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ויהיו חיי שרה מאה שנה, עשרים שנה, ושבע שנים שני חיי שרה

Sarah’s lifetime was one hundred years, twenty years, and seven years; the years of Sarah’s life. (23:1)

Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 23:1) quote from Sefer Tehillim (37:18), Yodea Hashem yemei temimim… “Hashem knows the days of the perfect.” K’shem she’heim temimim, kach shenosam temimim, “Just as the righteous are perfect, so are their years perfect.” They say this concerning Sarah Imeinu whose life was one long series of perfection. In an alternative exposition, Rabbi Yochanan says, “Sarah was perfect in her deeds,” k’hada eglesa temimsa, “like an unassuming calf.” Rabbi Yochanan equates temimus, perfection/wholeness, with the trait of obedience and unassuming (no questions asked – no answers expected). She followed instructions i.e. tzivui, command of Hashem, faithfully. As…

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וישקל אברהם לעפרון ... ארבע מאות שקל ...ואחרי כן קבר אברהם את שרה אשתו

And Avraham weighed out to Ephron… four hundred silver shekel …and afterwards Avraham buried Sarah his wife. (23:16,19)

Chazal (Pirkei Avos 5:3) state that Avraham Avinu withstood – and emerged successful from – the trials/challenges (to his faith) with which Hashem tested him. This indicates the greatness and deep-rooted faith which our first Patriarch manifested. In his commentary to Avos, Rabbeinu Yonah delineates the ten nisyonos, trials, in ascending order of conviction demonstrated. He places the Akeidas Yitzchak, Binding of Yitzchak (when Avraham Avinu was prepared to slaughter his son to fulfill Hashem’s command), as number nine, with (the travail surrounding) the selecting a gravesite and burying his beloved wife, Sarah Imeinu, as number ten. How are we…

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ותמלא כדה ותעל

She filled her jug and ascended. (24:16)

Chazal interpret the “ascent” of this pasuk as a reference, not to Rivkah, but to the water – the water rose up to “meet” her. Her virtue was so great that a miracle occurred when she came to the well. Eliezer saw the water rise up to Rivkah – a miracle which clearly manifested her elevated spiritual plateau. Miracles do not occur for someone who is undeserving. If so, why did Eliezer require a sign that demonstrated that she excelled in the middah, attribute, of chesed, lovingkindness. Apparently (as expounded by the commentators), miracles do not define a person’s character….

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והנה רבקה יוצאת ... וכדה על שכמה ... וירץ העבד לקראתה ויאמר הגמיאיני נא מעט מים מכדך... ותשקהו ... ותכל להשקותו ותאמר גם לגמליך אשאב

And suddenly Rivkah was coming out … and her jug upon her shoulder … The servant ran towards her and said, “Let me sip, if you please, a little water from your jug.” And she gave him to drink… When she finished giving him drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels until they have finished drinking.” (24:15,17,18,19)

Eliezer prayed to Hashem that Rivkah should offer drink to both him and his camels. Rivkah did more than offer both man and animal to drink; rather, only when Eliezer finished drinking, did Rivkah say that she would now give his camels to drink. In relating the incident to Lavan and Besuel, however, Eliezer did not underscore the fact that Rivkah distinguished between man and animal. Instead, he simply informed them that Rivkah was thoughtful and pleasing in that she not only gave him to drink, but she also quenched the thirst of his camels. Despite her murky roots, Rivkah…

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כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו ושמרו דרך ד' לעשות צדקה ומשפט

For I have loved him, because he commands his children and his household after him that they keep the way of Hashem, doing charity and justice. (18:19)

Chazal (Kesubos 8b) apply the above pasuk to Avraham Avinu’s devotion to the middah, character trait, of chesed, acts of lovingkindness. Chazal relate various statements made by Amoraim in an attempt to comfort Rav Chiya bar Abba on the loss of his son. [We will not examine how these statements are comforting, but rather, focus on the statement and its implied message.] Acheinu gomlei chassadim b’nei gomlei chassadim, “Our brothers, who bestow lovingkindness, sons of those who bestow lovingkindness, who embrace b’riso shel Avraham Avinu, the covenant of our Patriarch, Avraham Avinu, as it is stated, ‘For I know him,…

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כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו אחריו ושמרו דרך ד' לעשות צדקה ומשפט

For I have loved him, because he commands his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of Hashem, doing charity and justice. (18:19)

Avraham Avinu is known as the amud, pillar, of chesed. He went beyond the call of duty in order to provide for the needs of those who were not as fortunate as he. It was this character trait which he introduced and inculcated into the psyche of his descendants. Chesed takes on many forms. It all depends on the attitude of the benefactor. For the most part, they see a need, and they immediately respond. Then there are those who innovate, who think before they act, who understand that chesed goes deeper than fulfilling a need. One must acknowledge the…

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ויהי אחר הדברים האלה והאלקים נסה אברהם

And it happened after these things that G-d tested Avraham. (22:1)

The Akeidah, Binding of Yitzchak, is considered the seminal nisayon, trial, with which Hashem challenged Avraham Avinu. The question is obvious: All one has to do is peruse Jewish history to see that mesiras nefesh, for a Jew to sacrifice his life, has almost been a way of life, a culture with which we have been inculcated. Veritably, all instances of mesiras nefesh nurture their strength from Akeidas Yitzchak, but still, our ancestry did not always have Neviim, prophets, and Torah leaders who inspired and guided them concerning relinquishing their lives al Kiddush Hashem. Avraham Avinu received his mission from…

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עתה ידעתי כי ירא אלקים אתה

Now I know that you are a G-d-fearing Man. (22:12)

Chazal (Sanhedrin 39:13) distinguish between the level of yiraas Shomayim, fear of Heaven, evinced by Avraham Avinu and Ovadyahu. Concerning Avraham it is written y’rei Elokim atah, you are G-d fearing, while concerning Ovadyahu the Navi writes, Va’yaar Hashem meod, he feared Hashem very much.” The added word, meod, describing Ovadyahu’s yiraas Shomayim, takes him “over the top” and presents him as being on a higher level of yiraas Shomayim than even our first Patriarch. In 1920, Yeshivas Slabodka was forced to relocate to Nicoliav, where Horav Mordechai Dov Eidelberg, zl, served as Rav. It was Shabbos Parashas Naso and…

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לך לך מארצך

Go for yourself, from your land. (12:1)

The purpose of the life of Avraham Avinu was to set the tenor for how a Jew should live. His life story begins with Lech lecha, “Go for yourself.” He was instructed to separate himself from the society at large and forge a new approach to living – the Jewish/Torah way of life. What best characterizes this way of life? Horav Moshe Eismann, Shlita, relates a short vignette which, by extrapolation, can serve as the guiding principle by which we are to live in the context of a society that is totally foreign (or should be) to our standard of…

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ואעשך לגוי גדול ואברכך ואגדלה שמך והיה ברכה

And I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (12:2)

Rashi explains the three terms/blessings of this pasuk; “And I will make you a great nation”: we refer to this when we say in Shemoneh Esrai – Elokai Avraham, G-d of Avraham; “And I will bless you” – refers to Elokai Yitzchak, “And I will make your name great,” alludes to Elokai Yaakov. Rashi adds, “One might think that they conclude the blessing with all of them, i.e., Elokai Avraham, Yitzchak, v’Yaakov.” To teach otherwise, the pasuk says, V’he’yeih brachah, “And you will be a blessing.” B’cha chosmin v’lo ba’haem, “With you, Avraham, they conclude the blessing and not with…

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