What if there was more to that story about Sarah and Hagar?

Welcome to the Life of H: Sarah, Reimagined, where we restore the divine feminine (and more) to the story

Jul 26, 2024

In this space I have spoken much about Sarah and Abraham, the first Matriarch and Patriarch of the Bible — each of whom received an H (ה in Hebrew) at their initiation and renaming. Today I shift my gaze to the third H-riarch: Hagar.

Hagar, unlike Abram and Sarai, didn’t need to be renamed with an additional H;

Hagar, who, despite a surface reading of the text, was a powerful spiritual pillar along with Sarah and Abraham;

Hagar, who also received a covenant from God;

Hagar who was also a matriarch to a new nation;

Hagar, who like Sarah and Abraham had a direct relationship with God;

Hagar, who is the only person in the Bible who gives God a name.

Hagar, with an H, for whole and holy.

Perhaps Sarah and Hagar’s story is one in which two spiritually powerful women are each trying to preserve her lineage and to pass along her ancestral wisdom.

Researching and reimagining the stories of these matriarchs and writing these poems helps me heal something in my heart that, for so long, I didn’t know was broken; the shattering absence of a myth, a legend, and a lineage that could support me, too, in becoming whole.

And so, I share with you these pieces, as I gather them back together into poems.

Today’s Poem

Here are a few things to know before listening to today’s poem:

In the the second of two episodes in Genesis in which Sarah is given over to a king, infertility plagues King Abimelech’s household. According to some sources, while in the king’s court, Sarah prays that Abimelech’s hand will wither if he touches her.

When at last Sarah is released from the royal court, and to restore harmony, Abimelech showers Abraham and Sarah with gifts of livestock and silver. He also offers Sarah the choice of servant girl to take with her.

That young woman is commonly assumed to have been Hagar.

Today’s Poem, “In the Months that Followed” imagines a budding — and complex — friendship between Sarah and Hagar. Listen here:

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“In the Months that Followed,” ©️Tzivia Gover, Third House Moon, LLC, all rights reserved.

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The Life of H

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