his wife. And the expression, taking account (pekidah) is truthfully, visiting and paying attention, as in "I have surely taken account of (pekod pakadati) you and that which is being done to you in Egypt" (Exodus 3:16). For it is since they thought that He, may He be blessed, was not paying attention to them that He said this. And this is like, "and Shimshon took account of his wife with goat clothing" (Judges 15:1); "Lord, in distress did they take account of You." Until on account of this did [people] call those counted, pekudim, and those counting them, pokedim. And the explanation of this verse is that the angel of God had said in God's name, "I will surely return to you next year" (Genesis 18:10). And the content of this returning and this coming is the benefit that He will give him a son from Sarah. For the action indicates the presence of the actor; and since the action was here, the Actor was [also] here. And that is why it is stated (Joshua 6:27), "And the Lord was with Yehoshua"; "And the Lord was with Yosef" (Genesis 39:2) - in that His goodness and His attention was with him. And that is the meaning of, "And the Lord took account of Sarah" - that He payed attention to her matter and that which He had forecast for her. But since there is a taking account for the good and a taking account for the bad - as He stated (Exodus 32:24), "but on the day of My taking account, I will take account" - it was necessary to explain here that the taking account of Sarah was when "the Lord did to her like He had spoken," when He gave her the son that He had forecast to her. And He did not mention that He took account of Avraham for [the following reason]: Because the retention and the pregnancy is with the woman; also because the thing was stranger and more difficult from the perspective of Sarah than it was from the perspective of Avraham. And it is [also] possible to explain, "And the Lord took account of Sarah as He had said," by giving her seed, "and the Lord did to Sarah as He had spoken" - that He gave her a male child, and not a daughter. And his name was called Yitzchak, because that is what He said to her. However, from the perspective of Avraham, it said, "And Sarah conceived and bore Avraham a son in his old age" - meaning to say that she gave birth to the son mentioned from him even with all of his age. And that is the reason for its stating, "in his old age." As it did not say it to denote the time at which she gave birth, but rather to say that also this kindness and this taking account - from the perspective of his being elderly - was done for him. And it is also possible that this is to say that Yitzchak would be the child of his old age, and that is a child that helps his father and serves him; so he would need him for his old age. And with this explanation, it is indicated that its stating, "At the set-time of which God had spoken" - that this is the mention of the time at which he was born; not that which it says, "in his old age." And two questions are solved with this, the first and the second.

והנה שלשה אנשים AND BEHOLD THREE MEN — one to announce to Sarah the birth of a son, one to overthrow Sodom, and one to cure Abraham, for one angel does not carry out two commissions (Genesis Rabbah 50:2). You may know that this is so because throughout this section it (Scripture) mentions them in the plural — “and they ate” (Genesis 18:8), “and they said unto him” (Genesis 18:9) — whilst in the case of the announcement it states, (Genesis 18:10) “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee”, and with regard to the overthrow of Sodom it says (Genesis 19:22) “For “I” cannot do anything” and (Genesis 19:21) “that “I” will not overthrow [the city]”. Raphael who healed Abraham went thence to rescue Lot; that explains what is stated (Genesis 19:17) “And it came to pass when they had brought them forth, that he said, Escape for thy life”, for you learn from this that only one of these acted as Deliverer

“Do not my master.” Do not say, “embracing a son.” Why do I need to embrace him if I will end up burying him?¹⁷She suspected that her son would survive for only a short period because the prophet used the expression “you will be hugging a son” instead of “you will have a son,” the expression used by the angels when they told Avrohom that Sarah will bear him a son. See Bereishis 18:10.—Malbim This is what she said to him when he died, “Did I not say, ‘Do not mislead me’?”