Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Genesis 23:1

Another way of looking at the words ויהיו חיי שרה is that they refer to the hereafter. This would reflect the fact that the Torah reported her death immediately after she had heard that Yitzchak’s soul had “flown” to heaven as a result of his having been offered to G’d as a sacrifice. The form ויהיו would hint that both her soul and that of Yitzchak departed from earth at the same time to take up permanent residence in the celestial regions. The word ויהי or ויהיו basically means that something exists permanently. The word שני, “years of,” is deliberately omitted at that point as the very word “year” implies something of limited duration. The same word does, however, appear at the end of our verse, as at that point the Torah underlines another aspect of the message it tries to convey. At that point the Torah speaks about Sarah’s life on earth. Naturally, in that context the words “years of” are very relevant.

"Seven and twenty and one hundred provinces"—It should have said, "One hundred and twenty-seven provinces," placing the greater number first, just as it does regarding the years of the life of Sarah: "One hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years" (Genesis 23:1). The explanation is that in the case of years, the total number is indivisible; it forms a single complete unit. Therefore, the Torah first attaches what can be added to the greater number, starting with the hundred. However, provinces are inherently divided into separate entities. There is no need to combine them into a single total, so the text begins with the smaller number, "seven." Additionally, even if a king ruled over only seven provinces, he would still be considered a king. Thus, the verse starts with seven, emphasizing that even a small domain qualifies as a kingdom, before mentioning the larger numbers. By contrast, a person’s lifespan cannot be merely "seven years," as the total years of life must include the larger numbers first. Moreover, the mention of the provinces reflects their conquest. When describing conquest, it is appropriate to begin with a small number, as the king’s rule expanded progressively. In the case of Sarah’s life, however, the greater years—the core of her life—are mentioned first, followed by the smaller divisions, as the additional years are secondary in significance compared to the main period of her life.

days [Hebrew: yemot] Both this form and yemey [e.g.. Genesis 3: 14] are valid forms of this word, just as years [Hebrew: shenot] and sheney [e.g., Genesis 23: 1] are both valid forms of the word.