What do you actually see?What do you interpret?What do you wonder?
This is a piece of art by Yehuda Blum. This is presumably the same Yehuda Blum (1931- ) who survived the Holocaust, helped to negotiate the peace treaty with Egypt, and served as Israel’s representative to the UN from 1978 to 1984 (https://holocaust-ungarn-norddeutschland.de/en/biografien/yehuda-blum; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yehuda_Zvi_Blum). The art is found here: https://forward.com/life/440888/serah/. Many envision the subject of this art piece to be much younger, but each artist gets to make their own choices.
Serach bat Asher "on one foot":
Serach bat Asher is the only granddaughter of Jacob enumerated in the Torah. This, and one other thing about her (to be discovered further on), has made her a compelling person to write midrashim about. Note that her name means “overlapping” (the word also appears in Exodus 26:12). For what it’s worth, her father Asher’s name means “happy” or “fortunate” (see Genesis 30:12-13).
Serach bat Asher is the only granddaughter of Jacob enumerated in the Torah. This, and one other thing about her (to be discovered further on), has made her a compelling person to write midrashim about. Note that her name means “overlapping” (the word also appears in Exodus 26:12). For what it’s worth, her father Asher’s name means “happy” or “fortunate” (see Genesis 30:12-13).
This source sheet is largely based on the work of Rabbi Suzanne Brody, which is used with permission. (For a good summation of Serach’s story, see: https://www.thetorah.com/article/serach-jacobs-immortal-granddaughter and https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/serah-daughter-of-asher-midrash-and-aggadah and finally https://www.jpost.com/judaism/serah-bat-asher-the-one-who-remembers-653784).
Prologue
ן וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ מִצְרָ֑יְמָה יַעֲקֹ֖ב וְכׇל־זַרְע֥וֹ אִתּֽוֹ׃ (ז) בָּנָ֞יו וּבְנֵ֤י בָנָיו֙ אִתּ֔וֹ בְּנֹתָ֛יו וּבְנ֥וֹת בָּנָ֖יו וְכׇל־זַרְע֑וֹ הֵבִ֥יא אִתּ֖וֹ מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃ {ס} (יז) וּבְנֵ֣י אָשֵׁ֗ר יִמְנָ֧ה וְיִשְׁוָ֛ה וְיִשְׁוִ֥י וּבְרִיעָ֖ה וְשֶׂ֣רַח אֲחֹתָ֑ם וּבְנֵ֣י בְרִיעָ֔ה חֶ֖בֶר וּמַלְכִּיאֵֽל׃
Thus Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt: (7) he brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring. (8) These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his descendants, who came to Egypt. ....(17) Asher’s sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and their sister Serach. Beriah’s sons: Heber and Malchiel.
Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Genesis. Joseph has invited his family to move to Egypt because of the food stores there during the ongoing famine. All of Jacob’s named grandchildren are male, except for Asher’s daughter Serach. The odds that Jacob would have 58 grandchildren and 57 of them would be male are 0.0086%, so probably there were more female grandchildren and Serach was the only one notable enough to get listed. This is fertile ground for asking “Why her?” and coming up with midrashim (stories about stories in the Torah).
A counter-argument is that verse 8 says that these are the names of the descendants of Jacob who came to Egypt, and Genesis 46:26 (and 27) is clear that the total number of people (“nefesh”, in Hebrew, which is gender-neutral for “soul”) descended from Jacob is 70. So maybe the odds did happen that way (kippah tip to Phil Fertik). Or perhaps “70” is a round-number, though in this case the list of names does come to 69 or 70 (depends how you count).
Note that Asher’s wife is not named here because the Torah is clear that it is naming Jacob’s descendants. Presumably she also came along (see Genesis 46:26, which basically flat-out says that she was there).
How might Serach be feeling on the cusp of entering Egypt after living her whole life in the Land of Israel?
שְׂא֞וּ אֶת־רֹ֣אשׁ ׀ כׇּל־עֲדַ֣ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל מִבֶּ֨ן עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֛ה וָמַ֖עְלָה לְבֵ֣ית אֲבֹתָ֑ם כׇּל־יֹצֵ֥א צָבָ֖א בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ וַיְדַבֵּ֨ר מֹשֶׁ֜ה וְאֶלְעָזָ֧ר הַכֹּהֵ֛ן אֹתָ֖ם בְּעַֽרְבֹ֣ת מוֹאָ֑ב עַל־יַרְדֵּ֥ן יְרֵח֖וֹ לֵאמֹֽר׃ מִבֶּ֛ן עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וָמָ֑עְלָה כַּאֲשֶׁר֩ צִוָּ֨ה יהוה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה֙ וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַיֹּצְאִ֖ים מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
“Take a census of the whole Israelite company [of fighters] from the age of twenty years up, by their ancestral houses, all Israelite males able to bear arms.” So Moses and Eleazar the priest, on the steppes of Moab, at the Jordan near Jericho, gave instructions about them, namely, those from twenty years up, as יהוה had commanded Moses. The [eligible male] descendants of the Israelites who came out of the land of Egypt were:
(מד) בְּנֵ֣י אָשֵׁר֮ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם֒ לְיִמְנָ֗ה מִשְׁפַּ֙חַת֙ הַיִּמְנָ֔ה לְיִשְׁוִ֕י מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַיִּשְׁוִ֑י לִבְרִיעָ֕ה מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַבְּרִיעִֽי׃ (מה) לִבְנֵ֣י בְרִיעָ֔ה לְחֶ֕בֶר מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַֽחֶבְרִ֑י לְמַ֨לְכִּיאֵ֔ל מִשְׁפַּ֖חַת הַמַּלְכִּיאֵלִֽי׃ (מו) וְשֵׁ֥ם בַּת־אָשֵׁ֖ר שָֽׂרַח׃ (מז) אֵ֛לֶּה מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת בְּנֵי־אָשֵׁ֖ר לִפְקֻדֵיהֶ֑ם שְׁלֹשָׁ֧ה וַחֲמִשִּׁ֛ים אֶ֖לֶף וְאַרְבַּ֥ע מֵאֽוֹת׃ {ס}
(44) Descendants of Asher by their clans: Of Imnah, the clan of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the clan of the Beriites. (45) Of the descendants of Beriah: Of Heber, the clan of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the clan of the Malchielites.— (46) The name of Asher’s daughter was Serach.— (47) These are the clans of Asher’s descendants; men enrolled: 53,400.
Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Numbers. The Israelites are about to re-enter the Land of Israel and it’s necessary to know how many men they have at this point. Somehow Serach, the daughter of Asher, slips in here. This raises 2 questions: 1. Why is she here? 2. If she was among those going into Egypt, how is she still alive 250 years later? Note that the Torah says "No 'ish' was still alive from among those who left Egypt" (Numbers 46:64), which could mean "No adult" or "No male adult".
Alternatively, Serach was not still alive and is being included because she was among the originally-listed descendants of Jacob (kippah tip to Alan Peres). This is a plausible reading of this text, still raising the question as to why was Serach worth mentioning (unless there were no other granddaughters). The rabbis choose to imagine that Serach was still alive when she was listed here, opening up many more possibilities.
How might Serach be feeling on the cusp of (re)entering the Land of Israel after spending the last 40 years heading toward that goal?
(ל) בְּנֵ֣י אָשֵׁ֗ר יִמְנָ֧ה וְיִשְׁוָ֛ה וְיִשְׁוִ֥י וּבְרִיעָ֖ה וְשֶׂ֥רַח אֲחוֹתָֽם׃
(30) The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serach.
Context: This is from the Biblical Book of First Chronicles, from a genealogy / census of the tribes of Israel. Again, Serach is listed when none of her other female first cousins are listed.
שרח בת אשר היתה מבאי מצרים ומיוצאיה, מבאי מצרים, דכתיב ושרח אחתם (בראשית מו יז), ומבאי הארץ, שנאמר ושם בת אשר שרח (במדבר כו מו),
Serach bat Asher was among those who came to Egypt and those who left it. [She was] from those who came to Egypt, as it is written, "And Serach their sister" (Genesis 46:17), and [she was] from those who came to the Land [of Israel], as it says, "And there was the daughter of Asher, Serach" (Numbers 26:46).
Context: This is from Seder Olam Rabbah, a text from the 200s CE in the Land of Israel. It starts from Creation and goes though Alexander the Great (333 CE), and while it mostly sticks to the Biblical text it does try to answer questions like if this is the same Serach.
How might Serach feel as the only survivor of that generation?
Act 1
(לא) וַיִּקְח֖וּ אֶת־כְּתֹ֣נֶת יוֹסֵ֑ף וַֽיִּשְׁחֲטוּ֙ שְׂעִ֣יר עִזִּ֔ים וַיִּטְבְּל֥וּ אֶת־הַכֻּתֹּ֖נֶת בַּדָּֽם׃ (לב) וַֽיְשַׁלְּח֞וּ אֶת־כְּתֹ֣נֶת הַפַּסִּ֗ים וַיָּבִ֙יאוּ֙ אֶל־אֲבִיהֶ֔ם וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ זֹ֣את מָצָ֑אנוּ הַכֶּר־נָ֗א הַכְּתֹ֧נֶת בִּנְךָ֛ הִ֖וא אִם־לֹֽא׃ (לג) וַיַּכִּירָ֤הּ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ כְּתֹ֣נֶת בְּנִ֔י חַיָּ֥ה רָעָ֖ה אֲכָלָ֑תְהוּ טָרֹ֥ף טֹרַ֖ף יוֹסֵֽף׃ (לד) וַיִּקְרַ֤ע יַעֲקֹב֙ שִׂמְלֹתָ֔יו וַיָּ֥שֶׂם שַׂ֖ק בְּמׇתְנָ֑יו וַיִּתְאַבֵּ֥ל עַל־בְּנ֖וֹ יָמִ֥ים רַבִּֽים׃ (לה) וַיָּקֻ֩מוּ֩ כׇל־בָּנָ֨יו וְכׇל־בְּנֹתָ֜יו לְנַחֲמ֗וֹ וַיְמָאֵן֙ לְהִתְנַחֵ֔ם וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כִּֽי־אֵרֵ֧ד אֶל־בְּנִ֛י אָבֵ֖ל שְׁאֹ֑לָה וַיֵּ֥בְךְּ אֹת֖וֹ אָבִֽיו׃
(31) Then they took Joseph’s tunic, slaughtered a kid, and dipped the tunic in the blood. (32) They had the ornamented tunic taken to their father, and they said, “We found this. Please examine it; is it your son’s tunic or not?” (33) He recognized it, and said, “My son’s tunic! A savage beast devoured him! Joseph was torn by a beast!” (34) Jacob rent his clothes, put sackcloth on his loins, and observed mourning for his son many days. (35) All his sons and daughters sought to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, saying, “No, I will go down mourning to my son in Sheol.” Thus his father bewailed him.
Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Genesis. Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery, then have to explain to their father what happened to their brother. Whether you want to say that they “use a lie of insinuation” or not, they certainly misled their father.
The commentators pick up on the pluralization of "daughters" in verse 35 and they come up with 3 possible explanations:
1. "Daughters" means "daughter" and "granddaughter" (Ibn Ezra, Ramban). The advantage of this is that it sticks to people specifically mentioned in the Torah -- Dinah the daughter of Leah (Genesis 30:21) and Serach the daughter of Asher (Genesis 46:17). The disadvantage of this is that people don't usually call their granddaughter as their daughter.
