“Chayei Sarah” is a paradox. The name of the Parashah,  “Chayei Sarah” means “the life of Sarah”, but it begins with Sarah’s death, and towards the end of Parashah, also records the death of Abraham. Why is a parsha about death called life?

Rabbi Sacks responds “The answer, it seems to me, is that – not always, but often – death and how we face it is a commentary on life and how we live it.” It is a celebration of how Abraham and Sarah made their lives meaningful and purposeful not by external means, but internal.

The first verse of the Parshah is “Sarah’s lifetime—the span of Sarah’s life— which came to one hundred and twenty-seven years.” Abraham mourns her and seeks a burial plot for her. He negotiates with Hittites to buy the Cave of Machpelah near Hebron. Before buying this plot, Abraham did not own any piece of land in Canaan, the promised land. This purchase secured a legitimate family burial site in the Promised Land. This was G-d fulfilling his promise to Abraham. The Parashah continues with  Abraham sending his servant to find a wife for Isaac. The servant asks G-d for a sign and then finds Rebekah. Rebekah and Isaac then get married. G-d promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and now, his one and only son had found a spouse. The Parshah ends with Abraham’s death. “Abraham breathed his last and died at a good age, old and satisfied, and he was gathered to his people.”

Rabbi Sacks asks “He had been promised that he would be become a great nation, the father of many nations, and that he would inherit the land. Not one of these promises had been fulfilled in his lifetime. How then was he “satisfied”?” Abraham had only purchased a small burial plot, and his son Isaac didn't yet  have any children. How would he have been satisfied if the promises from G-d were only fulfilled in part, or to a much lesser extent? According to Rabbi Sacks, the answer again is that in order to understand a death, we have to understand a life.”

Abraham and Sarah were among the supreme examples in all history of what it is to have a “Why” in life. Their whole lives unfolded as a response to a sacred call, a Divine voice urging them to leave behind home and family, venture toward an unknown destination, live as strangers in a foreign land, forsake all familiar securities, and trust that by upholding righteousness and justice, they would be laying the foundation for a nation, a homeland, a faith, and a way of life.

This shows us how a Parshah that is seemingly about death, really is a reflection about the success in the lives of Abraham and Sarah. A successful life was measured by a sense of purpose, of starting something that would be continued by those who came after them. 

With timed Summatives approaching, we should remember that grades are not the determinant of our success/ it is the effort and dedication we put into our work that truly matters. A meaningful life is not measured by immediate achievements, but by the perseverance and dedication that pave the way for a lasting impact beyond ourselves.

Shabbat Shalom.

Written by Peter, Grade 11