In yesterday’s post (“Identifying the True Redeemer”), we discussed how according to the Rabbis, Moshe was identified as the true redeemer of the Jewish people by invoking a code phrase, “Pakod Pakadeti” that had been handed down from the times of Avraham, and which Serach b. Asher was able to corroborate. I surmised that her having had the merit to be the first to inform Yaakov of Yosef’s presence in Egypt entitled her to be the keeper of the secret upon whom the elders of the Jewish people relied.

The Rabbis also assert that Serach played a role in two other significant events, one contemporary with and paralleling her earlier involvement with Moshe and the Exodus from Egypt, and the other taking place a long time afterwards.

On the one hand, the Talmud claims that Serach helped Moshe fulfill a commitment that Yosef, like his father Yaakov, had imposed upon his family. Yaakov had said to his sons gathered at this deathbed, that he demanded to be buried in Egypt:

Beraishit 49:29-32

29 And he charged them, and said unto them: “I am to be gathered unto my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Efron the Hittite, 30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpeila, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Avraham bought with the field from Efron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place. 31 There they buried Avraham and Sara his wife; there they buried Yitzchak and Rivka his wife; and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave that is therein, which was purchased from the children of Chet.” (See “Who is Holding onto Whom?”)

And so Yosef, in emulation of his father’s example, does the same at the end of his life:

Ibid. 50:25

And Yosef took an oath of the children of Yisrael, saying: “God will surely Remember you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.”

Consequently, immediately prior to the last plague, when Moshe had been Informed by HaShem that the Jews’ leaving Egypt was immanent, he was determined to fulfill Yosef’s request, just as the latter had taken care to properly carry out his father’s final wishes (see Beraishit 50:4-13):

Sota 13a

The Rabbis taught: Come and see how beloved fulfilling Mitzvot was to Moshe, our teacher. All of Yisrael were engaged in collecting spoils (see Shemot 11:2-3; 12:35-6) while he occupied himself in fulfilling Mitzvot, as it is said, (Mishlei 10:8) “The wise of heart takes up Mitzvot…” How did Moshe our teacher know where Yosef was buried? They said: Serach b. Asher remained from that generation (that witnessed Yosef’s burial. As implied by Shemot 1:6, the previous generation had by the beginning of Shemot passed away.) Moshe went to consult with her (as did the elders when trying to decide whether Moshe was the true redeemer sent by HaShem.) He said to her: “Do you know where Yosef is buried?” She said to him: “The Egyptians made for him a metal coffin, and they buried him in the midst of the River Nile in order that its waters would be blessed (The Tora notes [Devarim 11:10] that Egypt, in contrast to Israel, did not depend upon rainfall for irrigation, but rather the regular overflowing by the Nile of its banks. Since Yosef had demonstrated deep understanding of agricultural issues by means of his successful management of food during the years of famine, the Egyptians believed that his continued presence, even after his death, in proximity to the Nile, would serve as some sort of magical talisman for the continued fertility of the land.) Moshe went and stood on the banks of the Nile. He said to him: “Yosef! Yosef! The time has come for the fulfillment of God’s Oath that ‘I Am Going to Redeem the Jewish people, and so the time has come for the fulfillment of the oath that you imposed upon the Jewish people. If you “show” yourself, fine (and I will proceed to take your remains with us to the land of Israel.) But if you don’t (make your remains available to me), behold we will be exempt concerning your oath (the Halacha states that if a person is under duress, he is not responsible to fulfill the obligations that otherwise would apply to him. In this instance, since the Nile is long, wide and deep, Moshe could hardly be expected to or responsible for locating Yosef’s remains without some type of assistance.” Immediately Yosef’s coffin bobbed up to the surface of the river.

One could say that identifying Moshe was the first thing necessary for the process of redemption from Egyptian slavery to occur, and collecting Yosef’s remains was the last, with the entire process “bookended” by Serach sharing what she remembered she was made privy to, in the distant past.

However, the second intervention that at least some Rabbis claim Serach perpetrated is certainly less obvious with respect to the Exodus, and posits that she became that much older than we were assuming that she already was.

The Bible does list the same woman who came down to Egypt with Yaakov remarkably still alive at the time when the Jews entered Israel, implying that perhaps somehow she was immune to death:

BaMidbar 26:46

And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serach.

On Beraishit 46:17, where Serach’s name first appears, Targum Yonatan, much more of a Midrashic commentary than a straightforward Aramaic translation, as the term “Targum” would appear to suggest, writes the following:

And Serach their sister, who was taken while alive to the Garden of Eden as a result of her having informed Yaakov that Yosef was alive, she saved the residents of Avel from death during the days of Yoav.