2. "Daughters" means "daughters-in-law", specifically Canaanite (Ramban, Rashi citing Genesis Rabba). The advantages of this are that we know Judah marries a Canaanite woman (Genesis 38:2) and Naomi refers to her daughter-in-law as her daughter (Ruth 1:8, 12, 13). The disadvantage of this is that Abraham and Isaac were pretty clear about their sons not marrying Canaanite women (Genesis 24:3, 28:1), though finding 12 wives from Abraham's family might have been difficult.
3. "Daughters" means "twin sisters born with the brothers" (Rashi citing Genesis Rabba). The advantages of this are that "daughters" then means actual daughters of Jacob. The disadvantages of this are that there is no other reference to this in the Torah, the Torah explicitly says not to marry your sister who is the daughter of your father (Leviticus 18:9 and 20:17), and if the 6 sons of Leah are marrying the twin sisters of the other 6 sons of Jacob, then Judah and Joseph's twin sisters are unaccounted for.
(כה) וַֽיַּעֲל֖וּ מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֶֽל־יַעֲקֹ֖ב אֲבִיהֶֽם׃ (כו) וַיַּגִּ֨דוּ ל֜וֹ לֵאמֹ֗ר ע֚וֹד יוֹסֵ֣ף חַ֔י וְכִֽי־ה֥וּא מֹשֵׁ֖ל בְּכׇל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וַיָּ֣פׇג לִבּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י לֹא־הֶאֱמִ֖ין לָהֶֽם׃ (כז) וַיְדַבְּר֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו אֵ֣ת כׇּל־דִּבְרֵ֤י יוֹסֵף֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם וַיַּרְא֙ אֶת־הָ֣עֲגָל֔וֹת אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַ֥ח יוֹסֵ֖ף לָשֵׂ֣את אֹת֑וֹ וַתְּחִ֕י ר֖וּחַ יַעֲקֹ֥ב אֲבִיהֶֽם׃ (כח) וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל רַ֛ב עוֹד־יוֹסֵ֥ף בְּנִ֖י חָ֑י אֵֽלְכָ֥ה וְאֶרְאֶ֖נּוּ בְּטֶ֥רֶם אָמֽוּת׃
(25) They went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. (26) And they told him, “Joseph is still alive; yes, he is ruler over the whole land of Egypt.” His heart went numb, for he did not believe them. (27) But when they recounted all that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. (28) “Enough!” said Israel. “My son Joseph is still alive! I must go and see him before I die.”
Context: This is from the same source, a few chapters later. Now that the brothers have found Joseph in Egypt they have to break the news to their father. The p’shat (literal meaning) of the text is that the brothers literally told him the news.
(ט)... ובני יעקב הלכו ארצה כנען בשמחה ובטובה אל יעקב אביהם. ויבואו עד גבול הארץ ויאמרו איש אל רעהו, מה נעשה בדבר הזה לפני אבינו. כי אם נבוא אליו פתאום ונגד לו הדבר ויבהל מאוד מדברינו, ולא יאבה לשמוע אלינו. וילכו להם עד קרבם אל בתיהם וימצאו את שרח בת אשר אשר יוצאת לקראתם, והנערה טובה עד מאוד וחכמה ויודעת לנגן בכינור. ויקראו אליה ותבוא אליהם ותשק להם, ויקחוה ויתנו לה כינור אחד לאמור. בואי נא לפני אבינו וישבת לפניו, והך בכינור ודיברת ואמרת כדברים האלה לפניו. ויצוו אותה ללכת אל ביתם, ותיקח הכינור ותמהר ותלך לפניהם ותשב אצל יעקב. ותיטיב הכינור ותנגן ותאמר בנועם דבריה, יוסף דודי חי הוא וכי הוא מושל בכל ארץ מצרים ולא מת. ותוסף ותנגן ותדבר כדברים האלה, וישמע יעקב את דבריה ויערב לו. וישמע עוד בדברה פעמיים ושלוש, ותבוא השמחה בלב יעקב מנועם דבריה ותהי עליו רוח אלוהים וידע כי כל דבריה נכונה. ויברך יעקב את שרח בדברה הדברים האלה לפניו ויאמר אליה, בתי אל ימשול מות בך עד עולם כי החיית את רוחי. אך דברי נא עוד לפניי כאשר דיברת, כי שמחתני בכל דברייך. ותוסף ותנגן כדברים האלה ויעקב שומע ויערב לו וישמח, ותהי עליו רוח אלוהים.
(9) ... And when they [Joseph's brothers] came to the boundaries of the land, they said to one another: What shall we do in bringing this matter before our father? For if we impart it to him suddenly, and tell him all about it, he will be greatly astounded at our words and he will refuse to listen to us. And when they went on until they approached their houses they met Serach coming towards them, and the damsel was exceedingly beautiful and wise, and a skilled player on the harp; and they called her and she came unto them and she kissed them. And they took her and gave her a harp saying unto her: Go, we pray thee, before our father and sit down before him and strike this harp and speak unto him according to these words. And they instructed her concerning what she had to say, and she hastened unto Jacob and she sat down before him. And she sang and she played beautifully upon the harp, and she sang in the sweetness of her voice: Joseph my uncle is alive and he reigns over all the land of Egypt; he is not dead. And she often repeated these words. And Jacob heard her words and it pleased him greatly, and when he heard her sing it twice and three times, the heart of Jacob was possessed by joy, through the sweetness of her voice, and the spirit of God came over him, and he knew that all her words were true. And Jacob blessed Serach for singing these words before him, and he said: My daughter, may death never prevail against thee forever, for thou hast revived my spirit, only repeat thou this song once more before me, for thou hast caused me gladness with thy words. And she sang once more the same words and Jacob listened, and he was pleased and he rejoiced, and the spirit of God came over him. ...
Context: This is from Sefer HaYashar, a book of midrash (rabbinic stories) covering from Genesis though the Book of Judges. It is named after the lost book of the same name from II Samuel 1:18 and was written in Venice between 950 and 1550 CE. Here we get an explanation for how she lived so long. The text is also found in Midrash HaGadol 45:26 (a 1200s text from Yemen), though there Serach sings while Jacob is praying. There's a reference to it in Otzar Midrashim, Genesis 46:17 (a 1915 collection of midrashim).
How might Serach have felt before, during, and after her mission?
Here is a Lishan Didan (Jewish Azerbaijani Neo-Aramaic) version:
Act 2
(כד) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יוֹסֵף֙ אֶל־אֶחָ֔יו אָנֹכִ֖י מֵ֑ת וֵֽאלֹהִ֞ים פָּקֹ֧ד יִפְקֹ֣ד אֶתְכֶ֗ם וְהֶעֱלָ֤ה אֶתְכֶם֙ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֛ע לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב׃ (כה) וַיַּשְׁבַּ֣ע יוֹסֵ֔ף אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר פָּקֹ֨ד יִפְקֹ֤ד אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְהַעֲלִתֶ֥ם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַ֖י מִזֶּֽה׃
(24) At length, Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. God will surely take notice of you and bring you up from this land to the land that He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” (25) So Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “When God has taken note of you, you shall carry up my bones from here.”
Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Genesis, right before Joseph dies at the very end.
(טז) לֵ֣ךְ וְאָֽסַפְתָּ֞ אֶת־זִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֤ אֲלֵהֶם֙ יהוה אֱלֹהֵ֤י אֲבֹֽתֵיכֶם֙ נִרְאָ֣ה אֵלַ֔י אֱלֹהֵ֧י אַבְרָהָ֛ם יִצְחָ֥ק וְיַעֲקֹ֖ב לֵאמֹ֑ר פָּקֹ֤ד פָּקַ֙דְתִּי֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְאֶת־הֶעָשׂ֥וּי לָכֶ֖ם בְּמִצְרָֽיִם׃
(16) “Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: יהוה, the God of your fathers’ [house]—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me and said, ‘I have taken note of you and of what is being done to you in Egypt,
Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Exodus, at the Burning Bush. Note the similarity to the phrase Joseph used.
(כט) וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְאַהֲרֹ֑ן וַיַּ֣אַסְפ֔וּ אֶת־כׇּל־זִקְנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ל) וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אַהֲרֹ֔ן אֵ֚ת כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר יהוה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָאֹתֹ֖ת לְעֵינֵ֥י הָעָֽם׃ (לא) וַֽיַּאֲמֵ֖ן הָעָ֑ם וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֡וּ כִּֽי־פָקַ֨ד יהוה אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְכִ֤י רָאָה֙ אֶת־עׇנְיָ֔ם וַֽיִּקְּד֖וּ וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֽוּ׃
(29) Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. (30) Aaron repeated all the words that יהוה had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs in the sight of those assembled, (31) and the assembly was convinced. When they heard that יהוה had taken note of the Israelites and that [God] had seen their plight, they bowed low in homage.
Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Exodus, after the Burning Bush and Moses meeting Aaron.
(יז) רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: חֲמִשָּׁה אוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁנִּכְפְּלוּ בְּכָל הָאוֹתִיּוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּם לְסוֹד גְּאֻלּוֹת.... וְכֻלָּם לֹא נִמְסְרוּ אֶלָּא לְאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ, וְאַבְרָהָם מְסָרָן לְיִצְחָק, וְיִצְחָק מְסָרָן לְיַעֲקֹב, וְיַעֲקֹב מָסַר סוֹד הַגְּאֻלָּה לְיוֹסֵף, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וֵאלֹהִים פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֶתְכֶם״. וְיוֹסֵף בְּנוֹ מָסַר סוֹד הַגְּאֻלָּה לְאֶחָיו וְאָמַר לָהֶם: ״פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶתְכֶם״. וַאֲשֶׁר מָסַר סוֹד הַגְּאֻלָּה לְסֶרַח בִּתּוֹ. וּכְשֶׁבָּאוּ מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֵצֶל זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעָשׂוּ הָאוֹתוֹת לְעֵינֵיהֶם, הָלְכוּ אֵצֶל סֶרַח בַּת אָשֵׁר. אָמְרוּ לָהּ: בָּא אָדָם אֶחָד אֶצְלֵנוּ וְעָשָׂה אוֹתוֹת לְעֵינֵינוּ כָּךְ וְכָךְ. אָמְרָה לָהֶם: אֵין בָּאוֹתוֹת הָאֵלּוּ מַמָּשׁ. אָמְרוּ לָהּ: וַהֲרֵי אָמַר ״פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶתְכֶם״. אָמְרָה לָהֶם: הוּא הָאִישׁ הֶעָתִיד לִגְאֹל אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁכֵּן שָׁמַעְתִּי מֵאַבָּא פֵּ״ה וּפֵּ״ה – ״פָּקֹד פָּקַדְתִּי״. מִיָּד הֶאֱמִינוּ הָעָם בֵּאלֹהֵיהֶם וּבִשְׁלוּחוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיַּאֲמֵן הָעָם וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ כִּי פָקַד יהוה אֶת עַמּוֹ״.
