Articles in Chayei Sara
The Sacred Body Returns To Earth

Humans are the only species who treat their dead with dignity and inter them. All other species leave their cadavers to rot on the ground (though some make an effort to cover them. Humans place them in the ground.
The first burial is described in this week’s Torah portion, when Abraham …
I Love You

“Creator of the world. Please, I love you. I’m in love with you. Please don’t disappoint me. I love you.”
These loving, pleading words came from Margalit Megidish as she prayed for her daughter, Ori, whom Hamas took hostage. Ori Megidish is a soldier who served on a base near Gaza …
Chayei Sarah: The White Beard

The white beard and old age seem to go together. It is not surprising that they share the same cognate in Hebrew; a beard is zakan and old age is zaken. The Torah tells us that Abraham became zaken. Our sages combined the two meanings by saying that until that …
The Passing of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

It has been around a year since the world has lost a great leader with the passing of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Who will be his successor?
There will be millions beginning with me and you.
Rabbi Sacks was a unique and leading voice among rabbis in our generation. His keen intellect and …
Chayei Sarah: Personal Agenda

Did you ever do a favor for another while harboring a personal agenda? If yes, would you ever admit it?
Abraham sent his servant Eliezer to Mesopotamia to seek a bride for Isaac among his relatives. Eliezer asked what to do if perchance the bride refused to return with him to …
Chayei Sarah: Consistency in Education

Consistency is the most important part of education. Children need to hear the same message from their teachers, parents, coaches, and peers. When we expose our children to multiple streams of thoughts and conflicting values so they can make educated choices, we only succeed in confusing them. Children don’t need …
Chayei Sarah: The Good Life

Our sages derived from the opening of this week’s Torah reading that Sarah lived a good life. The Torah says, “And the years of Sarah’s life were a hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years. The years of her life.” The last sentence is superfluous. Our sages taught that …
Chayei Sarah: Why We Bury

After the binding of Isaac, Abraham discovered that his wife Sarah had passed, and he hurried from Jerusalem to Hebron to eulogise, mourn and bury her. This is the first description of a burial in the Torah, which gives us an opportunity to discuss the question of why we bury.
Many …