Parashat Chayei Sarah
October 25, 2021
Laurie Stern, Kindergarten Teacher
This week’s parashah, Chayei Sarah, is actually my favorite out of all the parashiot in the Torah, for three reasons: 1. It is the only parashah in the Torah that is named after a woman (There are only three women who have a parashah or book named after them in the Tanakh — Torah, Prophets, and Writings) — can you name the other two?); 2. It introduces us to the only monogamous marriage of the Patriarchs; and 3. Its message is one of hope and connection that resonates deeply as the Torah teaches us how to continue on after a beloved, guiding figure in our lives has died.
Even the name of the parashah is an enigma: Chayei Sarah, the life of Sarah. However, in this parashah, Sarah has passed away. Why call it the life of Sarah when she is no longer alive! The Torah expertly forces us to look and look again at what lies beneath — the underpinnings of the story. The rest of the parashah is a flurry of activity for Avraham, Sarah’s husband, for whom she left an established stable life in Haran in order to journey to the land of Caanan. Together, they faced wars, uncertainty, captivity, and many years of childlessness. Together, they walked with God and built a life dedicated to serving God and helping others. What should Avraham and Isaac (Sarah’s beloved only child) do now? How can they go on without her?
Two major events unfold in the parashah. First, Avraham buys a plot of land in Canaan to serve as an appropriate burial place for Sarah. Second, the story of how a suitable spouse is found for Avraham and Sarah’s only son, Yitzchak, is meticulously described. Avraham sends his servant back to his birthplace to find a bride for Yitzchak. Other than specifying that this bride should not be a Canaanite, the servant is not given any other specifications or instructions in seeking out this mystery lady. He is to go down to Haran to give the metaphorical rose to the lucky bachelorette. And how is the servant to know which lucky person to “swipe right” on as the perfect match of Isaac? The servant gets creative, praying to God, and gives an extremely detailed criteria.
In Pasuk 14 it says, “And it will be, [that] the maiden to whom I will say, ‘Lower your pitcher and I will drink,’ and she will say, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels,’ her have You designated for Your servant, for Isaac, and through her may I know that You have performed loving kindness with my master.”
The servant prays to God and asks that the test of Yitzchak’s bashert be in the way she treats others. At the well, the girl who not only offers water from her pitcher to a stranger, but to all the camels as well — this will be the true test to discover a bride for Yitzchak. As soon as these words are spoken aloud, Rivka arrives at the well. Not only does she show kindness to a thirsty stranger by giving him water, she says “I will also draw for your camels, until they will have finished drinking.”
Two major events unfold in the parashah. First, Avraham buys a plot of land in Canaan to serve as an appropriate burial place for Sarah. Second, the story of how a suitable spouse is found for Avraham and Sarah’s only son, Yitzchak, is meticulously described. Avraham sends his servant back to his birthplace to find a bride for Yitzchak. Other than specifying that this bride should not be a Canaanite, the servant is not given any other specifications or instructions in seeking out this mystery lady. He is to go down to Haran to give the metaphorical rose to the lucky bachelorette. And how is the servant to know which lucky person to “swipe right” on as the perfect match of Isaac? The servant gets creative, praying to God, and gives an extremely detailed criteria.
In Pasuk 14 it says, “And it will be, [that] the maiden to whom I will say, ‘Lower your pitcher and I will drink,’ and she will say, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels,’ her have You designated for Your servant, for Isaac, and through her may I know that You have performed loving kindness with my master.”
The servant prays to God and asks that the test of Yitzchak’s bashert be in the way she treats others. At the well, the girl who not only offers water from her pitcher to a stranger, but to all the camels as well — this will be the true test to discover a bride for Yitzchak. As soon as these words are spoken aloud, Rivka arrives at the well. Not only does she show kindness to a thirsty stranger by giving him water, she says “I will also draw for your camels, until they will have finished drinking.”
