This week, we read about the life of Sarah: Sarah was 100 years and 20 years and 7 years old and she died. This was the life of Sarah. The Torah is known for its brevity of language and so the sages ask: why express Sarah’s age divided into portions, why not just say Sarah was 127 years old? And then, why repeat “this was the life of Sarah?” The sages offer many responses, but Rashi says that the phrasing and repetition is to teach us that: “all Sarah’s years were equal in goodness.”
Then, later in the portion we read about Abraham, who was advanced in years, living without his wife Sarah, his son Isaac unmarried, and his future less than secure: “God blessed Abraham in everything.” So, just as Sarah’s years were apparently all equal in goodness, Abraham is blessed in everything. How can that be? Each of them had years of challenges and suffering, they were not continually blessed and every moment could not have been equally good. Nobody escapes the trials and tribulations of life, it is messy and complicated, it is replete with tragedy and suffering as well as joy and celebration. Given this reality, what can these passages mean?
Rabbi Neil Loevinger in his words about Chayei Sarah, reflects on an interpretation of Rabbi Levi about Abraham. He says: (blessed in all things) means all aspects of life, both the inner world and the outer reality. It seems to imply a harmony between one’s spirituality and one’s situation, which we might note, Abraham is not described as having, until he was “advanced in years.” Thus, Rabbi Levi teaches us not only about our sacred texts but what might become of our sacred values.” For Rabbi Levi, Abraham being blessed in all things, does not mean that every moment of his life brought blessing, but rather that all aspects of his life were united and at one, which enabled him to feel as if all moments were blessings.
Similarly, an interpretation of Sarah’s years being equal in goodness is understood as Sarah appreciating all moments, whether good or bad, finding blessing where she could, trying to live life in the most meaningful way possible. And from this approach and attitude to life, it was able to be said that her years were equal in goodness. Dena Schusterman suggests that “when Sarah was feeling beautiful she recognised her gift of beauty, when she had a good meal, she recognised her bounty…” and in times of hardship, she still strove to find something to appreciate, even within the suffering. Perhaps the support and friendship of others, or the strength to continue on. She did not necessarily find meaning in her struggles, but rather some light even in the darkness.
So, living a life of goodness and blessing is not avoiding all challenges, but rather finding ways to hold both the bitterness and the sweetness together, to appreciate the small moments, to live with our spiritual and physical lives in synch with each other. Abraham and Sarah were not searching for lives of endless happiness and goodness, that is not possible, but rather, trying to live the best lives they could, finding strength and courage to face the challenges whilst appreciating the moments of happiness and goodness. And so it was able to be said that Sarah’s years were “equal in goodness” and Abraham was “blessed in all things.” May that be our destiny as well.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Jaqueline Ninio OAM
Avraham was an enlightened being,
A mover& a shaker that was in touch with his ‘Maker’ mind body spirit & soul, an acute sense living with the divine
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