Chayei Sarah- The Life of Sarah

This week's parsha is Chayei Sarah, the life of Sarah. This is an interesting name considering that Sarah dies in the beginning of the parsha and the rest of the Torah portion is about the marriage of Isaac and Rivka. Rivka is continuation of Sarah the same way that Isaac is the continuation of Abraham. The Jewish people are a continuation. Similar to a baton race; after each run the next teammate hands the baton over. Every generation hands us the baton to continue living Jewish life. We are a continuation. When it gets tough remember that you have everyone that came before you cheering for you to finish the race. Marriage and having children, who are properly brought up in the ways of Hashem, are key.

(Watch a Video on Marriage:)

The Rebbetzin shares a beautiful story "about two brothers who lived in the holy city of Jerusalem. Their houses were at opposite ends of the city, and they were separated by a great mountain. One brother was very poor, but blessed with many children, while the other possessed a great fortune, but had no family.

"One night, the wealthy brother tossed and turned in his sleep. It is terribly unjust, he thought to himself, that I should be given so much, while my brother, who has a large family to support, has so little. I have to do something to help him.

"That same night, the impoverished brother also awoke from his sleep and kept thinking about his sibling. Of what good is all my brother’s money, he thought to himself. Without children, his life is lonely and meaningless. I must do something to show him how much I care. As the brothers lay awake thinking of how they might give comfort to one another, they both came up with an identical plan. In the darkness of the night, each would secretly leave a gift at the door of his brother.

"And so, the two brothers set out and began to climb the mountain from opposite directions. As they reached the top, the sun rose over Jerusalem. When they saw one another, they were astonished. For a moment, they just stood there, looking at each other, unable to speak, and then, weeping with joy, they fell into each other’s arms, each pleading, “Please, my brother, accept this gift.” And as they embraced, a Heavenly Voice was heard: “This ground has been sanctified by the love of the brothers. It is here that I shall build My Holy Temple!”

It would be ideal if we all could be like those two brothers and feel each other’s pain, but unfortunately, we tend to view our challenges from our own perspective and see our own needs first". We can learn from Sarah that the focus of her life was her son and the continuation of Benei Yisrael.

Shabbat Shalom!!!

Lech Lecha; Leave it ALL Behind!

Leaving everything behind was one of Abraham's 10 tests. The biggest test is turn away from our family and friends when they are not beneficial for our growth. Abraham had to look at his environment one last time and literally left it all behind. Rabbi Osher Jungreis explains "In Hebrew, "test"is called nisayon, which, literally translated, means to be lifted up, for in truth, every difficulty, every stumbling block that G-d places in our paths is, in reality, a challenge through which we can become elevated".

He continues, "Rabbi Meshulam HaLevi Jungreis, Z`tl, would often say that the difference between bitter and better is just one letter. So too, in life, everything depends on attitude. One little letter can change everything. The way we react to onerous, trying challenges will either make us better or bitter. This message is especially significant to us today as we are beset by so many unknowns, so many fears. Let us convert our anxieties into challenges for growth. Let us become better and not bitter. This teaching should guide us in every aspect of our lives. Should the challenge be major or minor, big or small, the image of our father Abraham should remind us to seize the opportunity to make that which is bitter, better".

Hashem gives Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. This magnificent miracle is quickly shattered by G-d commandment to sacrifice Yitzhak. What was the test? could it really be that Abraham, the most loyal servant of G-d, would not listen? He would do anything! The test was really for Yitzhak...would he live up to his father? The midrash explains that when Yitzhak realized what was going on, he asked his father to tighten the ropes so that the korban would be kosher. When Hashem heard this he said "ahh he is like Abraham".

Leaving our old selves and our old environments behind (like Abraham) is not easy. The challenge is not looking back but rather looking forward at what we will leave behind.

Noach; How Do We Measure Up?

In this past week's Parsha, the character of Noach is introduced with quite the glorious entrance! He is called "a righteous man among his generation" and is given a lengthy introduction in comparison to other characters in the Torah. Abraham, who is introduced in this week's parsha, Lech Lecha, is not given any special adjectives or attributes. He is literally told "lech lecha, go!" We call G-d, "G-d of Abraham", not "G-d of Noach". What happens to Noach that he does not reach the level of Abraham? Rashi adds to this question by saying that if another way to understand the description "a righteous man among his generation" is that if he was in another generation, he would not be considered righteous.

(See Video Below:)

Rebbetzin Jungreis is known for saying that everything in life is a test. What was Noach's test? The true test came after the flood. After we have experienced trouble is when we are truly tested. It is easier to approach G-d in times of despair, but what about when everything is good and back to normal? Noach's first act after he left the ark was to plant a vineyard and get drunk. We need to learn form Noach, who had the potential to be incredible, to stay close to G-d even after all the turmoil has passed.