(17) Rabbi Eliezer said: The five letters of the Torah, which alone of all the letters in the Torah are of double (shape) [have a final form when they are at the end of a word - Ed.], all appertain to the mystery of the Redemption. ...These letters were delivered only to our father Abraham. Our father Abraham delivered them to Isaac, and Isaac (delivered them) to Jacob, and Jacob delivered the mystery of the Redemption to Joseph, as it is said, "But God will surely take note (pakod yifkod) of you" (Gen. 50. 24). Joseph his son delivered the secret of the Redemption to his brethren. Asher, the son of Jacob, delivered the mystery of the Redemption to Serach his daughter. When Moses and Aaron came to the elders of Israel and performed the signs in their sight, the elders of Israel went to Serach, the daughter of Asher, and they said to her: A certain man has come, and he has performed signs in our sight, thus and thus. She said to them: There is no reality in the signs. They said to her: He said "pakod yifkod"—"God will surely take note of you" (ibid.). She said to them: He is the man who will redeem Israel in the future from Egypt, for thus did I hear, ("pakod pakaditi") "I have surely taken note of you" (Ex. 3:16). Forthwith the people believed in their God and in Gods'messenger, as it is said, "And the people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had taken note of the children of Israel" (Ex. 4:31).
Context: This is from Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer, a collection of midrashim from the 700-800s CE in the Land of Israel. There is a similar story in Exodus Rabba 5:13. The Rabbis note that Joseph and Moses use a similar phrase. Because Serach was alive when both of them were, the Rabbis imagine her as the one to verify that Moses is the real deal. Note that "pakad" is also a word used when G-d took note of Sarah's barrenness (hence its inclusion in some versions of the Amidah - "uphokeid Sarah"), and here Serach is contributing to the birthing of the Israelite nation.
How might Serach have felt when asked for advice by the people?
Act 3
(כד) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יוֹסֵף֙ אֶל־אֶחָ֔יו אָנֹכִ֖י מֵ֑ת וֵֽאלֹהִ֞ים פָּקֹ֧ד יִפְקֹ֣ד אֶתְכֶ֗ם וְהֶעֱלָ֤ה אֶתְכֶם֙ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֛ע לְאַבְרָהָ֥ם לְיִצְחָ֖ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹֽב׃ (כה) וַיַּשְׁבַּ֣ע יוֹסֵ֔ף אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר פָּקֹ֨ד יִפְקֹ֤ד אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְהַעֲלִתֶ֥ם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַ֖י מִזֶּֽה׃
(24) At length, Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. God will surely take notice of you and bring you up from this land to the land promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” (25) So Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “When God has taken notice of you, you shall carry up my bones from here.”
Context: This is the same text that we saw earlier.
(יט) וַיִּקַּ֥ח מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־עַצְמ֥וֹת יוֹסֵ֖ף עִמּ֑וֹ כִּי֩ הַשְׁבֵּ֨עַ הִשְׁבִּ֜יעַ אֶת־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר פָּקֹ֨ד יִפְקֹ֤ד אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְהַעֲלִיתֶ֧ם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַ֛י מִזֶּ֖ה אִתְּכֶֽם׃
(19) And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had exacted an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will be sure to take notice of you: then you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”
Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Exodus, as the Israelites are leaving Egypt. The Rabbis wondered how Moses knew where Joseph's bones were.
(ז) וְלָמָּה זָכָה משֶׁה שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נִתְעַסֵּק עִמּוֹ, אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיָּרַד לְמִצְרַיִם וְהִגִּיעַ גְּאֻלָּתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיוּ עֲסוּקִים בְּכֶסֶף וְזָהָב, וּמשֶׁה הָיָה מְסַבֵּב אֶת הָעִיר וְיָגֵעַ שְׁלשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלשָׁה לֵילוֹת לִמְצוֹא אֲרוֹנוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף, שֶׁלֹא הָיוּ יְכוֹלִים לָצֵאת מִמִּצְרַיִם חוּץ מִיּוֹסֵף, לָמָּה, שֶׁכָּךְ נִשְׁבַּע לָהֶן בִּשְׁבוּעָה לִפְנֵי מוֹתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית נ, כה): וַיַּשְׁבַּע יוֹסֵף אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר וגו', מִשֶּׁנִּתְיַגַּע הַרְבֵּה פָּגְעָה בּוֹ סְגוּלָה, וְרָאֲתָה משֶׁה שֶׁהוּא עָיֵף מִן הַיְגִיעָה, אָמְרָה לוֹ אֲדוֹנִי משֶׁה לָמָּה אַתָּה עָיֵף, אָמַר לָהּ שְׁלשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלשָׁה לֵילוֹת סִבַּבְתִּי אֶת הָעִיר לִמְצוֹא אֲרוֹנוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף וְאֵין אֲנִי מוֹצֵא אוֹתוֹ, אָמְרָה לוֹ בֹּא עִמִּי וְאַרְאֲךָ הֵיכָן הוּא, הוֹלִיכָה אוֹתוֹ לַנַּחַל, אָמְרָה לוֹ בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה עָשׂוּ אָרוֹן שֶׁל חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת כִּכָּרִים וְהִשְׁלִיכוּהוּ בְּתוֹךְ הַנַּחַל הַחַרְטֻמִּים וְהָאַשָּׁפִים, וְכֵן אָמְרוּ לְפַרְעֹה, רְצוֹנְךָ שֶׁלֹא תֵּצֵא אֻמָּה זוֹ מִכָּאן לְעוֹלָם, הָעֲצָמוֹת שֶׁל יוֹסֵף אִם לֹא יִמְצְאוּ אוֹתָן עַד עוֹלָם אֵינָם יְכוֹלִים לָצֵאת, מִיָּד עָמַד משֶׁה עַל שְׂפַת הַנַּחַל וְאָמַר, יוֹסֵף יוֹסֵף אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ הֵיאַךְ נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, (בראשית נ, כה): פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶתְכֶם, תֵּן כָּבוֹד לֵאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאַל תְּעַכֵּב גְּאֻלָּתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים יֵשׁ לְךָ, בַּקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים לִפְנֵי בּוֹרְאֲךָ וַעֲלֵה מִן הַתְּהוֹמוֹת. מִיָּד הִתְחִיל אֲרוֹנוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף מְפַעְפֵּעַ וְעוֹלֶה מִן הַתְּהוֹמוֹת כְּקָנֶה אֶחָד, לָקַח אוֹתוֹ וְשָׂם אוֹתוֹ עַל כְּתֵפוֹ וְהָיָה סוֹבֵל אוֹתוֹ, וְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרָיו, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל הָיוּ סוֹבְלִים אֶת הַכֶּסֶף וְאֶת הַזָּהָב שֶׁנָּטְלוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם, וּמשֶׁה סוֹבֵל אֲרוֹנוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, משֶׁה, אַתָּה אוֹמֵר שֶׁדָּבָר קָטָן עָשִׂיתָ, חַיֶּיךָ הַחֶסֶד הַזֶּה שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ גָּדוֹל הוּא, וְלֹא הִשְׁגַּחְתָּ לְכֶסֶף וּלְזָהָב, אַף אֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה עִמְּךָ הַחֶסֶד הַזֶּה וְאֶתְעַסֵּק עִמָּךְ.
...
...Moses was going around the city for 3 days and 3 nights trying to find Joseph's coffin, because they couldn't leave Egypt unless they had Joseph with them. Why? Because this was what he had made them promise before he died, as it says (in Genesis 50) "Joseph made the sons of Israel swear..." When he [Moses] became very weary, he came across someone with supernatural powers who noticed that he was tired. She said to him "my lord Moses! Why are you tired?" He said to her "for 3 days and 3 nights I have been going around the city to find Joseph's coffin, and I haven't found it." She said "come with me and I will show you where it is." She led him to the river. She said "the (Egyptian) wizards threw it in the river here, saying to Pharoah 'it's your wish that the nation [of Israelites] won't ever leave here, if they don't find the bones of Joseph, they will never be able to leave.'" Moses immediately stood on the bank of the river and called "Joseph! Joseph! You know how you made Israel swear 'When God has taken notice of you, you shall carry up my bones from here.' Honor the God of Israel and don't prevent the redemption of the Israelites! You have the credit of good deeds, ask mercy from your Creator and come up from the depths!" Immediately, Joseph's coffin began to bubble up and rise from the depths like a reed. He [Moses] took it and put it on his shoulder and all of Israel followed him....
...Moses was going around the city for 3 days and 3 nights trying to find Joseph's coffin, because they couldn't leave Egypt unless they had Joseph with them. Why? Because this was what he had made them promise before he died, as it says (in Genesis 50) "Joseph made the sons of Israel swear..." When he [Moses] became very weary, he came across someone with supernatural powers who noticed that he was tired. She said to him "my lord Moses! Why are you tired?" He said to her "for 3 days and 3 nights I have been going around the city to find Joseph's coffin, and I haven't found it." She said "come with me and I will show you where it is." She led him to the river. She said "the (Egyptian) wizards threw it in the river here, saying to Pharoah 'it's your wish that the nation [of Israelites] won't ever leave here, if they don't find the bones of Joseph, they will never be able to leave.'" Moses immediately stood on the bank of the river and called "Joseph! Joseph! You know how you made Israel swear 'When God has taken notice of you, you shall carry up my bones from here.' Honor the God of Israel and don't prevent the redemption of the Israelites! You have the credit of good deeds, ask mercy from your Creator and come up from the depths!" Immediately, Joseph's coffin began to bubble up and rise from the depths like a reed. He [Moses] took it and put it on his shoulder and all of Israel followed him....
Context: This is from Deuteronomy Rabba, a book of midrashic sermons about Deuteronomy written between the 400s and 700s CE in the Land of Israel. It is organized by parasha (weekly Torah portion). This comes from the last section and answers the the question "Why was Moses the only person privileged to be buried by G-d?" The answer is that G-d noticed that he took the time to fulfill Joseph's request about burial, so G-d promised Moses to tend to his burial. While this version doesn’t explicitly name her, other versions of this story do name Serach (this story about Serach is also in Sotah 13a:14, Tosefta Sotah 4:3, Midrash Tanchuma Beshalach 2:1, and Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael Tractate Vayehi Beshalach 1:9).
How might Serach have felt about thwarting the Egyptians' plans?
Act 4
(טז) וַתִּקְרָ֛א אִשָּׁ֥ה חֲכָמָ֖ה מִן־הָעִ֑יר שִׁמְע֤וּ שִׁמְעוּ֙ אִמְרוּ־נָ֣א אֶל־יוֹאָ֔ב קְרַ֣ב עַד־הֵ֔נָּה וַאֲדַבְּרָ֖ה אֵלֶֽיךָ׃(יז) וַיִּקְרַ֣ב אֵלֶ֔יהָ וַתֹּ֧אמֶר הָאִשָּׁ֛ה הַאַתָּ֥ה יוֹאָ֖ב וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אָ֑נִי וַתֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ שְׁמַע֙ דִּבְרֵ֣י אֲמָתֶ֔ךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר שֹׁמֵ֥עַ אָנֹֽכִי׃(יח) וַתֹּ֖אמֶר לֵאמֹ֑ר דַּבֵּ֨ר יְדַבְּר֤וּ בָרִֽאשֹׁנָה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר שָׁאֹ֧ל יְשָׁאֲל֛וּ בְּאָבֵ֖ל וְכֵ֥ן הֵתַֽמּוּ׃(יט) אָנֹכִ֕י שְׁלֻמֵ֖י אֱמוּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אַתָּ֣ה מְבַקֵּ֗שׁ לְהָמִ֨ית עִ֤יר וְאֵם֙ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לָ֥מָּה תְבַלַּ֖ע נַחֲלַ֥ת יהוה׃ (פ)
(16) Then cried a wise woman out of the city: ‘Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Yo'av: Come near, that I may speak with you.’(17) And he came near her; and the woman said: ‘Are you Yo'av?’ And he answered: ‘I am.’ Then she said to him: ‘Hear the words of your handmaid.’ And he answered: ‘I do hear.’(18) She spoke, saying: ‘They were wont to speak in old time, saying: They shall surely ask counsel at Abel; and so they ended the matter.(19) We are of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel; so you seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel? Why will you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?’
