Parashat Chayei Sarah

Parasha Thoughts

By Rabbi David Shasho

We know the famous first Rashi in the beginning of this week’s parashah which talks about why the pasuk separated the years of Sarah Imenu’s life. The next part of the pasuk repeats, “these were the years of Sarah.” Did it not just tell us this? Rashi says it’s teaching us something else, that all the years of Sarah Imanu were good. All good?! She went through so many troubles: 90 years of not having a child, being captured twice, traveling….. What is going on here?!

This is the life of a Jew: to always have faith in Hashem that whatever happens is for the best. Emunah and Bitachon are how we get through life and, if we believe, all of our years can be good as well no matter what happens.

An example in the parashah we can learn from is when Avraham became famous and rich after the first time Sarah was taken captive by Pharaoh. It looks like a great tragedy, but what came out of this was an unbelievable success. The Midrash says that while Sarah lived in Pharaoh’s palace for 6 months, he had a painting made of her like all princesses had done. Many years later when Yosef was in the palace he saw that picture and was inspired to follow in her path.

There is a higher power in charge and a higher goal. We are very limited in our understanding of what we are all here for. The negative things that occur in one’s life can be a devastation or an opportunity to grow. As one tries to believe that life has a higher purpose than the here and now, we can strive to cultivate a life like that of Sarah Imenu. This week we are being told the way Sarah saw her troubles and how she reacted to the hardships. In her perspective, everything was for the best, and it was a good life.

Shabbat Shalom!

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