Chayei Sarah – חַיֵּי שָׂרָה (Genesis 23:1−25:18)
This Week’s Torah Portion: Chayei Sarah – חַיֵּי שָׂרָה (Genesis 23:1−25:18)
This week’s Torah Portion is called Chayei Sarah, “The Life of Sarah” even though, in the very first verse we learn of Sarah’s death. Simply recounting Sarah’s death would seem to tell us very little about her life. When some people die, they leave nothing behind. But after Sarah and Abraham died, the Jewish people remained. And, within the Jewish people live all of Abraham and Sarah’s characteristics and values.
It is often said that we live on in memories, from the life of Sarah we learn that we live on in more than memories alone. When Abraham and Sarah set forth, following God’s call on their journey of faith, the Jewish people was just a dream. God promised them that their descendants would number like the stars in the sky, and the sands of the sea. We are their living legacy, the fulfillment of that promise through their lives.
Sarah, our matriarch, lives on in more than just our memories, she lives on in our lives, in our values, and in the life of every generation of our people.