Context: Sheva, son of Bichri, sought to create a civil war in King David's kingdom, turning the 10 northern tribes against David and the tribes of Judah and Simeon. Yo'av (Joab), King David's general, pursued Sheva to the town of Abel of Beit-Ma'acah, where he laid siege to the town. An unnamed wise woman talks with Yo'av, finds out what he wants, and gets the people to cut off and throw Sheva's head over the wall, thus saving her town and the unity of the kingdom.
[ג] ד"א חלילה לך. אמר אברהם לפני הב"ה רבש"ע צופה אני ברוח הקודש שהאשה פולטת עיר שלימה, ואני איני כדאי לפלט חמשת כרכים הללו, ואיזה אשה זו שהצילה את העיר, זו סרח בת אשר, בשעה שמרד שבע בן בכרי וברח מן דוד באבלה, שנאמר וכל העם אשר את יואב משחיתים להפיל החומה (ש"ב כ ט"ו), כיון שהרגישה סרח בת אשר, התחילה צועקת קראו ליואב, כיון שבא יואב אמרה לו אתה הוא שהכתוב מקלסך, יושב בשבת תחכמוני וגו' (ש"ב כג ח), לא קרית בתורה, כי תקרב אל עיר וגו' (דברים כ י), ולא היה לך לעשות כן, שנאמר דבר ידברו בראשונה וגו' (ש"ב כ יח). וכן התמו (שם שם), חכמים בעיר של ישראל, התמו דברי תורה, למה תבלע נחלת יהוה (שם שם יט). כיון ששמע יואב כך נתירא אמר ויש כאן צדיקים אוי לי, שנאמר ויען יואב ויאמר חלילה חלילה וגו' (שם שם כ), אמר לה יואב לא כן הדבר כי אם איש וגו' (שם שם כא). אמר לה מי את, אמרה לו אנכי שלומי אמוני ישראל (שם שם יט), אני היא ששילמתי מנין של שבעים נפש, שנאמר בשבעים נפש ירדו אבותיך וגו' (דברים י כב), שנתייחסו ששים ותשעים ואני השלמתי את המנין, שנאמר ושם בת אשר סרח (במדבר כו מו), אלא עמוד במקומך ואני עושה שלום, שנאמר הנה ראשו מושלך אליך בעד החומה (ש"ב כ כא), וכך היתה סבורה בעצמה שהיא נותנת ראשו ליואב, אלא ראה מה עשתה, ותבא האשה אל כל העם בחכמתה (שם שם כב). מהו בחכמתה, אמרה להן תהיו יודעין שיואב וכל ישראל בחוץ מבקשים להרגנו ולבנינו ולבנותינו, אמרו לה למה, אמרה להן מאה בני אדם מן העיר מבקש, אמרו לה יטול, אמרה להן אינו מבקש אלא חמשים, הרי יפה ויטול חמשים, בסוף אמרה להן לא מאה ולא חמשים ולא עשרים אף לא חמשה אלא אם נותנין אתם את שבע בן בכרי, מיד ויכרתו את ראש שבע בן בכרי וגו' (שם שם). ראה חכמה של אשה זו, כשם שבא אברהם בחכמה על הקב"ה וירד מן חמשים לארבעים, ולמטה עד עשרה, ואף זו כן, עליה שלמה מקלס מובה חכמה מכלי קרב [וחוטא אחד יאבד טובה הרבה] (קהלת ט יח), שהיה ביד יואב וביד אנשיו, ואשה שבאתה בחכמה נצחה את הכל, כיון שנטל יואב ראשו של שבע בן בכרי חזר בו ולא נגע בעיר, אמר אברהם ומה אם יואב כשנטל את החייב, הניח את כל העיר בשלום, את שאת רחמן, את מאבד את הכל, חלילה לך מעשות וגו' (בראשית יח כה).
[3] Another interpretation: "Far be it, don't think that way." Abraham said before the Holy Blessed One, "I foresee with the spirit of holiness that the woman saved the city of Shalem, and I am not worthy to give birth to these five scrolls. And which woman saved the city? It is Serach bat Asher, at the time when Sheva ben Bichri rebelled and fled from David in Abel Beit Ma'acah, as it is said 'And all the people who are with Yo'av were destroying to break the wall' (2 Samuel 20:15). When Serach bat Asher realized this, she began to cry out, "Call Yo'av!" When Yo'av came, she said to him, "You are the one whom the verse mocks, 'You sit in the Sabbath to be wise, etc.' (2 Samuel 23:8). This is not what is written in the Torah, 'When you approach a city, etc.' (Deuteronomy 20:10), and you should not have done so, as it is said, 'They spoke beforehand, etc.' (2 Samuel 20:18). And so it ended (ibid), 'The wise men of the city of Israel have ended the words of the Torah, Why should the inheritance of the Lord be swallowed up?' (2 Samuel 20:19). When Yo'av heard this, he was afraid and said, "Are there righteous people here? Woe to me," as it is said, 'Then Yo'av answered and said, 'Far be it, far be it, etc.' (ibid, 20). Yo'av said to her, "Who are you?" She said to him, "I am Shlomi, the peaceable and faithful of Israel" (ibid, 19). "I am the one who completed the count of seventy souls," as it is said, 'Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy souls, etc.' (Deuteronomy 10:22). They were counted as sixty-nine, and I completed the count, as it is said, 'And there is the daughter of Asher, Serach' (Numbers 26:46). But stand in your place and let me make peace, as it is written "Behold, his head is thrown to you over the wall" (2 Samuel 20:21). And so she thought to herself that she would give her head to Yo'av, but see what she did. Then the woman went to all the people with her wisdom (same verse). "What is her wisdom?" She said to them, "Know that Yo'av and all Israel outside seek to kill us and our children and to destroy us." They said to her, "Why?" She said to them, "One hundred men from the city are seeking (to kill us)." They said to her, "Let him take them." She said to them, "He only seeks fifty." They thought it was good and agreed to give him fifty. In the end, she said to them, "Not one hundred, not fifty, not even twenty or five, unless you give him the head of Sheva ben Bichri." Immediately, they cut off the head of Sheva ben Bichri (2 Samuel 20:15-22). Behold the wisdom of this woman! Just as Abraham used his wisdom to negotiate with God, going down from fifty to forty to ten, so too did this woman. King Solomon praised her wisdom above the mighty warriors (Ecclesiastes 9:18), for Yo'av and his men had the power, but this woman's wisdom triumphed over all. Once Yo'av took the head of the guilty man, he returned and did not touch the city. Abraham said, "What if Yo'av, when he took the guilty man, had spared the whole city? You, who are merciful, would destroy everything. Heaven forbid that you should do such a thing" (Genesis 18:25).
Context: This is from Aggadat Bereshit (also called Seder Eliyahu Rabbah), a set of midrashim compiled in the 800-900s CE. Here they are trying to understand why Abraham said "Far be it from you to act such" when he was bargaining with G-d to not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
A few midrashic moves are being made here: 1. Abraham is using as evidence something that doesn't happen until long after he has died. The Rabbis know that this is far-fetched, so they claim that Abraham can foresee this with "the spirit of holiness". 2. The Rabbis match an unnamed woman with a woman who has no story (conveniently, she can be alive long enough to both enter and exit Egypt, so she can surely live a few more centuries until this story, right?) This is similar to how the Rabbis connect the unnamed man who dies for gathering sticks on Shabbat (Numbers 15:32-36) with Tzlofchad who dies for his own unspecified sin (Numbers 27:3). This is like how some Disney fans think that the shipwreck that Ariel explores in "The Little Mermaid" belongs to the king and queen in "Frozen". 3. The Rabbis are playing with words so they can make a point (in this case that the unnamed woman is Serach). The original unnamed woman says that she is "Shlumi", "peaceable". The Hebrew root for "shalom", "peace", is sh.l.m. This root at its most basic means "complete", which is why it undergirds the word "to pay" ("l'shalem") since you are completing a transaction. When you are at peace, everything is complete in your life. The Rabbis deliberately misunderstand the word "peaceable" as completed to say that Serach completed the count of 70 going down to Egypt.
This story comes up in Midrash Proverbs 31:26 (commenting on the woman who opens her mouth in widom in the Pey line of Eishet Chayil) and Rashi on II Samuel 20:19.
How might Serach have felt before, during, and after this situation?
Act 5
(כב) וַיָּבֹ֧אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּ֖ם בַּיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה וְהַמַּ֤יִם לָהֶם֙ חוֹמָ֔ה מִֽימִינָ֖ם וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָֽם׃
(22) and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
Context: This is from the Biblical Book of Exodus, after the Sea of Reeds splits and as the Israelites are about to enter it.
(יג) [יג] ר' יוחנן הוה יתיב דרש כיצד היו המים עשויין לישר' כחומה. דרש ר' יוחנן כאילין קנקילייא. אדיקת שרח בת אשר ואמרת תמן הוינא ולא הוון אלא כאילין אמפומטא....
Rabbi Yochanan was sitting and expounding the verse “the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left” (Ex. 14:22) how the waters (of the Reed Sea) were made straight like a wall. Rabbi Yochanan explained that they resembled a window lattice or impervious net. Serach bat Asher appeared and said: ‘I was there, and the water was not as a net, but as transparent windows...
Context: This from the Pesikta DeRav Kahana, a collection of midrashim from the 400s and 500s CE in the Land of Israel. This text comes from a section about the Exodus from Egypt.
How might Serach have felt about people getting the story wrong when she had been there?
Context: This is from the 1998 film "Prince of Egypt", a cinematic midrash on the Exodus. It was advised by a number of Jewish scholars. One of them probably drew on the midrash about Serach bat Asher to include the details in this clip from 2:17-2:31.
Epilogue
(יח) ט׳ נכנסו בחייהם בג״ע. ואלו הן חנוך בן ירד ואליהו ומשיח ואליעזר עבד אברהם וחירם מלך צור ועבד מלך הכושי ויעבץ בנו של רבי יהודה הנשיא ובתיה בת פרעה וסרח בת אשר ויש אומרים אף ר׳ יהושע בן לוי:
Nine people entered Gan Eden alive, namely: These are them: Hanoch ben Yered, Eliyahu, the Masiach, Eliezer the servant of Abraham, Cheerem king of Tzor and the servant of the Ethiopian king, Yoavatz the son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, the daughter of Pharoah, and Serach bat Asher, and there are those who say also Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi.
Context: This is from Derekh Eretz Zuta, a minor tractate of the Talmud with tanna'itic (from the time of the Mishnah - 200 BCE to 200 CE) material about proper behavior. It is expounded upon in Tractate Kallah Rabbati. This specific text is also found in Kallah Rabbati 3:25, and is referred to in Targum Jonathan on Numbers 26:46.
