DELIBERATELY DIVERSE | by Francis Sorrow
Deliberately Diverse represents the individual thoughts and opinions of a group of Taylor friends who almost never entirely agree on anything, but appreciate the opportunity to share opinions and discussions in our beloved community.
Today’s article is by Frances Sorrow, a long time resident of Taylor and an amateur historian.
This article does not reflect the opinion of Taylor Press.
One of the most enigmatic figures in the Bible is Serah bat Asher. She is listed in Genesis as the daughter of Asher, one of Jacob’s 12 sons. The Bible lists the names of at least 50 of Jacob’s grandsons who went ‘down to Egypt’. It also says that his granddaughters also went. But only Serah is mentioned by name.
But she is even more extraordinary.
Why? Serah is listed in Numbers 25:46 as one of the Israelites who left Egypt with Moses.
This means that she was the only person to experience the entire 400 year exile in Egypt. Since this contradicted Genesis 6:3 in which human maximum life span was set at 120 years, the sages had to develop midrashim (Talmudic stories) to explain Serah’s longevity.
According to legend, she was an outstanding harper and a prophet.
When she played for her grandfather, she shared the knowledge that Joseph was still alive. For this, she was blessed with long life and then, like Enoch and Elijah, she ‘walked with God’. The rabbis interpreted this to joining God’s presence without having to die.
Further stories give her a pivotal role in freeing the Israelites from slavery. In Genesis 15:12, God tells Abraham, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated for 400 years.” Genesis 15:16 adds, “in the fourth generation, they will return.”
A midrash (singular form) says that Abraham knew the deliverer from slavery would require a way to be accepted by the people. So he created a recognition code, and passed it to his son Isaac, who passed it to his son Jacob. But Jacob passed it to Serah.
When Moses appeared, the Israelite elders asked her to verify that Moses was the deliverer. Moses responded correctly since the code was given to him by God.
She told Moses where Joseph’s bones were hidden, so Joseph’s request to be buried in Canaan could be fulfilled.
The lost Book of Jasher, which is mentioned in the Bible, apparently had Serah as Asher’s stepdaughter. Talmudic authors cited that book as the authority to establish that adoptive parents are the true parents of the child.
Serah bat Asher is one of the many women whose names appear so briefly that one wonders the enigma of why they were singled out.
