As we prepare for Thanksgiving, many of us are struggling with the concept of gratitude. There is so much to be concerned about these days, how in the world are we supposed to be grateful!? This week’s Torah portion gives us a hint on how we can reframe our current experience.
The portion, while called Chayei Sarah – the Life of Sarah, actually documents the deaths of both Sarah and her husband, Abraham:
Sarah’s lifetime—the span of Sarah’s life—came to one hundred years, twenty years and seven years, the years of Sarah’s life (Genesis 23:1). Rashi, the great medieval commentator, says that the repetition of the word year was intended to teach that each of Sarah’s 127 years was equally good.
This was the total span of Abraham’s life: one hundred and seventy-five years. And Abraham breathed his last, dying at a good ripe age, old and contented; and he was gathered to his kin. (Genesis 25:7-8)
Here’s the problem with these verses: we’ve been reading the story. We know that Sarah had some very bad years. She wrestled with infertility. She made the mistake of permitting her husband to have a child with Hagar, the housekeeper. And let’s not overlook what must have been the extremely arduous journey from her homeland in southern Iraq after her husband received a “call” from G-d to travel to what would become Israel.
We know that Abraham too had his challenges and struggles. Just last week G-d tested Abraham, asking him to slaughter his son, Isaac. Abraham had to banish his son Ishmael and Hagar, wrestle with his nephew Lot, and struggle with G-d over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Yet, the Torah pushes aside the bad stuff as it explains that their long lives were filled with goodness and blessings. Why? As Sarah dies this week, we read how Abraham owned no land to bury her. He doesn’t have everything! He has to prostrate himself before the Hittite people in order to acquire a cave that will serve as a burial place for Sarah. Why does the Torah make it seem like Abraham and Sarah’s lives were filled with only good years? Why are we led to believe that they had everything – even though we read how they did not? Given all they went through, how were the content as their lives drew to a close? Because, despite their challenges, Abraham and Sarah did indeed have everything and, in their entirety, their lives were good.
Our matriarch and patriarch spend their lives developing a relationship, a holy covenant with G-d who promises both of them that their special bond with G-d will be passed on to their offspring for eternity. Abraham and Sarah’s lives are spent securing the future of their people, their family. Therefore, it is not a coincidence that as we read about the death of Abraham and Sarah this week, we also read about Abraham purchasing his first plot of land in Israel (the burial cave) and securing a wife for his son Isaac. As Abraham and Sarah pass away, the stage is set for the next generation to continue living in the holy land with G-d. What a gift Abraham and Sarah give to Isaac and his children.
As we get ready for Thanksgiving in a very broken world, struggling with what there is to be thankful about, I say we go back to the biblical definition of a good, meaningful life, a life in which we do have everything. A “good old age” should not be measured by material possessions, net worth, or professional accomplishments. A good old age, a full life should be measured by doing our part to create a better world for the next generation – our own children and/or all of the children in the world. So many of us know firsthand that this is no easy task, but the Torah teaches us that it is the key to living the good life.
Leave a Reply