Parshas Chayei Sarah Messages 5778

Parshas Chayei Sarah:

The Sages Say:

‘And Yitzchok brought her to the tent; Sarah his mother; and he took (married) Rivkah, and she was to him a wife, and he loved her, and Yitzchok was consoled after his mother.’ (Bereishis 24:67)

‘And he brought her to the tent,’ and behold, she was ‘Sarah his mother’:  Meaning to say that she became the likeness of Sarah his mother.  All the time that Sarah was alive, a candle burned from the evening of Shabbos until the evening of Shabbos (i.e. from Erev Shabbos until the evening of Shabbos itself); and a blessing was found in the dough, and a cloud was attached upon the tent, and when Sarah died, they stopped.  But when Rivkah came, they returned.  

(Rashi HaKadosh from Midrash Bereishis Rabbah) 

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 A Helpful Hint:

‘And Yitzchok went out to converse [לשׂוּח] in the field towards evening…’ (Bereishis 24:63)

Rashi HaKadosh comments from Midrash Bereishis Rabbah that the word לשׂוּח (to converse) is a language of Davening.  

Chazal (the Sages) teach us that Yitzchok Avinu was establishing Mincha at that time.  And in Gemara Berachos (Daf 26), it is taught that the three Davenings of the day were set up by the Avos.  Avraham Avinu set up Shacharis; Yitzchok Avinu set up Mincha; and Yaakov Avinu set up Maariv.  

Actually, the second letter in all of their names allude to the Tefillah (prayer) which they set up:  אברהם; the ב alludes to the Davening of the בּקר, (morning), which is Shacharis.  יצחק; the צ alludes to הצהרים, (the afternoon), which is the time for Mincha.  And יעקב; the ע alludes to Maariv, the Davening of the ערבית, (evening time).

(From Vi’Karasa L’Shabbos Oneg)

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Chassidishe Vort:

‘And it was the life of Sarah; 100 years, and 20 years, and 7 years, the years of the life of Sarah.’ (Bereishis 23:1)

The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 58:3) relates that Rabbi Akiva zt”l was once expounding Torah when he noticed some of the audience dozing off.  In an effort to spark their interest, he told them that Esther, being descended from Sarah Imeinu who lived 127 years, merited to become queen of 127 provinces.  How was this statement meant to spark the interest of the drowsy audience?

The Chiddushei HaRim (the first Gerrer Rebbe -- Rebbe Yitzchok Meir Alter zt”l) gives a beautiful answer:  Rabbi Akiva, he explains, was demonstrating the extreme value of time, for each year of Sarah Imeinu earned her granddaughter Esther rulership over an entire province.  Similarly, the time spent sitting and listening to him (Rabbi Akiva) expound Torah could earn his listeners untold reward.  How could they forgo such reward by dozing off?

(Quoted in Talelei Oros)

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Mussar Message:

‘And Avraham was old, coming in days, and Hashem had blessed Avraham with everything.’ (Bereishis 24:1)

There is a very big lesson that we can learn from the word ‘everything’ in the above verse:  

Many things happen to us in life.  Some are very good and we thank Hashem for such blessings.  Others don’t seem such…

But what we have to understand, though, is that those things are also good and for the best.  The happenings that don’t seem so great -- and even very bad at times -- are for our benefit as well.  Hashem only does good things.  But it is sometimes hard to realize…

You see, the verse says that Avraham was blessed with everything.  It doesn’t go and list everything we think is good.  No!  It says that ‘Hashem had blessed Avraham with everything’.  Meaning also the things that we would think of as bad -- because they too are blessings and messages from Hashem. 

Hashem knows what is best for us, and He makes thus happen.  If everything we hoped would happen happened, things would not end up as joyous and ideal as we would think… Hashem knows what needs to happen.  It is just up to us to accept and understand this.

The Chofetz Chaim zt”l (quoted in Meoros HaParsha) gives an analogy:  Let’s say a person walked into Shul when somebody was saying the verse in Ashrei: ‘Hashem guards all His loved ones, and all the wicked He will destroy’ -- ‘שׁוֹמר ה' את כּל אהביו ואת כּל הרשׁעים ישׁמיד’:  But he happens to miss the first word in the verse.  It would then sound like ‘Hashem, all His loved ones and all the wicked He will destroy’ -- ‘ה' את כּל אהביו ואת כּל הרשׁעים ישׁמיד’, or perhaps he missed the last; it would then sound like: ‘Hashem guards all His loved ones and all the wicked’ -- ‘שׁוֹמר ה' את כּל אהביו ואת כּל הרשׁעים’, both of which would be terrible verses!

Explains the Chofetz Chaim zt”l:  Since we don’t see the whole picture, some things look very bad to us.  But that is because we “only hear part of the verse”, i.e. we only see part of the picture.  If we knew and saw the Supreme Plan behind everything, we would understand and not question that everything is indeed for the best.

Indeed, Avraham Avinu was blessed with everything.

(Tal U’Matar).

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Chazak V’ematz:

In this parsha, we read about the match (or shidduch) between Rivkah Imeinu and Yitzchok Avinu.  Avraham Avinu sent Eliezer Damaseik, his loyal servant to find a proper match, and the entire affair was guided and aided by Hashem, and there were many open miracles.

Teaches the Chiddushei HaRim zt”l:  The Torah lists the many miracles that took place with Yitzchok Avinu’s shidduch so that we should know that every shidduch has miracles; they don’t happen according to the rules of nature.

(Quoted in Meoros HaParsha)

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Maaseh B’Rabbi…

There is a famous story told that once, HaRav Yisroel Salanter zt”l came to a village, and he went to the local inn.  The innkeeper, noticing that Rav Yisroel was very distinguished (and then perhaps learned), asked him if he was a Shochet (ritual slaughterer).  Because he had an animal that needed to be slaughtered and it was a burden to bring it to the Shochet in town.  

“No.” Rav Yisroel replied, though. “I am not a Shochet.”

After some time, Rav Yisroel came to the innkeeper with a question of his own:  Could he perhaps lend him a ruble?  The innkeeper replied that he didn’t even recognize him, and he should trust him?!  

Said Rav Yisroel Salanter zt”l to the innkeeper, “Let your ears hear what your mouth speaks!  With money, I am not trustworthy for it until the point of one ruble!” But yet with Shechitah (ritual slaughter), upon which there are many laws in the Torah, he trusted him after merely inquiring after each other’s welfare!

(What a lesson Rav Yisroel was teaching that innkeeper and all of us, as well:  We seem to often be more worried about our money and material possessions than transgressing Commandments from the Torah!)

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A Gut Shabbos to all!