Daf 112a (דַּף קי״ב ע״א)

Rabbi Shim‘on opened and said (רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן פָּתַח וְאָמַר): “The lip of truth…” (Proverbs 12:19) (שְׂפַת אֱמֶת וְגו׳), “The lip of truth is established forever” (שְׂפַת אֱמֶת תִּכּוֹן לָעַד)-this is Avraham (דָּא אַבְרָהָם), for all his words from the beginning to the end were in truth (דְּכָל מִלּוֹי בְּקַדְמִיתָא וּבְסוֹפָא הֲווּ בֶּאֱמֶת). “And until a lying tongue is for a moment”-this is Avimelekh (וְעַד אַרְגִּיעָה לְשׁוֹן שָׁקֶר: דָּא אֲבִימֶלֶךְ).

In Avraham it is said: “And Avraham said to Sarah his wife: She is my sister” (וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֶל שָׂרָה אִשְׁתּוֹ: אֲחוֹתִי הִיא). This is in the beginning (דָּא בְּקַדְמִיתָא): he said it because of the Shekhinta that was with Sarah (דְּאָמַר בְּגִין שְׁכִינְתָּא דְּהֲוַת עִמָּהּ), “She is my sister” (דְּשָׂרָה: אֲחוֹתִי הִיא), and Avraham acted in wisdom (וְאַבְרָהָם בְּחָכְמְתָא עֲבַד). What is the reason? (מַאי טַעְמָא) Because Avraham is from the side of the right (בְּגִין דְּאַבְרָהָם מִסִּטְרָא דְּיָמִינָא אִיהוּ), he said: “She is my sister” (אָמַר: אֲחוֹתִי הִיא), and the secret is as you say: “My sister, my companion, my dove, my perfect one” (Shir haShirim 5:2) (וְרָזָא: כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר: אֲחוֹתִי רַעֲיָתִי יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי). Therefore, Avraham always called her “my sister” (וְעַל דָּא אַבְרָהָם קָרָא לָהּ תָּדִיר: אֲחוֹתִי), in order to cleave to her and that they would never be separated (בְּגִין דְּאִתְדָּבַּק בַּהֲדָהּ, וְלָא יִתְעַדּוּן). At the end, what is written? “And also, truly she is my sister, the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother” (וְגַם אָמְנָה אֲחוֹתִי בַת אָבִי הִיא אַךְ לֹא בַת אִמִּי) (Bereshit 20:12). Was it really so? (וְכִי הָכִי הֲוָה) Rather, all of this he said because of the Shekhinta (אֶלָּא כֹּלָּא בְּגִין שְׁכִינְתָּא קָאֲמַר). “She is my sister” this is the beginning (אֲחוֹתִי הִיא בְּקַדְמִיתָא), as it is written: “Say to wisdom: you are my sister” (Proverbs 7:4) (דִכְתִיב: אֱמֹר לַחָכְמָה אֲחוֹתִי אָתְּ). And afterwards: “Also, truly” (וּלְבָתַר: וְגַם אָמְנָה). What is “also”? (מַאי וְגַם) To add upon what was said at first (לְאִתּוֹסְפָא עַל מַה דְּקָאֲמַר בְּקַדְמִיתָא): “My sister, daughter of my father she is” (אֲחוֹתִי בַת אָבִי הִיא) daughter of Chokhmah Ila’ah (בְּרַתֵּיהּ דְּחָכְמָה עִלָּאָה), and therefore she is called my sister and she is called wisdom (וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִתְקְרֵי אֲחוֹתִי, וְאִתְקְרֵי חָכְמָה). “But not daughter of my mother”-from the place of the concealed supernal origin of all (אַךְ לֹא בַת אִמִּי-מֵאֲתַר דְּשֵׁירוּתָא דְּכֹלָּא סְתִימָא עִלָּאָה). And concerning this (וְעַל דָּא): “and she became to me a wife” (וַתְּהִי לִי לְאִשָּׁה), in sibling-like in affection (בְּאַחְוָה בַּחֲבִיבוּתָא), as it is written (דִכְתִיב): “and His right hand embraces me” (וִימִינוֹ תְחַבְּקֵנִי). And all this is a secret of wisdom (וְכֹלָּא רָזָא דְּחָכְמְתָא אִיהוּ).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): at first, when they descended to Egypt, so he said [She is my sister]-to cleave within faith (בְּקַדְמִיתָא, כַּד נַחְתוּ לְמִצְרַיִם, הָכִי קָאֲמַר: בְּגִין לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא בְּגוֹ מְהֵימְנוּתָא), and he called her my sister so that those outer levels would not grasp her (וְקָרָא לָהּ אֲחוֹתִי, בְּגִין דְּלָא יִטְעוּן גּוֹ אִנּוּן דַּרְגִּין דִּלְבַר). So also here, my sister, so that she would not be separated from within faith as is proper (אוּף הָכָא: אֲחוֹתִי, בְּגִין דְּלָא אִתְעֲדֵי מִגּוֹ מְהֵימְנוּתָא כְּדְקָא יְאוּת). For Avimelekh and all those dwellers of the land were worshippers of foreign cults (דְּהָא: אֲבִימֶלֶךְ וְכָל אִנּוּן יָתְבֵי אַרְעָא, הֲווּ אָזְלֵי בָּתַר פּוּלְחָנָא נוּכְרָאָה), and he cleaved within faith (וְאִיהוּ אִתְדָּבַּק גּוֹ מְהֵימְנוּתָא), and because of this he came there and said my sister (וּבְגִין כָּךְ עָאל לְתַמָּן וְאָמַר: אֲחוֹתִי). For a sister is never separated from her brother (מָה: אָחוֹת לָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ מֵאָחָא לְעָלְמִין), so too here (אוּף הָכָא). For a wife can be separated, but not a sister (דְּהָא: אִתְּתָא יְכִילַת לְאִתְפְּרָשָׁא, אֲבָל אָחוֹת לָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ), for two siblings can never be separated, forever and ever (דְּהָא: תְּרֵין אַחִין לָא יָכְלִין לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא לְעָלְמִין וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמִין). And therefore Avraham said “She is my sister” (וּבְגִין כָּךְ אָמַר אַבְרָהָם: אֲחוֹתִי הִיא), for they were all steeped in the purity of the stars and constellations, and worshipped them (דְּהָא: כֻּלְהוֹן הֲווּ לְהוּטִין גּוֹ טָהֳרֵי כּוֹכְבַיָא וּמַזָּלֵי וּפַלְחֵי לוֹן), and Avraham cleaved to faith and said “my sister”-that is never separated (וְאַבְרָהָם הֲוָה מִתְדְּבַּק גּוֹ מְהֵימְנוּתָא וְאָמַר: אֲחוֹתִי, דְּלָא נִתְפְּרַשׁ לְעָלְמִין). And your sign is (וְסִימָנִיךְ): “And to his virgin sister…”-said concerning a Kohen (Leviticus 21:3) (וְלַאֲחוֹתוֹ הַבְּתוּלָה דְּאִתְּמָר לְכֹהֵן), the place wherein Avraham dwells (אַתְרָא דְּאַבְרָהָם שַׁרְיָא בֵּיהּ).