The Sod of the Torah in Chayei Sarah — Sarah, also known as Rivkah, also known as Rachel

The Sod of the Torah in Chayei Sarah — Sarah, also known as Rivkah, also known as Rachel

“And the years of Sarah’s life were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years; these were the years of Sarah’s life.” The phrase “the years of Sarah’s life,” repeated twice, hints that Sarah’s soul passed into Rivkah. Rivkah was born at the moment Sarah died. Rabbeinu Bachya writes that Avraham learned of Rivkah’s birth immediately after the Akedah: “And Betuel fathered Rivkah.” (Bereshit 22:23; Rabbeinu Bachya, Bereshit 24:67) Thus, one may conclude that the Akedah, Sarah’s death, and Rivkah’s birth occurred at the same time, and that Sarah’s soul was reincarnated in Rivkah’s body. The twice-written “Chayei Sarah” hints at the continuation of Sarah’s life in Rivkah. שרה Sarah = 505 רבקה Rivkah = 307 = 10 Sarah + Rivkah = 515 יצחק- רבקה Rivkah + Yitzchak = 208 = 307 = 515 Moreover, the heir of Yitzchak and Rivkah — Yaakov = יעקב) 182) Sarah + Rivkah = 505 + 307 = 812 — the same digits; The four-letter Name of Hashem appears in the Torah 1820 times — this is the gematria of Yaakov’s name multiplied by 10, the number of perfection. The Holy Zohar (Chayei Sarah 133b) explains the verse: “And Avraham gave everything he had to Yitzchak” (Bereshit 25:5) — what did he give Yitzchak? “everything he had” — his beloved wife — Sarah. The word “ayil” איל (ram), which Avraham offered as a sacrifice in place of Yitzchak, has the same gematria, 41, as the word אם (mother). “And the years of Sarah’s life were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years; these were the years of Sarah’s life.” The reference to Sarah’s years of life in three stages—specifically, the third stage—hints that these words may refer to her soul and be understood as “occurring” in reverse in the metaphysical world. As she grew physically older, her soul grew spiritually younger. Thus, she could also have been reincarnated in Rachel’s body. (Chacham Avraham Eliyahu Agassi, “Shem Chai,” Chayei Sarah)