Parashat Veyeira 2025
Source Sheet by Yair Robinson
(א) וַֽיהוה פָּקַ֥ד אֶת־שָׂרָ֖ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמָ֑ר וַיַּ֧עַשׂ יהוה לְשָׂרָ֖ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֵּֽר׃(ב) וַתַּ֩הַר֩ וַתֵּ֨לֶד שָׂרָ֧ה לְאַבְרָהָ֛ם בֵּ֖ן לִזְקֻנָ֑יו לַמּוֹעֵ֕ד אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר אֹת֖וֹ אֱלֹהִֽים׃(ג) וַיִּקְרָ֨א אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֶֽת־שֶׁם־בְּנ֧וֹ הַנּֽוֹלַד־ל֛וֹ אֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָה־לּ֥וֹ שָׂרָ֖ה יִצְחָֽק׃(ד) וַיָּ֤מׇל אַבְרָהָם֙ אֶת־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֔וֹ בֶּן־שְׁמֹנַ֖ת יָמִ֑ים כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ אֱלֹהִֽים׃(ה) וְאַבְרָהָ֖ם בֶּן־מְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה בְּהִוָּ֣לֶד ל֔וֹ אֵ֖ת יִצְחָ֥ק בְּנֽוֹ׃(ו) וַתֹּ֣אמֶר שָׂרָ֔ה צְחֹ֕ק עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֱלֹהִ֑ים כׇּל־הַשֹּׁמֵ֖עַ יִֽצְחַק־לִֽי׃(ז) וַתֹּ֗אמֶר מִ֤י מִלֵּל֙ לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם הֵינִ֥יקָה בָנִ֖ים שָׂרָ֑ה כִּֽי־יָלַ֥דְתִּי בֵ֖ן לִזְקֻנָֽיו׃
(1) יהוה took note of Sarah as promised, and יהוה did for Sarah what had been announced.(2) Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken.(3) Abraham gave his newborn son, whom Sarah had borne him, the name of Isaac.(4) And when his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him.(5) Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.(6) Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”(7) And she added,
“Who would have said to Abraham
That Sarah would suckle children!
Yet I have borne a son in his old age.”
Our legacy is laughter. Sarah’s laughter, made a blessing in Isaac’s name.
Our legacy is joy. Not just happiness, but joy–that sense of surprise at the unexpected victory, the reality we dared not hope for coming true.
Tonight we celebrate our new members, just as we celebrated our lifelong members only a few weeks ago. To be in congregation is to be perpetually in laughter and joy, not because it is easy. Who ever said being with people is easy? And the work isn’t easy either. If anything, the work of learning and understanding and living Torah feels difficult, to the point we understand the Hebrew expression that we’re ‘breaking our teeth’ on it. In fact, there’s plenty of reasons to be upset about the state of the world. But laughter–the laughter of wonder and amazement, of joy and awe–provide a natural relief for the ills of the world. And when we’re in community, when we do our sacred work together, we are that much more able to banish the darkness that seems to close in on us.
Sarah allows herself to laugh, and we should too. Not out of idleness or cynicism, but out of the joy that comes from being in community and making a different together.