Parashat Chayei Sarah

This past Shabbat, the world lost an insightful and influential teacher of Torah and Judaism as we bid farewell to Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l. Rabbi Sacks achieved many distinctions in his life, including being the single most frequently cited modern commentator in the history of the Schechter Westchester/Leffell School Senior Drashah program. I think the reason why so many of our students are drawn to his teachings is the straightforward way Rabbi Sacks would share the deeper meaning of a pasuk or passage, making the hidden beauty of the text utterly accessible. His commentary on this week’s parashah, Chayei Sarah, is a case in point. Rabbi Sacks points out that as Avraham is mourning Sarah and seeking a place to bury her, the Torah begins to give us significantly more detail than it had in recent chapters about Avraham’s actions. This level of detail continues once Avraham has buried Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah, and moved onto his next task of finding a spouse for his son Yitzchak. I might not have noticed this before Rabbi Sacks pointed it out, but once he opens your eyes to passages like this in the Torah, they are there, plain to see. And it also begs the question, why?

According to Rabbi Sacks, the explanation is “simple and unexpected.” He points out that while God had promised Avraham and Sarah many children and a land of their own, after Sarah dies they have had but one son together, and Avraham has “not a single inch of land that he can call his own.” The slowing down of the pace and the incredible level of detail about Avraham’s actions is not a coincidence. It is the Torah’s way of calling our attention to the embedded moral in this parashah. In Rabbi Sacks’ words, the Torah wants us to take in the following deep messages: God promises, but we have to act. Despite all the promises, God does not and will not do it alone.

How profound? And how obvious? That is, obvious once Rabbi Sacks points it out! It is teachings like this that have inspired our students for many years, and teachings like this that will be Rabbi Sacks’ legacy for many years to come. Yehi Zichro Baruch — may his memory be a blessing for us all.