Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, Just Get With the Program,
This week’s parsha, Chayei Sarah, begins with Sarah’s death. The Torah tells us in the very first
verse that “Sarah’s lifetime was 100 years, 20 years, and 7 years; the years of Sarah’s life.” Rashi,
the great biblical commentator, seems to be bothered as to why the end of the verse reiterates that
these were “the years of Sarah’s life.” After all, the beginning of the verse already said, “Sarah’s
lifetime.” Rashi answers that it’s to teach you that all her years were equally good. Now that sounds
preposterous. How could all her years be equally good? During her lifetime, she was abducted by
two kings, was childless until the age of 90, and brought a competing wife into the family (Hagar)
who had a son, Yishmael, who harassed her own son Yitzchak. You call that equally good?!
The answer is that Sarah, the great matriarch of the Jewish people, understood that all of life is
about the tests and challenges that G-d gives us to transform ourselves into special people. It’s those
challenges that give us the spiritual muscle to bring about the tikkun (correction) that our souls
need in this world in order to have a coveted place in the next world. We must always remember that
we are sojourners traveling through life for a short period of time. Don’t get sidetracked with the
nonsense. Instead, embrace life’s challenges, because that’s going to be your ticket to your special
seat next to G-d Almighty.
Wishing you an inspiring Shabbos,
Rabbi Moshe Gruenstein