Sarah Nurses the Nations' Children to Silence Their Doubt

Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Levi: You find that once our mother Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the nations of the world were saying, God forbid, Sarah did not give birth to Isaac; rather Hagar, Sarah's maidservant, gave birth to him. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He dried up the breasts of the women of the nations of the world, and the noble ladies would come and kiss the dust of Sarah's feet and say to her, Do an act of kindness and nurse our children. Sarah was exceedingly modest. Abraham our father said to her: Sarah, this is not an hour for modesty; rather, uncover your breasts so that the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, may be sanctified, and sit in the marketplace and nurse their children, so that all may know that the Holy One, blessed be He, has begun to do miracles for us. She uncovered her breasts and they flowed like two springs, and the noble ladies came and nursed their children from her, saying, We are not worthy to nurse our children from the milk of Isaac. This is what is written, "She nursed children." It is not written here "she nursed a son," but rather "children." The Rabbis and Rabbi Acha. The Rabbis said: Whoever came for the sake of Heaven became one who fears Heaven. Rabbi Acha said: Even one who did not come for the sake of Heaven was given dominion in this world; but once they held themselves apart at Sinai and did not accept the Torah, that dominion was taken from them. This is what is written, "He loosens the bond of kings" and so on.