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Why does the Torah (תורה) write the chaf in "livkosah" (to cry for her) with an unusually small letter when describing Avrohom's eulogy for Sarah? The Baal HaTurim's shocking answer — that Avrohom cried only a little because Sarah brought about her own death by invoking divine judgment against Hagar — raises profound questions about our matriarch and the nature of eulogy.
The shiur addresses a troubling question that has occupied Rabbi Zweig for over twenty-five years: the meaning of the small chaf in the word "livkosah" when the Torah (תורה) describes Avrohom coming to eulogize and cry for Sarah after her death at age 127. The Baal HaTurim, one of the greatest rabbinic authorities who compiled the first Shulchan Aruch approximately 750-800 years ago, offers a shocking interpretation. The small letter indicates that Avrohom only cried a little bit for Sarah. This limited mourning was because Sarah caused her own death through her words. When Sarah had her conflict with Hagar and said to Avrohom, "God should judge between me and you," she invoked divine judgment. The principle "shemosra din al chaveiro hitchila" teaches that one who calls for divine judgment against another is judged first. Additionally, the principle "ubaal meabed atzmo ledaas" states that one who commits suicide does not receive a full eulogy.
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Bereishis 23:2 (Chayei Sarah)
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