The biblical story which Targum Yonatan is referencing and stating that Serach participated in, is related in one of the books of the early prophets:

II Shmuel 20

1 Now there happened to be there a base fellow, whose name was Sheva, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite; and he blew the horn, and said: “We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Yishai; every man to his tents, O Israel.” 2 So all the men of Israel went up from following David, and followed Sheva the son of Bichri; but the men of Yehuda did cleave unto their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem…

6 And David said to Avishai: “Now will Sheva the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Avshalom; take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fortified cities, and escape out of our sight.” …

13 … All the people went on after Yoav, to pursue after Sheva the son of Bichri. 14 And he went through all the tribes of Yisrael unto Avel, and to Beit-Ma’acha, and all the Berites; {S} and they were gathered together, and went in also after him. 15 And they came and besieged him in Avel of Beit-Ma’acha, and they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood in the moat; and all the people that were with Yoav battered the wall, to throw it down. 16 Then cried a wise woman out of the city: “Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joav: Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.” 17 And he came near unto her; and the woman said: “Art thou Yoav?” And he answered: “I am.” Then she said unto him: “Hear the words of thy handmaid.” And he answered: “I do hear.” 18 Then she spoke, saying: “They were wont to speak in old time, saying: ‘They shall surely ask counsel at Avel; and so they ended the matter. 19 We are of them that are peaceable and faithful in Yisrael; seekest thou to destroy a city and a mother in Yisrael? Why wilt thou swallow up the Inheritance of the LORD?’” {P} 20 And Yoav answered and said: “Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy. 21 The matter is not so; but a man of the hill-country of Efraim, Sheva the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city.” And the woman said unto Yoav: “Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.” 22 Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheva the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Yoav. And he blew the horn, and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. And Yoav returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

RaDaK supplies more detail in his commentary to II Shmuel 20:16 s.v. VaTikra Isha Chachama:

In the Midrash (Beraishit Rabba, 94:9 edition of Theodore Albeck)—Who was this wise woman? Serach b. Asher. She said, (v. 18) “…They were wont to speak in old time, saying: ‘They shall surely ask counsel at Avel; and so they ended the matter.’ Here, the words of Tora are “closed,” i.e., they are “closed” because people are unaware of them. I heard this from Moshe (!): When they come to besiege a city, that they should open the gates for the sake of peace. (v. 19) “We are of them that are peaceable and faithful in Yisrael…” I was able to make peace for one faithful individual on behalf of another faithful individual. Through me was revealed the coffin of Yosef to Moshe (see Sota 13a above). I was the one who told Yaakov that Yosef was alive.”

And it is remarkable that Serach b. Asher lived for so long, even though we have seen that there were many who lived for a long time, since she is numbered along with those who came to Egypt and she is also listed among those who came to the land of Israel, and by that time she was at least 250!

On the one hand, it is possible that as in the cases of Shimon and Levi who are blamed in Beraishit for troubles that are attributed to “one person speaking to another”, and Datan and Aviram who are made the brunt of accusations of rebellion from the beginning of Shemot through the punishment of Korach’s followers in BaMidbar whenever two people are mentioned, if a mysterious “wise woman” appears in the text, the Rabbis want to put a name to her, and Serach is the natural candidate. But it is striking that the name of this “wise woman” is not explicitly mentioned in the biblical text, particularly since her applied wisdom in this instance was deemed sufficiently profound, that commentators discussing a particular Mishna, establish the manner in which the incident described in II Shmuel 20 was handled as normative Halacha:

Terumot 8:12

… A group of women to whom pagans said, “Hand over one of you (to us) and we will violate her, and if you refuse, we will violate all of you,” should undergo violation of all rather than handing a single person over.

Sanhedrin 72b

R. Chisda asked R. Huna: We learnt: Once his head (of a fetus, whose birth is threatening the life of his mother) has come forth, he may not be harmed, because one life may not be taken to save another.  But why so? Is he not a pursuer (the Tora declares that one person threatening the life of another is to be stopped with whatever means possible including taking the pursuer’s life)?   — There it is different, for she is pursued by Heaven (the natural process of birth is not attributable to premeditation on the part of the fetus, as in the case of other “pursuers”).

RaShI s.v. Yatza Rosho

… And if you say, isn’t the case of Sheva b. Bichri one where one life is sacrificed for another (the residents of the city Avel saved themselves by taking the life of Sheva. What gave them the right to consider his life less worthy of saving than their own?) There, it is because even if they would not have turned him over to him (Yoav), he would have been killed in the city once Yoav would capture him, and they would end up being killed as well. However, if his life would be saved even if it meant they they would be killed, then they would not have been allowed to turn him over in order to save themselves. An alternative explanation: Because he (Sheva b. Bichri) had been guilty of treason against the king (the punishment for which is death, he was therefore a “dead man walking” and was not being handed over in order to be killed because he was figuratively dead already.) So is explained in the Tosefta of Terumot Chapt. 7.

