Sarah is described as being the most beautiful woman in the world when she was in her 60’s. Then when she is 90 she is described as no longer beautiful. The gemara also says that signs of old age was not introduced to the world until the akeida. So how was Sarah described as old?
rebyidd23: but a different gemara also says that a nes happened and Sarahs skin went from being wrinkled to smooth. This means that she did show signs of old age and she had lost her physical beauty.
Signs of old age as in gray hair and wrinkles are different from a general attitude of having lived ones life, which can also affect a person’s appearance.
Off topic, but: was it specifically the akeidah? I didn’t know that- I thought it was just generally when Yitzchak was born so that he would not get confused with Avraham. Do you have a source? Why was it then?
And old in this case could easily just mean that she was past child-bearing years, no? Without a gray hair in sight?
writersoul: bava metzia 87a says that Sarah’s wrinkles were smoothed out and her beauty returned. I believe the same gemara quotes Bereishis 24:1 as to when Avraham showed signs of old age, which is after Sarah’s beauty was returned to her.
90 was young for childbearing, bearing in mind that in 2 weeks time we are reading about Jocheved being 130 years old @birth of Moshe Rabbeinu A.K.A Avigdor A.K.A. Yekusiel.