Torah Portion:  Chayei Sarah;  Genesis 23:1–25:18

This week’s Torah portion is “Chayei Sarah”, which translates as the “life of Sarah.”  It is ironic, then, that the portion actually begins with the story of Sarah’s death: “And the life of Sarah was a hundred years and seven years and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah” (Gen. 23:1).  This portion immediately follows one of the most climactic events in the Torah—Abraham’s binding, and near sacrifice, of his son Isaac. 

Tradition teaches that when Sarah heard of Abraham’s actions and Isaac’s near death, her soul immediately left her body.  Hence, we read the words, “The life of Sarah WAS….”  I believe, however, that Torah phrases Sarah’s death by enumerating the years of her life in order to emphasize one of Judaism’s essential teachings.  Loss, especially the loss of a loved one, is one of the most painful experiences any of us can endure.  Yet Judaism’s response has always been clear: we miss, terribly, the person we lost; yet their life was a gift we got to share, and our time going forward—our lives—are also gifts we need to share with others.  After I had been a rabbi for just a few months, I sat down with a family whose beloved father had passed away.  They made a strong impression on me, and said, “we don’t want his funeral to be depressing.  He was a great man, a wonderful father, and instead of focusing on what we’ve lost, we want to remember what we had.  We don’t want the funeral to be a sad remembrance; we want it to be a celebration of his life.”  This same impulse, I believe, informs this week’s Torah portion.  We know from later Torah stories that Isaac missed his mother terribly, and after the binding episode he never spoke to his father again.  Isaac could have permanently sunk into despair and loneliness—God knows he had reason to—but the Torah reminded him that the LIFE of Sarah was something to celebrate and cherish.  He needed to go and live his life, too.  Isaac seems to take this teaching to heart.  He meets his wife Rebecca and falls in love at first sight; he rebuilds the wells of his father, and his own wells; he steps into the light of life.  May our memories, too, bring us blessings of love, renewal, and life.

For more insight on this week's Torah portion, visit
urj.org/torah.

Shabbat Shalom 
Rabbi Annie