Get a Life
Judaism – for all of its great thinkers and theoreticians – would have gotten nowhere without the Sarah’s of the Jewish community who devoted their lives to making these noble concepts a tangible reality. Indeed, this is the main purpose G-d created the world; to take heaven and introduce it to the earth.
The Anomalous Name
One of the anomalies associated with this week’s parsha is its name. Chayei Sarah means “The life of Sarah.” Yet, the entire portion deals with her death, her burial and events that could have only transpired after her passing, such as Abraham’s marriage to Keturah. Why does the name of our Torah portion seem to reflect the very opposite of the theme of this parsha?
The answer lies in a deeper understanding of how Judaism defines life.
“The righteous, even when they are dead, are called living, whereas the wicked, even when they are alive are considered as dead.”
The rationale for this is that the true life of a righteous person is his/her faith in, love of and reverence for G-d. More specifically, the spiritual accomplishments and the contributions, of the righteous represent their true essence. When the righteous person dies, these traits do not diminish. On the contrary, they are enhanced, because they no longer experience the constraints of the physical body. Their faith, love and reverence grow with every passing day.
Where do we see the life of the righteous manifest itself even after they have physically departed? It is seen in the continuation of their legacy. When their children and students follow in their righteous footsteps, it is an indication that the righteous are very much alive. When their efforts that are comparable to the planting of seeds, begin to sprout and blossom and bear fruit, then you see the dynamics of life.
Very often, righteous people can devote their entire physical life to sowing the seeds. They do not always have the opportunity to see – in their lifetime – the fruits of their labor. When they leave the world and the seeds begin to sprout and even bear fruit, that is when they are even more alive than they were before they physically departed from the world. For after all, these achievements were what their lives were all about.
We can now appreciate why this week’s parsha is entitled “The Life of Sarah” though it deals with the events that transpired after she passed away. Virtually all the events recorded in this portion are a result of Sarah’s influence.
Three Narratives
Highlighted in this parsha are three narratives: The first is the purchase of the Cave of Machpelah in Chevron for the burial of Sarah. The second is the marriage of Isaac to Rebecca. The third is Abraham’s giving all that he possessed to Isaac and sending away his other sons to the east. It is logical to assume that the first narrative concerning the purchase of the Cave of Machpelah, which appears at the beginning of the parsha, very clearly exemplifies Sarah’s life.
As we will see, this seemingly necessary and regular act really illustrates the great spiritual accomplishment of Sarah and here effect on Abraham.
Translating Theory into the Concrete
In Sarah’s lifetime, G-d had promised Abraham that he would inherit the land. But, in spite of that promise, Abraham had never exercised any real control over the land. G-d’s promise to him was never concretized until, Abraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah for Sarah’s burial.
In other words, while Abraham was the one who walked the length and breadth of Israel as a way of showing his connection to the land, the connection was not a concrete reality until the purchase.
Translating an ideal from the realm of theory to the realm of reality is what personified Sarah’s life. When the Torah talks about Sarah’s burial in this week’s parsha it is talking about Sarah’s life, and not her death. Sarah’s life was inextricably bound up with transforming the ideals of Abraham into reality. If Abraham was identified with the ideal of the Land of Israel, Sarah was the one whose influence ultimately made it a reality.
The stereotypical view of the woman’s role – based on the Talmud — as one who takes the raw food and cooks it, or the raw fabric and weaves it, has more to it than its literal application.
The ideal woman – the Sarah of today – is the one who is able to take the loftiest ideals and introduce them into the world of reality. Judaism – for all of its great thinkers and theoreticians – would have gotten nowhere without the Sarah’s of the Jewish community who devoted their lives to making these noble concepts a tangible reality. Indeed, this is the main purpose G-d created the world; to take heaven and introduce it to the earth.
A Woman’s Dedication to the Land of Israel
Moreover, throughout history, especially in Biblical times, the men rarely exhibited dedication to the Land of Israel. The Biblical spies, for example, were satisfied to lead a spiritual life in the desert. The women were always the driving force behind the acquisition of Israel and preserving our ties to the land. All this began with Abraham’s purchase of Sarah’s burial plot.
The Two Stages of History
Jewish history can be divided into two stages: The pre- Messianic period, when all of the loftiest ideals appear elusive. It doesn’t seem to us – despite all of the efforts – that the world has changed in a real concrete sense. People are still at each other’s throats. In the next stage – the Messianic Era – all of our hopes, aspirations and efforts will pay off, they will be concretized and will become a down-toearth reality.
If there are any spiritual distinctions between men and women, it is that men are satisfied with the theory and the pursuit of noble ideas. Women want their full implementation. Men are driven by and satisfied with the adventure of the effort, women are driven by the desire to see their dreams come true.
It is therefore no surprise that our sages tell us that it is in the merit of the women that the future Redemption and Messianic Era will commence. The feminine approach of not being distracted by the (mere) pursuit of noble ideas, of not being satisfied until those ideas – as elusive as they may seem – are implemented, is what the Messianic Age is all about.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Chayei Sarah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
