Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
The census of Benei Yisrael includes one surprising pasuk.
וְשֵׁ֥ם בַּת־אָשֵׁ֖ר שָֽׂרַח׃
The name of Asher’s daughter was Serah.
There were obviously lots of women in the desert, but Serah is the only woman mentioned by name in the census. Who was she?
Another curious thing about Serah is that this isn’t the only count where she appears. Back in Vayigash, when the Torah listed Yaakov’s children and grandchildren who headed down to מִצְרַיִם (Mitzrayim, Egypt), Serah appeared on that list, too (Bereishit 46:17)!
Based on this, many midrashim suggest that Serah lived for a very, very, very long time. Here’s a midrash that’s wondering why she got to live so long. It thinks about Yosef’s brothers returning from Mitzrayim after discovering that Yosef is still alive, and imagines that it must have been hard to break this news to their father, Yaakov.
וַיֵּלְכוּ לָהֶם עַד קָרְבָם אֶל בָּתֵּיהֶם וַיִּמְצְאוּ אֶת שֶׂרַח בַּת אָשֵׁר אֲשֶׁר יוֹצֵאת לִקְרָאתָם, וְהַנַּעֲרָה טוֹבָה עַד מְאוֹד וַחֲכָמָה וְיוֹדַעַת לְנַגֵּן בְּכִנּוֹר. וַיִּקְרְאוּ אֵלֶיהָ וַתָּבוֹא אֵלֵיהֶם וַתִּשַּׁק לָהֶם, וַיִּקָּחוּהָ וַיִּתְּנוּ לָהּ כִּנּוֹר אֶחָד לֵאמֹר, בּוֹאִי נָא לִפְנֵי אָבִינוּ וְיָשַׁבְתְּ לְפָנָיו, וְהַךְ בְּכִנּוֹר וְדִבַּרְתְּ וְאֲמַרְתְּ כַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה לְפָנָיו...
וַתֵּיטִיב הַכִּנּוֹר וַתְּנָגֵּן וַתֹּאמֶר בְּנֹעַם דְּבָרֶיהָ, יוֹסֵף דּוֹדִי חַי הוּא וְכִי הוּא מֹשֵׁל בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וְלֹא מֵת...
וַיִּשְׁמַע יַעֲקֹב אֶת דְּבָרֶיהָ וַיֶּעֱרַב לוֹ. וַיִּשְׁמַע עוֹד בְּדַבְּרַהּ פַּעֲמַיִם וְשָׁלוֹשׁ, וַתָּבוֹא הַשִּׂמְחָה בְּלֵב יַעֲקֹב מִנֹּעַם דְּבָרֶיהָ וַתְּהִי עָלָיו רוּחַ אֱלֹקִים וַיֵּדַע כִּי כָּל דְּבָרֶיהָ נְכוֹנָה.
וַיּבָרֵךְ יַעֲקֹב אֶת שֶׂרַח בְּדַבְּרַהּ הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה לְפָנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ, בִּתִּי אַל יִמְשֹׁל מָוֶת בָּךְ עַד עוֹלָם כִּי הֶחֱיֵיתְּ אֶת רוּחִי.
When they approached their houses they met Serah, the daughter of Asher, coming towards them. She was very good and wise, and she could play the harp. They called to her. She came to them, and she kissed them. They took her and gave her a harp. They said to her, “Please, sit before our father and play this harp and speak these words to him…”
She played the harp beautifully, and she sang in the sweetness of her voice, “My uncle Yosef is alive and ruling over all of Egypt; he is not dead…”
Yaakov heard her words, and they were sweet to him. When he heard her sing it twice and three times, his heart was filled with joy from the sweetness of her voice. The spirit of God came over him, and he knew that all her words were true.
Yaakov blessed Serah for singing these words before him, and he said, “My daughter, because you brought new life to my spirit, you will never die.”
- According to this midrash, what was special about Serah’s actions that made her deserve this reward? Why did the brothers need her help to break the news to Yaakov?
- What are other times when it’s important to be sensitive not only to what words a person says, but to the way those words come out?
- How does music help Serah and Yaakov in this midrash?
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