The Persian Jews of the city of Isfahan believed that Serach bat Asher actually lived among them until she died in a great fire in their synagogue in the twelfth century CE. This synagogue and its successors were subsequently known as the Synagogue of Serach Bat Asher. In the Jewish cemetery of Isfahan, there was to be found, at least until the end of the nineteenth century, a tombstone marking the final resting place of "Serach the daughter of Asher the son of our Patriarch Jacob" who died in the year equivalent to 1133 CE. This alleged gravesite was marked by a small mausoleum known as cheder Serach ("Serach's Room"), which remained for centuries one of the best known pilgrimage sites for the Jews of Persia. In the Iranian exile, Jews were accustomed to prostrate themselves at the gravestone of Serach, as they now customarily pray here in Israel at the Tomb of our Matriarch Rachel near Bethlehem. Like the tomb of Rachel, that of Serach is also located in a "room" (i.e., a mausoleum). This room is believed to have wondrous doorposts and only people of good character and deeds may enter; but the way in shrinks before anyone else and prevents them from entering.
Marc Bregman, Serah bat Asher: Biblical Origins, Ancient Aggadah and Contemporary Folklore, The Bilgray Lectureship, booklet published and distributed by the University of Arizona, 1997 [reprinted in New Harvest (St. Louis: The Brodsky Library Press, 2005)].
Marc Bregman, Serah bat Asher: Biblical Origins, Ancient Aggadah and Contemporary Folklore, The Bilgray Lectureship, booklet published and distributed by the University of Arizona, 1997 [reprinted in New Harvest (St. Louis: The Brodsky Library Press, 2005)].
Some traditions believe that while she’s buried near Isfahan, Iran, she’s continued doing good works from beyond the grave, such as healing sick people who pray at her tomb. In one story, a shah who lost his way while hunting in a Jewish cemetery encountered the spirit of Serach, who guided him to safety in exchange for favors to the Jews under his rule.
--Rabbi Leah Berkowitz, "How Serach Bat Asher Became My Patron Saint," JWA, January 15, 2019.
--Rabbi Leah Berkowitz, "How Serach Bat Asher Became My Patron Saint," JWA, January 15, 2019.
Alicia Jo Rabins wrote “Tell Me” in 2016 as part of her “Girls In Trouble” curriculum. Lyrics are below.
Tell MeAlicia Jo Rabins, Girls in Trouble
Tell me what you’re looking for,
I’ll show you what you have:
The pearl inside the oyster
of your heart.
I’ll show you what you have:
The pearl inside the oyster
of your heart.
I’ve seen the bones rise from the river,
I’ve watched them shining in the dark.
I’ve watched them shining in the dark.
Do you think that it’s too late
to find the one you love?
I know him and he’s looking
for you too.
to find the one you love?
I know him and he’s looking
for you too.
The waters parted but it wasn’t like they said,
no iron wall came down to hold them.
no iron wall came down to hold them.
Has there been a loneliness like mine,
touching all the hidden walls of time?
touching all the hidden walls of time?
Books telling her story as a modern midrash: Serah’s Secrets https://www.amazon.com/Serahs-Secrets-Suzanne-Brody/dp/1774032198/ (by Suzanne Brody); Deathless: The Complete Uncensored Heartbreaking Autobiography of Serach bat Asher https://www.amazon.com/Deathless-Complete-Uncensored-Heartbreaking-Autobiography/dp/1532612028/ (by Andrew Ramer). The story of her singing to Jacob is recounted in Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso’s 1995 book But God Remembered: Stories of Women from Creation to the Promised Land.
With appreciation to: (Rabbi) Suzanne Brody, Noam Mazkirut, Eleanor Steinman, Nelly Altenburger, Geela Naiman, The Forward, Rabbi Elisa F. Kopel RJE, Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe, Rabbi David G. Winship, Dianne Cohler-Esses, Yael Rapport, Rebecca Rosenthal, Anne Morain,
Appendix: Other texts mentioning Serach
מדרש הגדול, בראשית מ"ה:כ"ו
"ויגדו לו לאמר 'עוד יוסף חי' " רבנן אמרו אם אנו אומרים לו תחלה יוסף קים שמא תפרח נשמתו. מה עשו? אמרו לשרח בת אשר, "אמרי לאבינו יעקב שיוסף קים והוא במצרים. מה עשתה? המתינה לא עד שהוא עומד בתפלה ואמרה בלשון תימה:
- יוסף במצרים - יולדו לו על ברכים - מנשה ואפרים
פג לבו כשהוא עומד בתפלה. כיון שהשלים ראה העגלות, מיד "ותחי רוח יעקב אבינו" (שם).
"ויגדו לו לאמר 'עוד יוסף חי' " רבנן אמרו אם אנו אומרים לו תחלה יוסף קים שמא תפרח נשמתו. מה עשו? אמרו לשרח בת אשר, "אמרי לאבינו יעקב שיוסף קים והוא במצרים. מה עשתה? המתינה לא עד שהוא עומד בתפלה ואמרה בלשון תימה:
- יוסף במצרים - יולדו לו על ברכים - מנשה ואפרים
פג לבו כשהוא עומד בתפלה. כיון שהשלים ראה העגלות, מיד "ותחי רוח יעקב אבינו" (שם).
Midrash HaGadol, Genesis 45:26(13th C work from Yemen)
[The brothers said:]If we tell him right away, "Joseph is alive!" perhaps he will have a stroke [lit., his soul will fly away]. What did they do? They said to Serach, daughter of Asher, "Tell our father Jacob that Joseph is alive, and he is in Egypt." What did she do? She waited till he was standing in prayer, and then said in a tone of wonder, "Joseph is in Egypt/ There have been born on his knees/ Menasseh and Ephraim" [three rhyming lines]. His heart failed, while he was standing in prayer. When he finished his prayer, he saw the wagons: immediately the spirit of Jacob came back to life.(Translated by Avivah Zornberg in Genesis, the Beginning of Desire, p.281).
[The brothers said:]If we tell him right away, "Joseph is alive!" perhaps he will have a stroke [lit., his soul will fly away]. What did they do? They said to Serach, daughter of Asher, "Tell our father Jacob that Joseph is alive, and he is in Egypt." What did she do? She waited till he was standing in prayer, and then said in a tone of wonder, "Joseph is in Egypt/ There have been born on his knees/ Menasseh and Ephraim" [three rhyming lines]. His heart failed, while he was standing in prayer. When he finished his prayer, he saw the wagons: immediately the spirit of Jacob came back to life.(Translated by Avivah Zornberg in Genesis, the Beginning of Desire, p.281).
אוצר המדרשים (אייזנשטיין) בראשית מ"ו:י"ז
...סרח בת אשר בעבור שאמרה ליעקוב "יוסף חי" אמר לה יעקב "זה הפה שבשרני על יוסף שהוא חי לא יטעם טעם מות."
...סרח בת אשר בעבור שאמרה ליעקוב "יוסף חי" אמר לה יעקב "זה הפה שבשרני על יוסף שהוא חי לא יטעם טעם מות."
Otzar HaMidrashim (Eisenstein Gen. 46:17)
“Anthology of Midrashim” is a 20th-century (1915) encyclopedic work that lists and describes 200 minor midrashim, and includes the full text of some shorter midrashim.
Serach Bat Asher: Because she told Yaakov "Yosef is alive", Yaakov said to her: "The mouth that told me about Yosef being alive will not taste the taste of death."
“Anthology of Midrashim” is a 20th-century (1915) encyclopedic work that lists and describes 200 minor midrashim, and includes the full text of some shorter midrashim.
Serach Bat Asher: Because she told Yaakov "Yosef is alive", Yaakov said to her: "The mouth that told me about Yosef being alive will not taste the taste of death."
(יג)... וּבַמֶּה הֶאֱמִינוּ, עַל סִימָן הַפְּקִידָה שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם, שֶׁכָּךְ הָיָה מָסֹרֶת בְּיָדָם מִיַּעֲקֹב, שֶׁיַּעֲקֹב מָסַר אֶת הַסּוֹד לְיוֹסֵף וְיוֹסֵף לְאֶחָיו, וְאָשֵׁר בֶּן יַעֲקֹב מָסַר אֶת הַסּוֹד לְסָרַח בִּתּוֹ, וַעֲדַיִן הָיְתָה הִיא קַיֶּמֶת, וְכָךְ אָמַר לָהּ כָּל גּוֹאֵל שֶׁיָבֹא וְיֹאמַר לְבָנַי (שמות ג, טז): פָּקֹד פָּקַדְתִּי אֶתְכֶם, הוּא גּוֹאֵל שֶׁל אֱמֶת, כֵּיוָן שֶׁבָּא משֶׁה וְאָמַר: פָּקֹד פָּקַדְתִּי אֶתְכֶם, מִיָּד וַיַּאֲמֵן הָעָם..
...They had a tradition from Jacob, that Jacob passed on the secret to Joseph, and Joseph to his brothers, and Asher the son of Jacob passed the secret on to Serach his daughter and she was still alive. And this is what he said to her "any redeemer that comes and says 'I surely took note of you,' this is a true redeemer." Therefore, when Moses came and said 'I surely took note of you,' the people immediately believed.
וּמִנַּיִן הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ הֵיכָן יוֹסֵף קָבוּר? אָמְרוּ: סֶרַח בַּת אָשֵׁר נִשְׁתַּיְּירָה מֵאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר. הָלַךְ מֹשֶׁה אֶצְלָהּ, אָמַר לָהּ: כְּלוּם אַתְּ יוֹדַעַת הֵיכָן יוֹסֵף קָבוּר? אָמְרָה לוֹ: אָרוֹן שֶׁל מַתֶּכֶת עָשׂוּ לוֹ מִצְרִים וּקְבָעוּהוּ בְּנִילוּס הַנָּהָר, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְבָּרְכוּ מֵימָיו. הָלַךְ מֹשֶׁה וְעָמַד עַל שְׂפַת נִילוּס, אָמַר לוֹ: יוֹסֵף יוֹסֵף! הִגִּיעַ הָעֵת שֶׁנִּשְׁבַּע הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁאֲנִי גּוֹאֵל אֶתְכֶם, וְהִגִּיעָה הַשְּׁבוּעָה שֶׁהִשְׁבַּעְתָּ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. אִם אַתָּה מַרְאֶה עַצְמְךָ מוּטָב, אִם לָאו — הֲרֵי אָנוּ מְנוּקִּין מִשְּׁבוּעָתֶךָ. מִיָּד צָף אֲרוֹנוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף.
The Gemara asks: And from where did Moses our teacher know where Joseph was buried? The Sages said: Serach, the daughter of Asher, remained from that generation that initially descended to Egypt with Jacob. Moses went to her and said to her: Do you know anything about where Joseph is buried? She said to him: The Egyptians fashioned a metal casket for him and set it in the Nile [Nilus] River as an augury so that its water would be blessed. Moses went and stood on the bank of the Nile. He said to Joseph: Joseph, Joseph, the time has arrived about which the Holy One, Blessed be He, took an oath saying that I, i.e., God, will redeem you. And the time for fulfillment of the oath that you administered to the Jewish people that they will bury you in Eretz Yisrael has arrived. If you show yourself, it is good, but if not, we are clear from your oath. Immediately, the casket of Joseph floated to the top of the water.
