Chaye Sarah 5772

Chayei Sarah deals with two major themes – the purchase of the Me’aras HaMachpelah as a burial plot for Sarah and the finding of a wife for Yitzchak. The juxtaposition of the grave and the spouse should not be taken to be mere coincidence; in fact, in the Talmud, the rule that marriage can be contracted with Kesef – the groom giving the bride an item of monetary value – is derived from identical expressions (Gezerah Shava) linking Avraham’s purchase with the laws of marriage.

The Talmud (Berachos 31a) relates that when Rav Hamnuna Zuti was asked to sing at the wedding of Mar son of Ravina, his song’s opening words were, “Woe unto us for we shall die!” At first glance it seems to have been inappropriate for the occasion, but the commentators explain the relevance. Marriage, being the first step in the process of bringing children into the world, is really the way in which we transcend our own mortality. Sooner or later – hopefully later! – we will no longer remain in this world but we hope that our children will carry forward our legacies. Every wedding therefore, however festive and joyous it may be, takes place in the shadow of death. Hence Rav Hamnuna’s poignant words.

The legacy that we yearn to perpetuate is not simply our personal genome. Rather it is comprised of our beliefs, moral values, and life goals. For this to be achieved it is not sufficient that children be brought into the world; it is necessary that they be raised to respect and cherish the traditions that are passed down from the earlier generations. To Avraham Avinu, as the founder of the Jewish nation, this would have been of supreme importance.

The first step in the implementation of this agenda was the purchase of the Me’aras HaMachpelah. As the intended burial site of the patriarchs and matriarchs, it was to be a shrine to their memories and the values by which they lives. All who would come to pray there in subsequent generations – as is the custom – would reflect on the connecting bonds that span the centuries. Once this shrine was in place, Avraham could proceed to the second step – the physical production of his heirs and successors – by arranging for the marriage of Yitzchak. Thus the two main stories of the Parsha are deeply connected.

It is noteworthy that Rivka, although not a biological descendant of Sarah, plays an important role in the perpetuation of her personal legacy. The Torah (Bereishis 24:67) writes, “And Yitzchak brought her to the tent of Sarah his mother, and he took Rivka, and she became his wife, and he loved her.” Rashi, based on the Hebrew phrasing, explains this verse as meaning that, when Yitzchak brought her to the tent, Rivka became Sarah his mother. How so? There were three ongoing miracles in Sarah’s tent – the lamps were burning from Shabbos eve to Shabbos eve, the dough was plentiful and blessed, and a cloud of the Divine Presence hovered over the tent. When Sarah died, these three miracles lapsed; when Rivka arrived they were restored.

These miracles correspond to three similar miracles that were present in the Bais HaMikdosh of Yerushalayim – the flame of the western lamp of the Menorah was never extinguished, the Lechem HaPanim stayed warm and fresh for an entire week, and the cloud of the Shechina filled the Holy of Holies. The tent of Sarah was no less than a sanctuary of Hashem and the tent of Rivka was its continuation.