At the beginning of parshas Chayei Sorah, the Torah enumerates the years of Sarah Imeinu’s life. Yet, instead of following the usual order, ‘seven and twenty and a hundred’, the pasuk states: “And the life of Sarah was one hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years — the years of Sarah’s life” (Bereishis 23:1).
Chazal, as quoted by Rashi, teach that this unusual phrasing conveys that all of Sarah’s years were equally good and pure: she was as free of sin at one hundred as she had been at twenty, and as beautiful at twenty as she had been at seven.
When a woman’s beauty stems merely from external, physical features, it inevitably fades with the passage of time. But when her beauty reflects the radiance of the Tzelem Elokim [Divine Image] within her, it endures as long as she preserves her inner purity and innocence.
The Gemara (Bava Basra 58a) describes that, in comparison to Sarah Imeinu, all other women appeared like a monkey compared to a human. Sarah, in comparison to Chava, appeared likewise; and Chava, compared to Adam HaRishon, was as a monkey before a man. Adam himself, compared to the Shechinah, was likewise: as a monkey before a man.
In other words, the human countenance bears within it a reflection of the Tzelem Elokim. In Adam HaRishon, that radiance was fully revealed. Yet, even that lofty beauty, measured against the Divine Presence, is but a faint reflection. And so the chain descends until Sarah Imeinu, whose beauty was the final link in that chain, such that every human being, compared to her, would appear as a mere imitation of true Divine grace.
The Gemara further notes that Rav Kahana’s beauty resembled that of Rabbi Abbahu, who resembled Yaakov Avinu, who in turn reflected, to some degree, the beauty of Adam HaRishon.
One recurring theme throughout Sefer Bereishis is the Torah’s attention to the beauty of the Imahos and that of Yosef HaTzaddik. In the previous two write-ups, we explored whether this focus conflicts with the pasuk “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is vain.” Below, we conclude this topic by examining a related question: Is there any real importance in being physically impressive, particularly in stature?
