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CHAYEI SARAH

This week’s parsha records for us the passing of our father and mother, of Avraham and Sarah. The Torah notes these sad events without any undue display of emotion or even of great sadness. The Torah’s view of life is that death is inevitable and that death does not end the influence of life – in fact, it does not end life itself. The whole idea of the story of Yitzchak’s miraculous birth and his being saved from the altar of the akeida is to emphasize to us the continuation of life and generations in a family and in the Jewish people generally.

If Yitzchak is alive and finds his wonderful mate in Rivka, then Avraham and Sarah are also still here with us. The living generation always perpetuates the past generations, not only in photographs and memories but also in deeds and accomplishments. The Torah emphasizes zechut avot – the merit of previous generations standing in good stead for later generations. But there is also a concept of brah mezakeh abuhu – of later generations justifying and affirming the accomplishments of previous generations.

A generation that sees itself in isolation, without any true connection to the past and without any feeling of duty and responsibility to the future is a generation that truly feels death as being a permanent status. In order to avoid this mistaken and dangerous notion of life, the Torah describes the death of Sarah our mother with the words chayei Sarah – the life of Sarah - for she lives on through all of Jewish eternity.

Our mother Sarah had a very turbulent life, full of frustrations, evil happenings and constant tension. Hagar and Yishmael, Pharaoh and Avimelech, all are part of her challenges. Even the miraculous gift of Yitzchak to her only adds to the tensions in her own home. And she is unable to survive the near death of Yitzchak in the terrible trial of the akeidah .In fact if we look at the lives of all of our patriarchs and matriarchs we can come to the conclusion that Yaakov’s assessment of his life – “few and difficult were the days of my life” – was certainly an accurate picture.

However, that would be viewing the lives of the founders of our people in a very narrow view. It was the very troubles and travails of their lives that fashioned them into the great almost super human figures that they were. Jewish life is and always was a struggle, a place of tensions and challenges and danger and soaring hope and belief. The response to this condition is the test of every Jewish generation.

Sarah lives on after her death because of her spirit and determination during her lifetime. The Torah therefore is most accurate in portraying her in death as still living. Deep down within us this is a source of consolation to all of us who have lost loved ones. They live on in our lives and deeds. There can be no greater comfort in viewing life and its inevitable physical end than this important understanding and lesson.

Shabat shalom.

Rabbi Berel Wein