Chaye Sarah
The Lives of Sarah
Adapted from Rabbi Rona Shapiro
Chaye Sarah means "the lives of Sarah." Yet the parashah begins with the story of
Sarah's death. What is the reason
for this paradox? Some
interpreters say this is because Sarah's death awakened her husband Avraham to
a new understanding of life.
Sarah died immediately after Avraham returned from his attempt to
sacrifice their son Yitzchak on the mountaintop, a sacrifice Godís angel
stopped, saying it was not actually asked of Avraham. Some say Sarah died when she learned about the event. And that Sarah's reaction, more than
anything, caused Avraham to re-examine his relationship with God.
Before Sarah's death, Avraham looked for truth "on the
mountaintop." He was at his best when gazing at the stars, walking the
length and breadth of the land, arguing with God over the justice of Sodom and
Amorah. After Sarah's death, a new
Avraham emerged: he bought a family burial plot, found a wife for his son, remarried,
fathered more children, and wrote a will.
After Sarah's death, Avraham became a man of the heart, a man who
cared for his family members and lived out his life on a human plane. He learned that the mountaintop is not
the only center of holiness, and that God sits wherever human beings let God
into their lives.
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