(ג) מנין היה משה יודע היכן יוסף קבור אמרו סרח בת אשר [היתה באותו הדור הלכה ואמרה לו למשה בנילוס נהר] יוסף קבור שעשו לו מצרים שפודין של מתכת וחברום בבעץ [והלך] משה ועמד על נילוס נהר ואמר יוסף יוסף הגיעה [שעה] שהקב"ה גואל את ישראל הרי שכינה מעוכבת לך וישראל מתעכבין לך וענני כבוד מתעכבין לך אם אתה מגלה א"ע מוטב ואם לאו נקיים אנו משבועה שהשבעת את אבותינו מיד צף ארונו של יוסף לשפת ונטלו משה ובא לו ואל תתמה שהרי הוא אומר (מלכים ב ו) ויהי האחד מפיל הקורה ואת הברזל נפל וגו' ויאמר איש האלהים אנה נפל ויראהו את המקום ויקצב עץ וישלך שמה ויצף הברזל והלא דברים ק"ו ומה אלישע תלמידו של אליהו ואליהו תלמידו של משה [כך הציף הברזל] משה רבו של אליהו רבו של אלישע על אחת כמה וכמה יש אומרים בקברות מלכים יוסף [היה] קבור והלך משה ועמד על [קברות המלכים] ואמר יוסף יוסף הגיעה שעה שהקב"ה גואל את ישראל [הרי שכינה מעכבת לך וישראל מעוכבין לך וענני כבוד מעוכבין לך] אם אתה מגלה [את] עצמך מוטב ואם לאו נקיים [אנחנו משבועה אשר השבעת את אבותינו מיד הקיץ ארונו של יוסף ונטלו משה ובא לו] והיו שני ארונות מהלכין אחד ארון קודש [וארון] של מת והיו [כל] עוברין ושבין אומרין מה טיבן של שני ארונות הללו [אמרו להם] אחד ארון קודש ואחד של מת אמרו להם וכי אפשר לארון קודש להלוך עם ארונו של מת. א"ל מת שבארון זה קיים מה שכתוב ומונח בארון קודש זה.
(3) How did Moses know where Joseph had been buried? They said: Serakh daughter, of Asher was of the same generation, and she went and said to Moses: "In the Nile River, Joseph is buried. And the Egyptians made for him metal skewers and affixed them with wood." Moses went and stood at the Nile River and said, "Joseph, the time has come for the Holy Blessed One to redeem Israel. Behold, the Shekhina is delayed for you, and the Israelites are delayed for you, and the clouds of glory are delayed for you. If you reveal yourself, good (okay!), and if not, we are cleansed of the oath which you have sworn upon our fathers." Then the coffin of Joseph floated to the surface and Moses took hold of it and went.
וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף (שמות יג, יט). מִנַּיִן יוֹדֵעַ מֹשֶׁה הֵיכָן יוֹסֵף קָבוּר? אָמְרוּ: סֶרַח בַּת אָשֵׁר נִשְׁתַּיְּרָה מֵאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר, הִיא הוֹדִיעָה אֶת מֹשֶׁה הֵיכָן יוֹסֵף קָבוּר. עָמְדוּ מִצְרִים וְעָשׂוּ לוֹ אָרוֹן שֶׁל מַתֶּכֶת וְשִׁקְּעוּהוּ בַּנִּילוֹס. בָּא מֹשֶׁה וְעָמַד עַל נִילוֹס. נָטַל צְרוֹר וְחָקַק בּוֹ עֲלֵה שׁוֹר, וְצוֹוֵחַ וְאוֹמֵר: יוֹסֵף, יוֹסֵף, הִגִּיעָה שָׁעָה שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא גּוֹאֵל אֶת בָּנָיו, וְהַשְּׁכִינָה מְעַכֶּבֶת לְךָ, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַנְנֵי כָּבוֹד מְעַכְּבִין לָךְ. אִם אַתָּה מְגַלֶּה אֶת עַצְמְךָ, מוּטָב. וְאִם לָאו, הֲרֵי אָנוּ נְקִיִּים מִשְּׁבוּעָתֶךָ. מִיָּד צָף וְעָלָה אֲרוֹנוֹ שֶׁל יוֹסֵף. וְאַל תִּתְמַהּ, שֶׁהֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר, וַיְהִי הָאֶחָד מַפִּיל הַקּוֹרָה וְאֶת הַבַּרְזֶל נָפַל אֶל הַמָּיִם וַיִּצְעַק וַיֹּאמֶר אֲהָהּ אֲדֹנִי וְהוּא שָׁאוּל, וַיֹּאמֶר אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אָנָה נָפָל וַיִּקְצָב עֵץ וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ שָׁמָּה וַיָּצֶף הַבַּרְזֶל (מלכים ב ו, ה-ו). וַהֲרֵי דְּבָרִים קַל וָחֹמֶר, וּמָה אֱלִישָׁע תַּלְמִידוֹ שֶׁל אֵלִיָּהוּ, הֵצִיף הַבַּרְזֶל. מֹשֶׁה שֶׁהוּא רַבּוֹ שֶׁל אֵלִיָּהוּ, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה.
And Moses took the bones of Joseph (Exod. 13:19). How did Moses know where Joseph’s grave was to be found? They say that only Serach the daughter of Asher had survived from that generation, and that she revealed to Moses where Joseph’s grave was located. The Egyptians had made a metal coffin for him and then sunk it into the Nile. Moses went to the bank of the Nile with a pebble upon which were engraved the words “Ox, arise,”3Mekhilta de-R. Ishmael says that the Tetragrammaton was engraved on the pebble and called out: “Joseph, Joseph, the time has come for the Holy One, blessed be He, to redeem his children. The Shekhinah and Israel and the clouds of glory await you. If you will reveal yourself, good, but if not, we shall be free of your vow.”4Joseph had made the brothers swear that they should carry his bones out of Egypt (Gen. 50:25). Whereupon Joseph’s coffin floated to the surface. Do not be surprised at this, for it says elsewhere: As one was felling a beam, the axehead fell into the water, and he cried, and said: “Alas, my master,” for it was borrowed, and the man of God said: “Where fell it” … and he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and he cast in thither, and made the iron to swim (II Kings 6:5–6). We can logically conclude that since Elisha, who was only Elijah’s disciple, was capable of making the iron float, surely Moses, Elijah’s teacher, could do as much.5Reasoning here by kal vehomer (an inference from the lesser to the more important), the first of R. Ishmael’s rules of interpretation.
(שמות יג,יט) ["וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף עִמּוֹ, כִּי הַשְׁבֵּעַ הִשְׁבִּיעַ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר: פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶתְכֶם, וְהַעֲלִיתֶם אֶת עַצְמֹתַי מִזֶּה אִתְּכֶם."] "וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף עִמּוֹ", לְהוֹדִיעַ חָכְמָתוֹ שֶׁלְּמֹשֶׁה, שֶׁהָיוּ הַכֹּל עֲסוּקִין בַּבִּזָּה, וּמֹשֶׁה הָיָה עָסוּק בְּעַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף. עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר (משלי י,י) "חֲכַם לֵב יִקַּח מִצְוֹת". וְכִי מְנַיִן הָיָה מֹשֶׁה יוֹדֵעַ אֵיכָן יוֹסֵף קָבוּר? שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר כו,מו) "וְשֵׁם בַּת אָשֵׁר שָׂרַח." אָמְרוּ: סֶרַח בַּת אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁתַּיְּרָה מֵאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר, וְהִיא הֶרְאַת לְמֹשֶׁה אֵיכָן יוֹסֵף קָבוּר. וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא שֶׁעָשׂוּ לוֹ הַמִּצְרִיִּים אָרוֹן שֶׁלַּמַּתֶּכֶת, וְשִׁקְּעוּהוּ בְתוֹךְ נִילוּס. בָּא מֹשֶׁה וְעָמַד עַל הַנִּילוּס, נָטַל צְרוֹר וְזָרַק לְתוֹכוֹ, צָעַק וְאָמַר: יוֹסֵף, יוֹסֵף! הִגִּיעָה הַשְּׁבוּעָה שֶׁנִּשְׁבַּע הַמָּקוֹם לְאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ, שֶׁהוּא גּוֹאֵל אֶת בָּנָיו. נְקִיִּם אֲנַחְנוּ מִשְּׁבֻעָתָךְ אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁבַּעְתָּנוּ! (על פי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ ב,יז) וְצָף אֲרוֹנוֹ שֶׁלְּיוֹסֵף, וּנְטָלוֹ מֹשֶׁה.
(Exodus 13:19) "And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him": This apprises us of the wisdom and saintliness of Moses. All of Israel were occupying themselves with the spoils (of Egypt), and Moses was occupying himself with the mitzvah of the bones of Joseph. Of him it is written (Mishlei 10:8) "The wise of heart will take mitzvoth." And how did Moses know where Joseph was buried? It was said: Serach the daughter of Asher was left of that generation, and she showed Moses the grave of Joseph, saying to him: In that spot did they place him. The Egyptians made a metal casket for him and sank it in the Nile. (Moses) thereupon stood at the Nile, threw a stone into it, and shouted: "Joseph, Joseph, the oath that the Holy One Blessed be He swore to our father Abraham that He would redeem His children, has materialized. Accord honor to the L–rd, the G–d of Israel, and do not delay our redemption, for it is on your behalf that we are delayed. If you reveal yourself, good; if not we are absolved of your oath (to take your bones with us)" — whereupon Joseph's casket rose to the surface and Moses took it.
מדרש משלי: ל"א, כ"ופיה פתחה בחכמה - זו האשה שדברה אל יואב שהצילה את העיר בחכמתה, וזו סרח בת אשר
Midrash Mishlei, 31:26
She opens her mouth in wisdom - This is the woman who spoke to Yoav (Shmuel II 20) and saved a whole city in her wisdom; this [woman] is Serach bat Asher
She opens her mouth in wisdom - This is the woman who spoke to Yoav (Shmuel II 20) and saved a whole city in her wisdom; this [woman] is Serach bat Asher
(א)אנכי שלומי אמוני ישראל . אני מבני העיר , ששלמים ונאמנים לישראל ולמלך ומדרש אגדה ( בראשית רבה צד ט , ובילקוט שמעוני כא ) : סרח בת אשר היתה , אני השלמתי נאמן לנאמן , על ידי נגלה ארונו של יוסף למשה , אני הגדתי ליעקב כי יוסף חי :
I am one of those who seeks the welfare of the faithful of Israel. I am one of the inhabitants of the city, who is complete and believes in Israel and the king. Midrash says that she was Serach bat Asher, I am the one who completes the faithful to the faithful, as I revealed the coffin of Yosef to Moses, and as I told Jacob that Yosef was still living.
שבעה נכנסו בחייהם לגן עדן אלו הם שרח דכתיב אנכי שלומי אמוני ישראל אני שהשלמתי מנין הנכנסים לגן עדן.
...Seven people entered Gan Eden alive, namely: Serach, as it says, I am one of those who seek the welfare of the faithful in Israel. I am the one who completed the number of those who entered Gan Eden...
(מו) וְשׁוּם בְּרַת אָשֵׁר סָרַח דְאַדְבְּרַת בְּשִׁיתִּין רִיבְוָן מַלְאָכִין וְאִיתְעָלַת לְגִנְתָא דְעֵדֶן בְּחַיָיהָא מִן בִּגְלַל דְבַשְרַת יַת יַעֲקב דְעַד כְּדוּן יוֹסֵף קְיַים
(46) The name of the daughter of Asher was Sarach, who was conducted by six myriads of angels, and taken into the Garden of Eden alive, because she had made known to Jacob that Joseph was living.
