Articles in Chayei Sara
Chayei Sarah: Faith and Suffering
Does Faith Leave Room for Grief?
I was once approached by a young lady whose friend’s mother had recently died. She wanted to commiserate and cry, but was concerned that tears of grief would somehow compromise her perfect faith in G-d’s perfect benevolence. Does acknowledging the horror of a tragedy suggest …
Chayei Sarah: Food for Thought at Your Dinner Table
Sunday: the Joy of Giving
Sarah lived one-hundred and twenty-seven years. Our sages taught that she was as beautiful when she was one-hundred as she was when she was seven. At the age of seven we might seem cute or adorable, but not yet beautiful. Beauty tends to settle in with …
Chayei Sarah: The Matchmaker
A Modern Courtship
The Patriarch Isaac met the Matriarch Rebbecca through the mediation of an expert matchmaker, but matchmaking has long since gone out of vogue.
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Chayei Sara: The Inner Sarah
Rise and Fall
Nelson Mandela once said that true greatness lies not in never falling down but in rising from our falls. We are all susceptible to weakness and failures of human nature. We slip and fall from time to time. The truly great ones rise from their falls by confronting …
Chayei Sarah: Feminine Success
Is G-d Coming for Dinner?
Imagine you were a guest in the home of our Matriarchs. According to this week’s Parsha you would share your lodgings with an illustrious roommate, the Almighty G-d.
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Chayei Sarah: The Mark of Abraham
The Worthy Bride
Abraham instructed his servant to travel to the city of Haran to find a suitable match for his son, Isaac. Why did Abraham refuse to consider the local tribes, was there not a single righteous person in the entire country? Also, why did Abraham expect to find a …
CHayei Sarah: Meaningful Days
The Question
“And Abraham was old, had entered his days, and Hashem blessed Abraham with everything.” (Bereishis 24, 1) The commentators struggle with the meaning of the words “entered his days.” What exactly does this mean?
Old Age
Ramban and Eben Ezra tell us that entering into one’s days suggests longevity. This translation …
Chayei Sarah: Reasons of Infinity
I am a Servant
In our Parsha we read that Eliezer, servant of Avraham, traveled to Charan to seek Rivkah’s hand in marriage to Yitzchak. When he appeared before her family he prefaced his presentation with the words, “I am a servant of Avraham.” The Talmud teaches that even the casual …