Fun fact, according to Britannica.com: Camels can drink up to 30 gallons in one sitting. There were ten camels as part of the caravan. That means that Rivka was drawing water from the well over and over to fill about 300 gallons! That’s a lot of water and a very thoughtful and kind person (with strong bicep muscles) who is doing this task.
Rivka brings the servant back to her father’s tent, and after hearing all about Yitzchak, agrees to return to Canaan to meet him.
The Torah, which in some cases can be sparse in details, here lays out the scene: Yitzchak comes out to the field in the evening. He looks up and sees Rivka on her camel. Rivka sees Yitzchak for the first time and in a scene ripped from a romantic comedy, falls off her camel. The couple is introduced, and the Torah leaves this scene with these words: “And Yitzchak brought her to the tent of Sarah his mother, and he took Rivkah, and she became his wife and he loved her. And Yitzchak was comforted for (the loss of) his mother.” (24:67). Rashi teaches that when Rivka entered the tent of Sarah, all the miracles that had occurred while Sarah was alive began again — “a Shabbat candle burned from one week to the next, a blessing was in the dough, and a cloud (of divine protection) was attached to the tent.”
Here is the true meaning of the name of the parashah: Sarah’s life continues on. Not because her physical body is there but because her legacy is there. Sarah lived, prayed, and worked right beside Avraham during her life. In her death, two major testaments to her emerge: Avraham buys land in Canaan, staking a claim to the land of Israel promised by God. Second, Yitzchak finds someone who shares the same values as he does, as his mother did. Sarah’s legacy is twofold: the land of Israel, and the future generations of the Jewish people who descend from her. The message that I take from this is that previous generations, dear ones we have loved and lost, continue to be with us as we hold on to the teachings, the values, and the love they have given to us. As we continue to teach and nurture future generations, the previous generations help guide our steps and connect us all to our shared Jewish history. Sarah’s legacy lives on. For those who have had to continue after a loss, who must carry on the lessons and values imparted to us onto the next generation, this is lesson of Chayei Sarah. Her physical presence is gone, but we see her spiritual presence throughout this parashah.
Shabbat Shalom.
Rivka brings the servant back to her father’s tent, and after hearing all about Yitzchak, agrees to return to Canaan to meet him.
The Torah, which in some cases can be sparse in details, here lays out the scene: Yitzchak comes out to the field in the evening. He looks up and sees Rivka on her camel. Rivka sees Yitzchak for the first time and in a scene ripped from a romantic comedy, falls off her camel. The couple is introduced, and the Torah leaves this scene with these words: “And Yitzchak brought her to the tent of Sarah his mother, and he took Rivkah, and she became his wife and he loved her. And Yitzchak was comforted for (the loss of) his mother.” (24:67). Rashi teaches that when Rivka entered the tent of Sarah, all the miracles that had occurred while Sarah was alive began again — “a Shabbat candle burned from one week to the next, a blessing was in the dough, and a cloud (of divine protection) was attached to the tent.”
Here is the true meaning of the name of the parashah: Sarah’s life continues on. Not because her physical body is there but because her legacy is there. Sarah lived, prayed, and worked right beside Avraham during her life. In her death, two major testaments to her emerge: Avraham buys land in Canaan, staking a claim to the land of Israel promised by God. Second, Yitzchak finds someone who shares the same values as he does, as his mother did. Sarah’s legacy is twofold: the land of Israel, and the future generations of the Jewish people who descend from her. The message that I take from this is that previous generations, dear ones we have loved and lost, continue to be with us as we hold on to the teachings, the values, and the love they have given to us. As we continue to teach and nurture future generations, the previous generations help guide our steps and connect us all to our shared Jewish history. Sarah’s legacy lives on. For those who have had to continue after a loss, who must carry on the lessons and values imparted to us onto the next generation, this is lesson of Chayei Sarah. Her physical presence is gone, but we see her spiritual presence throughout this parashah.
Shabbat Shalom.