(ה) בְּהֵיכָלָא אַחֲרָא, אִית סֶרַח בַּת אָשֵׁר, וְכַמָה נָשִׁין רִבּוֹא וְאַלְפִין בַּהֲדָהּ. תְּלַת זִמְנִין בְּיוֹמָא מַכְרִיזִין קַמֵּה, הָא דִּיּוּקְנָא דְּיוֹסֵף צַדִּיקָא אָתָא, וְאִיהִי חַדָּאת, וְנַפְקַת לְגַבֵּי פַּרְגּוֹדָא חֲדָא דְּאִית לָהּ, וְחָמָאת נְהִירוּ דְּדִיּוּקְנָא דְּיוֹסֵף, וְחַדָּאת, וְסָגִידַת לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְאָמָרְת, זַכָּאָה הַאי יוֹמָא, דְּאִתְּעָרִית בְּשׂוֹרָה דִּילָךְ לְגַבֵּי סָבָאי. לְבָתַר אַהֲדְרַת לְגַבֵּי שְׁאַר נָשִׁין, וּמִשְׁתַּדְּלִין בְּתוּשְׁבְּחָן דְּמָארֵי עָלְמָא, וּלְאוֹדָאָה שְׁמֵיהּ. וְכַמָּה דּוּכְתִּין וְחֵידוּ, אִית לְכָל חֲדָא וַחֲדָא. וּלְבָתַר אֲהְדְרָן לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בְּפִקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, וּבְטַעְמַיְיהוּ.
(5) In another chamber, Serach bat Asher comes, and so many thousands and thousands of women who merit to be with her. Three times a day, the announcement comes: The likeness of Yosef the tzadik is coming! With joy she goes out, to that curtained area which is dedicated to her, and observes light with the likeness of Yosef. With joy she bows before it, saying, "Happy was that day, when I gave the tidings before my grandfather [that you were still alive]!" Then she returns to the rest of the women, and they delve into the praises of the Ruler of the world, and praise the Name. How many places and joys, that each and everyone of them had! Then they return and delves into the precepts of Torah, along with their meanings.
(א)ושם בת אשר שרח. לפי שנזכרה עם יוצאי מצרי' [זכרה] כאן ויש לתמוה מהו ושם וגם על התרגום יש לתמוה ושום בת אתת אשר סרח משמע שלא היתה בת אשר אלא בת אשתו וגדלה אשר ולכך נקראת על שמו וזהו ושם שלא היה לו לאשר עליה אלא השם בלבד אבל בתו לא היתה. ומיהו תימ' אם הולידה אחד מן השבטים למה לא הזכירו ואם אחר דמעלמא למה מתיחסת על יעקב ושמא בת אשר היתה ולפי שהיה שמה ידוע ביותר בחסידות ובמעשים טובים כתוב עליה ושם ואמנם לשון התרגום דחוק:
(1) ושם בת אשר שרח, “And Asher’s daughter was called Serach.” Seeing that she had been mentioned by name already in Genesis, when eligibility for army service was quite irrelevant, the Torah mentions her here again. [According to our tradition she was still alive after 250 years after Yaakov had come to Egypt. Ed.] There is reason to wonder why the verse mentioning her commences with the connective letter ו, “and.” There is also reason to wonder why the Targum apparently understood Serach as not being Asher’s daughter though she was the daughter of Asher’s wife. Asher apparently had raised her after her mother had died when she was a baby. This is why the Torah describes her as being Asher’s daughter. This would also account for the letter ו at the beginning of this verse, as if to hint that she did not become his daughter already at her birth. The difficulty with this interpretation is that if she had been born to one of the other tribes why did the Torah not mention this? If she was not born to any of the members of the 12 tribes, why is she listed as such in the count of the people Yaakov brought with him to Egypt? Perhaps she was indeed the biological daughter of Asher, and because already before the family descended to Egypt she had acquired a reputation of being especially pious, the Torah decided to mention her name.
(א)ובנות בניו. פירש"י סרח בת אשר ויוכבד בת לוי. כתב הרמב"ן תינח בנות בניו אלא בנותיו מה ירבה והלא לא היתה אלא דינה לבד אבל כך דרך הפסוק לדבר לשון רבים בענין היחס כמו ובני פלוא אליאב ובני דן חושים. וי"מ כלותיו וכלות בניו שאדם קורא לכלתו בת:
(1) ובנות בניו, “and the daughters of his sons.” According to Rashi the “daughters” mentioned here are Serach, daughter of Asher, and Yocheved, daughter of Levi.
Nachmanides writes that the expression בנותיו presents a difficulty, seeing that according to Scripture, Yaakov had only one daughter, Dinah. Why then would the Torah speak about בנותיו, “his daughters” (pl.)? We must remember that it is the style of the Torah to treat subjects (such as offspring, children) in the plural mode, as for instance ובני דן חושים, “Dan’s sons were Chushim.” (verse 23) He had only that one son, and no daughters. Or, for instance, ובני פלוא אליאב, “and the sons of Phallu were Eliav.” There is therefore no reason to wonder why the subject of “daughters” should be treated differently. The same applies to the plural mode used for granddaughters, the only one being named in the text being Serach. Yocheved was not mentioned directly, although the Torah speaks about 70 souls of Yaakov’s descendants arriving in Egypt, whereas only 69 (including Joseph and his two sons) have been named.
Some commentators explain the plural mode as references to daughters-in-law. Many people refer to their daughters-in-law as “daughter.”
Nachmanides writes that the expression בנותיו presents a difficulty, seeing that according to Scripture, Yaakov had only one daughter, Dinah. Why then would the Torah speak about בנותיו, “his daughters” (pl.)? We must remember that it is the style of the Torah to treat subjects (such as offspring, children) in the plural mode, as for instance ובני דן חושים, “Dan’s sons were Chushim.” (verse 23) He had only that one son, and no daughters. Or, for instance, ובני פלוא אליאב, “and the sons of Phallu were Eliav.” There is therefore no reason to wonder why the subject of “daughters” should be treated differently. The same applies to the plural mode used for granddaughters, the only one being named in the text being Serach. Yocheved was not mentioned directly, although the Torah speaks about 70 souls of Yaakov’s descendants arriving in Egypt, whereas only 69 (including Joseph and his two sons) have been named.
Some commentators explain the plural mode as references to daughters-in-law. Many people refer to their daughters-in-law as “daughter.”
(א)וסרח אחותם. יש מפרשים מדלא קאמר וסרח בתו כמו שאמר ואת דינה בתו שלא היתה בת אשר אלא בת אשתו וכן תרגם אונקלוס ושם איתת אשר סרח ואיני מבין שהפסוק אינו מונה אלא יוצאי ירך יעקב כדכתיב כל הנפש הבאה ליעקב מצרימה יוצאי יריכו אלא כן דרך הפסוק לתלות הבת באחים כמו ואחות לוטן תמנע. פירש"י למ"ד תאומות נולדות עם השבטים צריכין אנו לומר שמתו קודם ירידתן למצרים שהרי לא נמנו כאן. וכתב הרמב"ן ואין צריך לזה שהרי ר' יהודה אומר לאחיותיהם נשאו השבטים והנה אלה התאומות נשי בניו והכתוב אומר עליהם מלבד נשי בני יעקב ומזה הכתוב למד ר' יהודה לומר שנשאו לאחיותיהם כי מה טעם לומר מלבד נשי בני יעקב הכנענית אחרי שאמר יוצאי יריכו אלא בעבור היות נשי בני יעקב אמר כן אבל לא פרסמם הכתוב כאשר לא הזכירן בשעת לידתן. ועוד כי לא הזכיר רק אשר יולדו וירבו במצרים להודיע הנס הגדול הנעשה ברבוי העם העצום אשר רבו במצרים משבעים נפש ולכך לא מנה נשיהם כי האיש עם אשתו אחד הוא:
(1) וסרח אחותם, “and their sister Serach.” Some commentators claim that seeing the Torah did not use the customary “and Search, his daughter,” as for instance “and Dinah his daughter,” but defined her as someone’s “sister,” that this is proof that Serach had not been sired by Asher at all, but had been born to his wife. This view is also held by Onkelos in his translation of our verse, where he adds the word: “his wife.” I fail to understand the validity of such a commentary as how could she then have been included in what were specifically described in verse 5 of our chapter as “the names of the descendants (biological) who made up the Children of Israel who arrived in Egypt?” The end of the chapter repeats “all the people who were biologically related to Yaakov’s offspring, etc.” We can only explain all this by again referring to the style of the Torah when narrating such details, i.e. that daughters are lumped together with their brothers when the Torah relates family relationships. Another prominent example of the style of the Torah in this regard is the line:ואחות לוטן תמנע, “Lotan had a sister named Timna.” The Torah does not describe Timna’s father as having a daughter by that name. Rashi writes that according to the view of the sage that the brothers all married half sisters who were born as twins with their male counterparts, that now, at the time when the family moved to Egypt, they were not enumerated in the list of seventy descendants as they had all died before this point in time. Nachmanides writes that we do not need to fall back on such an unlikely scenario as the brothers all having married half sisters by the father who had died before they could have reached the age of 40 or so, but that the meaning of Rabbi Yehudah (Bereshit Rabbah 84,21) who claims that Yaakov’s sons married their “sisters” who had been born as twins of their brothers, is that their names had not needed to be listed, except with the words מלבד נשי בני יעקב, “not including the wives of Yaakov’s sons,” adequately covered the subject. If the sons of Yaakov had indeed married Canaanite women, why would the Torah in Genesis 37,33 mention these women as Yaakov’s daughters? Unless they had been biologically related to Yaakov, such as being twin daughters, there would have been no point in referring to them in this entire chapter. Their names were not mentioned in this chapter just as they had not been mentioned at the time they had been born. The main purpose of the Torah listing the incredibly small number of people who came to Egypt with Yaakov, i.e. 70, was to show that these formed the nucleus of a great nation which developed into millions, counting wives and children who were minors, by the time they left Egypt 210 years later. It was in order to alert us to this miraculous population explosion of the Jewish people while they were on Egyptian soil. Man and wife are considered as one unit, as only as a pair can they sire offspring.
(א)ובנות בניו. סֶרַח בַּת אָשֵׁר וְיוֹכֶבֶד בַּת לֵוִי:
(1) ובנות בניו HIS SON’S DAUGHTERS — these were Serach, the daughter of Asher, and Jochebed, the daughter of Levi.
(א)ובנות בניו שרח בת אשר ויוכבד בת לוי לשון רש"י (רש"י על בראשית מ״ו:ז׳) ומה ירבה בבנותיו אבל דרך הכתוב כשידבר ביחוסי הרבים יאמר ביחיד לשון רבים ובני דן חושים (בראשית מ״ו:כ״ג) ובני פלוא אליאב (במדבר כו ח) וכן בנותיו דינה ובנות בניו סרח בת אשר אבל יוכבד לא יזכירנה הכתוב כמו שאמר כל נפש ששים ושש אבל ירמוז אליה כדעת רבותינו (ב"ב קכג):
(1) AND HIS SONS’ DAUGHTERS. These were Serach, the daughter of Asher, and Jochebed, the daughter of Levi. This is the language of Rashi. But what will Rashi include in the term, his daughters, [which is also plural, although Jacob only had one daughter, Dinah]? Rather, it is the way of Scripture, when mentioning the genealogy of many people, to refer to an individual in the plural form, as for example, And the sons of Dan: Hushim;And the sons of Palu: Eliab. The same is true here: “daughters” refer to Dinah. “His sons’ daughters” refers to Serach the daughter of Asher, but Jochebed [Moses’ mother] is not mentioned by Scripture [as being among the persons who went down to Egypt], as it is said, All the souls were threescore and six. She is, however, hinted at, according to the opinion of our Rabbis.
