Chayei Sarah תשפב Sarah our Matriarch has died at age 127, and the Torah describes how her husband Avraham comes to eulogize her (Genesis 23:1,2): וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה: (ב) וַתָּמָת שָׂרָה בְּקִרְיַת…
If you ever get a ride in my car, you might notice a collection of empty water bottles sitting quietly in the front passenger footwell. They have no more purpose to me, and I would throw them out in gas…
Chayei Sarah תשפא This week’s portion begins with Sarah’s passing at age 127. The Torah reports that her years were all equally righteous and that Sarah lived a perfect life. Now it became Avraham’s responsibility to bury her in an…
The information below is true, as much as you may want it not to be. It was reported on NPR on March 23, 2013. There is a man whose name I won’t tell you, who has a dog, whose name…
Chayei Sarah This week’s Torah portion, named Chayei Sarah, “Sarah’s Life,” begins as follows: (א) וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי שָׂרָה (ב) וַתָּמָת שָׂרָה בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע הִוא חֶבְרוֹן בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן וַיָּבֹא אַבְרָהָם לִסְפֹּד…
Revenge is sweet. No one knows for sure where the phrase came from, but likely it was from someone who experienced that sweetness. But there are other phrases as well, that describe the other side of revenge. “Revenge is like…
Chayei Sarah תשעט Avraham and Yitzchak returned safely from the Akeida, and now it was time to plan the next stage of Avraham’s legacy. Yitzchak almost lost his life, and had he died, Avraham’s entire contribution to the world would…