According to the first interpretation, Avrohom never knew of Sara’s beauty until they approached Egypt. According to the second interpretation, Avrohom had known – not only as they approached Egypt but – “a long time” prior to then…
Translated by Boruch Merkur
9. On the verse, “Now I know that you are an attractive woman,” Rashi brings several explanations. As mentioned above, Rashi interprets the literal dimension of the Torah. What is unclear in this verse, at the literal level of interpretation, is the phrase, “Now I know, etc.” Only at that moment, as Avrohom and Sara approached Egypt (“hikriv lavo Miztrayma”), Avrohom became aware of his wife’s beauty. Rashi’s cites various sources to explain this new awareness and why Avrohom was ignorant of this fact until then.
Among these explanations are narratives that contradict each other. One source Rashi cites, from “Midrash Agada,” is that “Until that moment, Avrohom did not perceive her beauty, because of the modesty they had in their relationship. But now circumstance alerted him to this fact.” On account of their modest conduct, Avrohom was formerly unaware of Sara’s beauty.
Another interpretation Rashi cites, “the literal meaning of the text,” contradicts this approach: Even from long before – or in the words of Rashi, “yamim rabbim (a long time; many days)” – Avrohom knew of Sara’s beauty, but now, as they were approaching Egypt, he recognized that “the time has come to be concerned about your beauty.”
According to the first interpretation, Avrohom never knew of Sara’s beauty until they approached Egypt. According to the second interpretation, Avrohom had known – not only as they approached Egypt but – “a long time” prior to then.
The resolution to these divergent approaches hinges on the notion that, as stated earlier, the actions of the Avos can be discussed either in terms of their souls or their bodies. The first interpretation is from the perspective of Avrohom’s soul and spiritual source, and the second interpretation is from the vantagepoint of the body. For the first interpretation, Rashi therefore references the quote as “Midrash Agada,” but for the second interpretation Rashi describes it as “p’shuto shel Mikra,” the literal level of interpretation. Agada, (which contains) the inner dimension of the Torah (as the Alter Rebbe writes in Igeres HaKodesh siman 23, “the majority of the secrets of the Torah are hidden within it”; nishmasa d’Oraisa, the soul of the Torah) speaks of the soul, whereas the literal dimension (gufei Torah, the body of the Torah) provides the perspective of the body.
10. To Avrohom’s soul, Sara’s beauty is irrelevant. The fact that bodily lusts are completely foreign to the soul is obvious; one need not invoke the virtues of Avrohom Avinu to illustrate that transcendence. But even appreciation of spiritual beauty, beauty as it relates to the soul, does not pertain to Avrohom at the level of his soul. At the dimension of soul, everything Avrohom did was with servitude, kabbalas ol, simply to fulfill the will of the Creator [and there is no interest in the pursuit or appreciation of anything else, even spiritual beauty]. This spiritual height transcends reason, intimated in this verse by the word “yadati – (Now) I know…” (as above, Section 3).
From the perspective of the body, however, there must be knowledge that “you are an attractive woman,” because it is forbidden for one to betroth a woman until he sees her (Kiddushin 41a). The shidduch of Avrohom with Sara took place, of course, much earlier than their journey to Egypt; it was before they came to the Land of K’naan, even prior to their arrival in Charan. Thus, the Torah refers to Sara, when she and Avrohom were in Uhr Kasdim, as “Sarai his bride.” From this perspective, Avrohom must have known of Sara’s beauty from a long time prior, “yamim rabbim” (“rabbim” meaning lengthy also in quality – Uhr Kasdim days, Charan days, Land of K’naan days – and throughout this time Sara Imeinu’s beauty did not wane.)
It is therefore understood that even from the perceptive of Avrohom’s body, Sara’s beauty was not an object of physical desire, G-d forbid. At this level, Avrohom was cognizant of her beauty simply because according to Torah there must be this awareness. Even the body of Avrohom was holy, a chariot to the Divine [yet the Torah demands that in taking a bride, physical attraction is to be considered]. Nevertheless, when speaking of his soul, even this concept is ruled out (and even regarding spiritual beauty, as above.)
11. According to the above explanation, however, it remains to be understood: Since the first commentary of Rashi is from the perspective of the soul, how does it result in the newfound recognition of Sara’s beauty – “Now I know that you are an attractive woman” – when they approached Mitzrayim?
It states in Maor Einayim (end of Parshas Shmos, entry “Rabbos Machshavos”) in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, that Avrohom Avinu was a chariot to the Divine and his mind was “constantly bound to the source of thought”; “his thought remained beyond the realm of worldly vision.” Thus, although Avrohom did see Sara, he did not know she was attractive. Nevertheless, Avrohom and Sara were traveling to Egypt (a place that was the opposite of tznius, the opposite of modesty,” for which reason Egypt is called “ervas ha’aretz – the nakedness of the land”) and the Egyptians were promiscuous. This lowly, crude environment had an effect on even Avrohom Avinu (at least in a subtle sense). The journey therefore resulted in Avrohom’s “descending from his spiritual height and he began to encounter thoughts deriving from the realm of Shvira [the Shattered World, where there is fragmentation from G-dliness],” to the extent that “Now I know that you are an attractive woman.”
According to what was explained above – that this interpretation is from the perspective of Avrohom’s soul – the journey to Egypt resulted in a descent for Avrohom, even with respect to his soul. But since Avrohom had to enter Egypt, to refine its G-dly sparks, he had to invest himself within the garments of that environment [allowing himself to be affected by the prevailing atmosphere there]. Of consequence he experienced a descent, as in the saying, “One who wrestles with a lowlife, etc.”
(From the address of Shabbos Parshas Lech Lecha 5725; Sichos Kodesh 5725, pg. 76-78)