B"H

TALMUDIC SOURCES

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CHAYAISARA

Sara's Death

Avraham returned from Har Hamoria elated, ready to communicate to Sara the wonderful news of how Yitzchak had been tied to the altar ready to be slaughtered and was then saved by Hashem's word.

Alas, he could never tell this to his wife. When he arrived in Be'er Sheva, he heard that Sara had gone to Chevron in reach of him. Avraham traveled to Chevron and found Sara dead. His rejoicing turned into mourning.

It once happened that one of the important men of the town of Kabul invited the Sages to the wedding meal for his son. During the meal, the father noticed that the wine bottles on the table were empty and told the bridegroom to fetch a new barrel from the upper chambers. The son climbed up the steps, and as he entered the chamber, a snake slid out from between the barrels and bit him. He fell dead. The father waited a long time for his son's return, and when he failed to appear again at the meal, he ascended to the attic himself. He found the young man stretched out between the barrels, his body lifeless. The father returned to the meal quietly without revealing to anybody what had happened. When the meal was over and the guests wanted to recite birkas hamazon (Grace after meals), the father arose and announced to them, "You have not come here to recite the blessing for bridegroom, but instead to recite with me the blessing of the mourners. You have not come here to celebrate his marriage, but rather to accompany him to his grave!"

There is no perfect happiness in this world, for rejoicing may suddenly turn into tragedy. Hashem said, "Even Avraham was not granted perfect happiness. He was blessed with a child when he was a hundred years old and was nevertheless prepared to slaughter Yitzchak with a happy heart. Then, after that difficult trial, he returned to find that his wife had passed away. If this is true of tzaddikim, the wicked certainly cannot assume that they will be granted rejoicing!"

What had happened to Sara in Avraham's absence? Satan, frustrated because he had failed to achieve victory over either Avraham or Yitzchak, appeared to Sara. "Where is Yitzchak?" he asked her.

"He left with his father to study the laws of sacrifices" answered Sara.

"That is true; Yitzchak himself is the sacrifice!" Satan contradicted.

"I don't believe you!" exclaimed Sara.

Even though Sara tried not to believe Satan, she was somewhat affected by his words. She therefore left her house and hurried to the abode of Achiman, Shaishai, and Talmai, three giants who lived in Chevron, requesting, "Please look into the distance as far as you can see. Do you notice anywhere an old man accompanied by his son and two servants?" The giants rose to their full height and gazed as far as they could see. "Yes," they answered, "we see the old man on a mountain top. His son is tied to the altar and the old man is holding a knife in his hand!" Sara cried out six times, and her soul departed.

Corresponding to Sara's six screams, we are commanded to blow six tekiyos - uninterrupted shofar suonds -on Rosh Hashana.

Why was Sara's life destined to end on this tragic note, induced by Satan? Both Avraham and Sara lived their entire lives with the single-minded goal of serving Hashem. There was not a moment in their lives when they did not feel that they stood in the presence of their Creator. When the Angel of Death approached Sara to take her soul, he found her mind dwelling on the shechina with such intensity that he was unable to perform his mission. He therefore contrived a plan to shock her with the truth about Yitzchak and divert her thoughts for one moment. Then he was able to fulfill his task.

[Rabbi Moshe Weissman, The Midrash Says, Beraishis p.207-9]

THE CHASSIDIC DIMENSION

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Ongoing Life: Sarah's Influence

Adapted from Likutei Sichos, Vol. V, p. 338ff; Vol. XV, p.145ff

What Death Cannot Kill

The reading Chayei Sharah ("The life of Sarah") begins by telling of Sarah's death, which features in much of the subsequent narrative. This evokes an obvious question: Why is the reading entitled "The life of Sarah"?

This question can be resolved on the basis of our Sages' statement: "Yaakov our Patriarch did not die. Although he was mourned and buried, his descendants perpetuate his spiritual heritage. And so, Yaakov is still alive.

The same can be true for any individual. It is the spiritual content of our lives, and not our physical existence which is fundamental. The boundaries of mortal existence cannot contain this spiritual dimension.

This is the message hidden in the name of this Torah reading: that Sarah's spiritual "tree" continued to bear fruit long after her physical life ended. The three main elements of the reading: the acquisition of the Cave of Machpelah, Eliezer's mission to find a wife for Yitzchak, and Avraham's subsequent remarriage and fathering of other children, are part of the continuing work of Sarah's spirit.

Concentration and Focus

What constituted the essence of Sarah's Divine service? She was Avraham's wife. She nurtured his potential, making sure it was applied in the most beneficial manner possible.

Avraham dispensed kindness freely, granting hospitality to all wayfarers, even to those who would bow to the dust on their own feet. He gave generously, unconcerned whether his influence would leave a lasting impression. Sarah, by contrast, (particularly after the birth of Yitzcahk) strived to focus her husband's influence. She sought to direct it to those recipients who would give it expression in holiness.

This pattern is reflected in Avraham's progeny. He fathered many children. Sarah, by contrast, bore only Yitzchak. Avraham's unbounded generosity caused him to consider even Yishamael worthy. After G-d told him of the impending birth of Yitzchak, he prayed: "May Yishmael live before You." Afterwards, although G-d had told Avraham that "I will keep My covenant with [Yitzchak] as a bond," Avraham still loved Yishmael and desired to raise him in his household.

It was Sarah who demanded: "Drive away this maid-servant and her son, for [he]... will not inherit together with my son, with Yitzchak." Sarah understood that all the members of Avraham's household had to be individuals whose conduct reflected Avraham's spiritual heritage.

Erets Yisrael -Our Heritage

On this basis , we can appreciate Sarah's influence on the events described in our Torah reading. Avraham had already been promised Eretz Yisrael, but that promise had yet to be realized. It was through the acquisition of the Cave of Machpelah - obviously associated with Sarah - that a part of Eretz Yisrael first became an eternal heritage for the Jewish people. For the first time, the spiritual nature of our holy land was given actual expression.

There is also a deeper dimension. Our Sages state that Adam and Chavah, ancestors of the entire human race, were also buried in Machpelah. Thus before Sarah's burial, the Cave of Machpelah shared a connection with mankind as a whole. Sarah's burial there - in continuation of the drive she exhibited throughout her life - established the site as the exclusive heritage of the Jewish People.

[In the Garden of Torah, Insights of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson on the Weekly Torah Readings, Volume 1, p.27-9]