Avraham and Sara Change the World

The Midrash Rabah makes comparisons between Adam and Eve, and Avraham and Sara. It sees Avraham and Sara as elevating the world, and trying to repair some of the damage done by Adam and Eve.

The sin of the Garden of Eden, pushed away the Divine Presence. It brought curses to the world. After they were banished from the Garden of Eden, they did not enjoy that same closeness to G-d that they had before.

The life’s work of Avraham and Sara brought back the Shechina to the world. They dedicated their lives towards teaching about monotheism. Their holy mission brought blessings to the world.

Eve was violated and contaminated by the evil serpent. Sara kept her virtues even after being kidnapped twice by Pharoah and Avimelech.

The sin of Adam and Eve brought death to the world. The original plan was for people to live forever in a perfect world. After the sin, through the instructions of Avraham and Sara, people learned that this perfect world awaited them, if they merited it. This would be the reward for living a life of following their example of doing acts of kindness, and serving Hashem with great diligence.

We do not view Adam and Eve as being evil, but their sin was great, and it needed to be rectified. The proof of this is that Avraham purchased the Cave of Machpeila, so that he and Sara would be buried together with Adam and Eve. The original name of that city was Kiryat Arba, because of the four couples buried there. Later it was called Chevron.

It was a great example set by Avraham and Sara. They saw the world as it was, and believed that they could fix some of that which was broken. They succeeded in leaving their mark on the world. Their efforts continue to inspire to this very day.