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The name of a Parshah usually explains the theme, and overall message of the Parshah. It is strange, then, that Parshat Chayei Sara — the “Life of Sarah,” opens with Sarah’s passing. How are we to make sense of this?
The Talmud explains that the true life of a righteous person is his or her spiritual ideals. When those ideals are continued on by their children, the righteous person lives on.
When is Sarah’s “life” truly clear? When her family continues on her path after she passes away. The many episodes in this Parshah all express the continuation of Sarah’s life work — her devotion to G-d and to the Jewish people.
Sarah’s entire focus was to ensure the continuity of the Jewish nation through her son, Yitzchak, the first Jewish child. Avraham is the father of other nations as well. But Sarah is the mother only of the Jewish people. After her passing, we see how her devotion to the Jewish people lived on in the actions of her family.
Avraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah as a burial plot for Sarah. Avraham designated the plots specifically for the fathers and mothers of the Jewish people, which was Sarah’s passion - the well-being of her son and his descendants.
The Torah then describes Eliezer’s search for a wife for Yitzchak. Despite Eliezer being a devoted student of Avraham, Avraham did not want his son to marry into Eliezer’s family because he was not “blessed” as was Avraham’s family. And Yitzchak, the continuation of the Jewish people, could not enter into a union with a family of lesser spirituality than his own.
Before his passing, Avraham gave all he had to Yitzchak. But to his other children, Avraham gave gifts. Avraham reserved his legacy, spiritual and material, for Sarah’s son Yitzchak, and for the Jewish people.
In truth, all of existence was created so that the Jewish people would be able to fulfill their task of bringing Divine awareness to the entire world. If anything would interfere with this mission, its existence would be unjustified, for it goes against its purpose.
May we see this firsthand with peace in Eretz Yisrael, with the coming of Moshiach now!
Shabbat Shalom!
Candle lighting time in NYC is Friday, 4:24 PM.