Furthermore, there is an earlier reference to a “wise woman” in II Shmuel, and no one to my knowledge identifies that woman with Serach:

II Shmuel 13:23-14:23

23 And it came to pass after two full years, that Abvshalom had sheep-shearers in Ba’al-Chatzor, which is beside Efraim; and Avshalom invited all the king’s sons. 24 And Avshalom came to the king, and said: “Behold now, thy servant hath sheep-shearers. Let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant.” 25 And the king said to Avshalom: “Nay, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome unto thee.” And he pressed him; howbeit he would not go, but blessed him. 26 Then said Avshalom: “If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said unto him: “Why should he go with thee?” 27 But Avshalom pressed him, and he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. {S} 28 And Avshalom commanded his servants, saying: “Mark ye now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine; and when I say unto you: ‘Smite Amnon,’ then kill him. Fear not; have not I commanded you? Be courageous, and be valiant.” 29 And the servants of Avshalom did unto Amnon as Avshalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and every man got him up upon his mule, and fled. 30 And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that the tidings came to David, saying: “Avsalom hath slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left.”{P} 31 Then the king arose, and rent his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent. {S} 32 And Yonadav, the son of Shimea, David’s brother, answered and said: “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king’s sons; for Amnon only is dead; for by the appointment of Avshalom this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. 33 Now therefore let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead; for Amnon only is dead.” {P} 34 But Avshalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people in a roundabout way by the hill-side. 35 And Yonadav said unto the king: “Behold, the king’s sons are come; as thy servant said, so it is.” 36 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up their voice, and wept; and the king also and all his servants wept very sore. 37 But Avshalom fled, and went to Talmai the son of Amihud, king of Geshur. And (David) mourned for his son every day. 38 So Avshalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 And the soul of king David failed with longing for Avshalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead. {S}

1 Now Yoav the son of Tzeruia perceived that the king’s heart was toward Avshalom. 2 And Yoav sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her: “I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead; 3 And go in to the king, and speak on this manner unto him.” So Yoav put the words in her mouth. 4 And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and prostrated herself, and said: “Help, O king.” {S} 5 And the king said unto her: “What aileth thee?” And she answered: “Of a truth I am a widow, my husband being dead. 6 And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killed him. 7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they said: ‘Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and so destroy the heir also.’ Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.”{P} 8 And the king said unto the woman: “Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.” 9 And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king: “My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house; and the king and his throne be guiltless.” {S} 10 And the king said: “Whosoever saith aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee anymore.” 11 Then said she: “I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son.” And he said: “As the LORD Liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.” 12 Then the woman said: “Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word unto my lord the king.” And he said: “Say on.” {S} 13 And the woman said: “Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one. 14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God Respect any person; but let him devise means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him. 15 Now therefore seeing that I am come to speak this word unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid; and thy handmaid said: ‘I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.’ 16 For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God. 17 Then thy handmaid said: ‘Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for my comfort; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad; and the LORD thy God Be with thee.” {P} 18 Then the king answered and said unto the woman: “Hide not from me, I pray thee, aught that I shall ask thee.” And the woman said: “Let my lord the king now speak.” 19 And the king said: “Is the hand of Yoav with thee in all this?” And the woman answered and said: “As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Yoav, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid; 20 To change the face of the matter hath thy servant Yoav done this thing; and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.” {S} 21 And the king said unto Yoav: “Behold now, I have granted this request; go therefore, bring the young man Avshalom back.” 22 And Yoav fell to the ground on his face, and prostrated himself, and blessed the king; And Yoav said: “Today thy servant knoweth that I have found favor in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath performed the request of thy servant.” 23 So Yoav arose and went to Geshur, and brought Avshalom to Jerusalem.

I suppose it could be countered, that with respect to II Shmuel 14 that since the woman had only to follow a script given to her by Yoav, this reflects a different type of intelligence than that required in II Shmuel 20. But such a line of reasoning leads to the conclusion that the two instances in Beraishit and Shemot were more about memory—remembering what the “code phrase” was and where Yosef had been buried—than intelligence per se.

In the article by Professor Chazan that I referenced in the previous post, he notes that the liturgical poem that originated in Djerba was sung specifically by women. I imagine that such songs served the same purpose as the Yiddish Tzena U’R’ena which was used by women in Ashkenazic communities to allow them to relate to biblical and Midrashic literature. But I think that the particular case of Serach may have served as a model for women of an individual who played a key role in Jewish history and who was gifted with special intellectual qualities. While Miriam was an important leader during her lifetime, the sin of Lashon HaRa that is described in BaMidbar 12 may have given some individuals pause when it came to choosing her as a completely positive role model. Serach appears to be not only the beneficiary of incredible longevity, but also rarified moral qualities.