CHAYEI SARAH
A Life That Continues After Living
Parshat Chayei Sarah; where is The Life of Sarah? How does it make sense to name a portion that contains nothing about the life of Sarah, starting only after her death?
This is not just a question about the choice of words. It is almost derisive and mocking, saying that the portion recounts everything that is the opposite of the life of Sarah. Sarah is progressively pushed out of the story, it seems as if even her husband, who lived with her for more than a hundred years, moves forward to the next chapter in his life.
Young Ariel teaches us the most powerful way of remembrance: continuity. We don't find rest in engraving the name of our loved ones on a cold stone tablet, or even in donating a square or building in their memory, but rather in giving ongoing commitment to what they started. This transforms their lives into an unbroken chain, upon which floors of eternity are built, and future generations can walk securely.
