Chayei Sarah – Peninim on the Torah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chayei Sarah, 5752

“And he made the camels kneel outside the city next to the well toward evening.” (24:11)

This is the same time of day as the Torah mentions later (24:63), when Yitzchak looks up and discovers his future wife after reciting his prayer. This is the time which best suited Yitzchak’s personality and destiny. His father, Abraham, rose like a star in the firmament of humanity, making the world resplendent with his awesome love of Hashem and his fellow man. He was like the radiance of dawn. It was, therefore, he who instituted the prayer of Shacharis. Yitzchak, however, foresaw his fortunes waning in contrast to the glorious rise of his father. His life, missing the dazzling…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chayei Sarah, 5752

“And Avraham said to his servant.” (24:2)

Perhaps one of the most noteworthy features of this narrative is its remarkable length. The Torah devotes sixty-six pesukim specifically to the chronology of finding a suitable mate for Yitzchak. This fact is in itself fascinating. One of the guidelines by which to understand Torah is the observation of the amount of space which is allotted to a given subject. The Creation of the universe occupies thirty-one pesukim. The Ten Commandments is apportioned fourteen pesukim, whereas the story of Yitzchak and Rivkah is related in sixty-six pesukim. We may derive from this apparent excess of pesukim that the marriage of…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chayei Sarah, 5752

“And Avraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.” (23:2)

In this parsha, the Torah portrays Avraham in the role of husband and father. Therefore, the message of this parsha is addressed to the entire Jewish family. We study the death of the first Jewish mother, Sarah, and Avraham’s struggle to locate an appropriate burial place for his beloved wife. Ultimately, he fulfills his wish and brings Sarah to a final resting place. Life continues. The Moreshes Moshe poignantly elaborates this concept. The mourner’s Kaddish is not only a prayer for the dead; it is a prayer for the living as well. tcr vhna ase,hu ksd,h – Even greater and…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Chayei Sarah, 5752

“And it was the life of Sarah.” (23:1)

The pasuk in Koheles 1:5 states, “And the sun rises and the sun sets”. The simple meaning of this phrase emphasizes that it is the monotonous, routine course followed by the sun which ensures the orderly continuity of life on the earth. The Midrash, however, perceives deeper meaning in this phrase. It states that this verse uses the rising and setting of the sun to symbolically teach us that before the “sun” of one righteous individual is permitted to set, the “sun” of another righteous individual rises. For example, before Sarah passed on, Rivkah was born. This Midrashic statement is…

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“And he made the camels kneel outside the city next to the well toward evening.” (24:11)

“And Avraham said to his servant.” (24:2)

“And Avraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.” (23:2)

“And it was the life of Sarah.” (23:1)

YEARS

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