(א)ושם בת אשר שרח. לְפִי שֶׁהָיְתָה קַיֶּמֶת בְּחַיֶּיהָ מְנָאָהּ כָּאן (סדר עולם):
(1) ושם בת אשר שרח AND THE NAME OF THE DAUGHTER OF ASHER WAS SERACH — Because she still remained alive after all these long years (Sotah 13a) it exceptionally mentions her here (Seder Olam 9).
רש"ר הירש במדבר פרק כ:א
וַתָּמָת שָׁם מִרְיָם וַתִּקָּבֵר שָׁם. היא סיימה את שליחותה עלי אדמות. קברה בקדש יודיע לדור אחרון שלא הסתלקה מן העולם עד שלא היה הדור החדש מוכן לעתיד המובטח לו. במסע הארוך והעשיר בנסיונות קשים לא היו הנשים שותפות למעשי הבגידה ביהוה, שבאו מתוך ייאוש. בשמחת לבב הן בטחו ביהוה וייחלו לו בהתמסרות, ולפיכך גזירת המיתה במדבר לא נגזרה על הנשים (מדרש רבה, במדבר כא, יא). ועתה אימהות וסבתות עמדו לעלות עם הדור החדש אל הארץ המובטחת, והן שמרו בליבן את הזכרון החי של העבר במצרים ושל המסע במדבר על פי יהוה, והן יכלו לרוות את נפש הנכדים והנינים מן המעיין הרוחני של חוויותיהן עם יהוה. אכן נשי ישראל הקדימו להצטייד ברוח ישראל והיו חדורות בה עד לעומק נפשן, ועובדה זו ראויה להיות נזקפת לזכותה של מרים שהאירה לפניהן כנביאה
וַתָּמָת שָׁם מִרְיָם וַתִּקָּבֵר שָׁם. היא סיימה את שליחותה עלי אדמות. קברה בקדש יודיע לדור אחרון שלא הסתלקה מן העולם עד שלא היה הדור החדש מוכן לעתיד המובטח לו. במסע הארוך והעשיר בנסיונות קשים לא היו הנשים שותפות למעשי הבגידה ביהוה, שבאו מתוך ייאוש. בשמחת לבב הן בטחו ביהוה וייחלו לו בהתמסרות, ולפיכך גזירת המיתה במדבר לא נגזרה על הנשים (מדרש רבה, במדבר כא, יא). ועתה אימהות וסבתות עמדו לעלות עם הדור החדש אל הארץ המובטחת, והן שמרו בליבן את הזכרון החי של העבר במצרים ושל המסע במדבר על פי יהוה, והן יכלו לרוות את נפש הנכדים והנינים מן המעיין הרוחני של חוויותיהן עם יהוה. אכן נשי ישראל הקדימו להצטייד ברוח ישראל והיו חדורות בה עד לעומק נפשן, ועובדה זו ראויה להיות נזקפת לזכותה של מרים שהאירה לפניהן כנביאה
Rabbi S. R. Hirsch on Bamidbar 20:1
Miriam died there; and there, too she was buried. She had completed her mission on earth. Her grave in Kadesh might show future generations that she did not leave this world until the next generation was ready to enter into the future that had been promised to them. During Israel's long wanderings, filled with so many difficult experiences, the women were not implicated in the frequent incidents of defection born of despair. In happiness, the women did the most to preserve serene trust and persevering devotion to G-d. This, according to Midrash Rabbah Numbers 27:1, was the reason why the women were not included in the decree under which the entire old generation had to die out before the nation could enter the Promised Land. As a result, the women, as grandmothers and mothers, were able to go with the new generation when it entered the Promised Land for its new future, and to bring with them into that new future their personal recollections of their past in Egypt and of the momentous events they had witnessed in the wilderness under the protection and guidance of G-d. Thus they were given the opportunity to inspire their grandchildren and great-grandchildren with the spirit of the G-d-revealing experiences they themselves had witnessed. In fact these Jewish women were so deeply and thoroughly imbued with the Jewish spirit to the depths of their souls, and this may be ascribed in no small part to Miriam, who set them a shining example as a prophetess.
Miriam died there; and there, too she was buried. She had completed her mission on earth. Her grave in Kadesh might show future generations that she did not leave this world until the next generation was ready to enter into the future that had been promised to them. During Israel's long wanderings, filled with so many difficult experiences, the women were not implicated in the frequent incidents of defection born of despair. In happiness, the women did the most to preserve serene trust and persevering devotion to G-d. This, according to Midrash Rabbah Numbers 27:1, was the reason why the women were not included in the decree under which the entire old generation had to die out before the nation could enter the Promised Land. As a result, the women, as grandmothers and mothers, were able to go with the new generation when it entered the Promised Land for its new future, and to bring with them into that new future their personal recollections of their past in Egypt and of the momentous events they had witnessed in the wilderness under the protection and guidance of G-d. Thus they were given the opportunity to inspire their grandchildren and great-grandchildren with the spirit of the G-d-revealing experiences they themselves had witnessed. In fact these Jewish women were so deeply and thoroughly imbued with the Jewish spirit to the depths of their souls, and this may be ascribed in no small part to Miriam, who set them a shining example as a prophetess.
R. Soloveitchik in a eulogy for R. Chaim Heller (“Pleitat Sofreihem” in Divrei Hagut ve’Ha’aracha)
Joseph Ber (Yosef Dov) Soloveitchik was an Orthodoxrabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher, 1903-1993
Rabbi Chaim Heller (10[1] July 1879 – 10 April 1960) was a prominent Talmudist and Targumic scholar who combined traditional rabbinic erudition with expertise in modern textual research
Why was it crucial that Serach play a role in the redemption? The generation of the exodus witnessed signs and wonders on an unprecedented scale. Such excitement could easily lead to a sense that their generation represents true religious greatness and that nothing that came beforehand really matters. Yet this conclusion is false. Every generation, irrespective of its accomplishments, needs to turn to its elders for counsel and wisdom. The living example of someone who knew Yaakov Avinu was an invaluable resource for the generation of redemption. For the same reason, the blessing in the Amida refers to “the remnants of the scribes’” (על פליטת סופריהם) rather than simple ‘the scribes.” We want not only wise individuals but also those with memories of previous generations.
Joseph Ber (Yosef Dov) Soloveitchik was an Orthodoxrabbi, Talmudist and modern Jewish philosopher, 1903-1993
Rabbi Chaim Heller (10[1] July 1879 – 10 April 1960) was a prominent Talmudist and Targumic scholar who combined traditional rabbinic erudition with expertise in modern textual research
Why was it crucial that Serach play a role in the redemption? The generation of the exodus witnessed signs and wonders on an unprecedented scale. Such excitement could easily lead to a sense that their generation represents true religious greatness and that nothing that came beforehand really matters. Yet this conclusion is false. Every generation, irrespective of its accomplishments, needs to turn to its elders for counsel and wisdom. The living example of someone who knew Yaakov Avinu was an invaluable resource for the generation of redemption. For the same reason, the blessing in the Amida refers to “the remnants of the scribes’” (על פליטת סופריהם) rather than simple ‘the scribes.” We want not only wise individuals but also those with memories of previous generations.
~ The two midrashim complement each other, and tell you that Serach Bat Asher did not die - for the good reason which is, she knew how to deliver the news to Grandpa in a way that would not cause him a heart attack. And she is blessed. It is because of this blessing that she represents the other side of spiritual resistance: the side of the keeper of secrets of the family. The good secrets: the ones that point out to the redemption.
Pirkei de Rabi Eliezer will tell us that there are five pairs of letters that symbolize redemption, passed down from Abraham all the way to Yaakov, then to Asher and then to Serach bat Asher. One of those pairs is "pakod yifkod" pei and fei. Since Serach bat Asher is the one who still remembers these codewords, a group of Israelite elders visits her to get approval about this newcomer Moshe, who says he speaks through his brother the words of God. She is suspicious of the first signs - the staff that becomes a snake and the hand that becomes white. But then Moshe says: pakod ifkod - you must surely remember. And who said those words way before when? Yosef, in his deathbed, in the next parsha.
Pirkei de Rabi Eliezer will tell us that there are five pairs of letters that symbolize redemption, passed down from Abraham all the way to Yaakov, then to Asher and then to Serach bat Asher. One of those pairs is "pakod yifkod" pei and fei. Since Serach bat Asher is the one who still remembers these codewords, a group of Israelite elders visits her to get approval about this newcomer Moshe, who says he speaks through his brother the words of God. She is suspicious of the first signs - the staff that becomes a snake and the hand that becomes white. But then Moshe says: pakod ifkod - you must surely remember. And who said those words way before when? Yosef, in his deathbed, in the next parsha.
How Serach bat Asher Became My Patron Saint
Is Serach still among us? Some traditions believe that while she’s buried near Isfahan, Iran, she’s continued doing good works from beyond the grave, such as healing sick people who pray at her tomb. In one story, a shah who lost his way while hunting in a Jewish cemetery encountered the spirit of Serach, who guided him to safety in exchange for favors to the Jews under his rule.
Is Serach still among us? Some traditions believe that while she’s buried near Isfahan, Iran, she’s continued doing good works from beyond the grave, such as healing sick people who pray at her tomb. In one story, a shah who lost his way while hunting in a Jewish cemetery encountered the spirit of Serach, who guided him to safety in exchange for favors to the Jews under his rule.
Though my mother’s spiritual boundaries are permeable enough to make room for traditions from other faiths, I, an ordained rabbi, could not bring myself to pray to a Catholic saint. What, I wondered, would be the Jewish equivalent of praying to St. Anthony?
Had I Googled this, I might have discovered that there is a traditional, though not widely known, Jewish prayer for retrieving lost objects. But relying only on my own knowledge—which happens to be about 72% feminist midrash—my thoughts went to Serach bat Asher.
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Clearly, Serach had played a role in uncovering what had been lost. So I prayed, not to Serach—I’m still a monotheist—but to the God of Serach.
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Clearly, Serach had played a role in uncovering what had been lost. So I prayed, not to Serach—I’m still a monotheist—but to the God of Serach.
God of Serach bat Asher,Keeper of Secrets, Knower of Mysteries,You who revealed Joseph’s bones in Egypt,please reveal what is lost to me.
And, as I’m sure it gives comfort to Catholics when they pray to a patron saint, it put my mind at ease to send out a call for help to one of my favorite lesser-known women of the Bible. I also thought that maybe, if this prayer caught on, Serach and her story would get a little more attention than they usually do.
Other than that, I didn’t think anything would come of it.
But later that morning, I remembered writing down something my chevruta had said during our study session earlier that week. I once again attacked the pile of books on my desk, and found my journal.
It was buried between the pages of my Bible.
--Rabbi Leah Berkowitz, "How Serach Bat Asher Became My Patron Saint," JWA, January 15, 2019.