Parashat Chayei Sarah
Rabbi’s Drosh
In this week’s Parasha we read about the death of our matriarch Sarah and the way in which Avraham mourns for her.
The order in which the Torah writes about Avraham’s grief process is somewhat surprising. The Torah says that Avraham comes to Lispod “to eulogise Sarah and to weep for her“. One would expect that first Avraham would go through the emotional process of weeping and later the intellectual process of eulogising her.
Yet the Torah is teaching us something profound here.
One of the teachings of Rabbi Lord Sacks z”tl, whose first Yahrzeit we marked this week is that we need to mourn both emotionally and intellectually. It is important not to suppress either of these as each have their place in supporting us through the grieving process.
Another idea - which is very fitting as we mourn Rabbi Sacks - is that eulogy is the summary of all of Sarah’s achievements in her lifetime as he looked back at their time together. The weeping is future-facing. Although she was 127, she still had the ability to achieve more and he is mourning the loss of her potential.
We feel the same way as we remember Rabbi Sacks. He only began writing at the age of 40 - albeit with a huge legacy of almost a book per year - creating an amazing contribution to Am Yisrael and for humanity more generally. That is something we eulogise as we look back at his contribution. However we also cry for all he still had to give and how much richer our world would be for it.
How do we compensate for loss?
We must look at how we can continue the legacies of those who have come before us.
How can we walk in the ways of Sarah and Avraham?
How can we continue to learn from and share the great ideas of Rabbi Sacks?
On a personal level, how can we continue our own (more immediate) family legacies?
May their memories be a blessing to us all.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Friedler
CATCH UP ON CLASSES…
Topic: SCIENCE AND RELIGION : Communities in Conversation - Learning in the merit of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"tl
Communities in Conversation - Learning in the merit of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"tl
Topic: SCIENCE AND RELIGION
Join Rabbi Friedler and Deb for this special class which is part of a wider initiative from the Office of Rabbi Sacks, joining communities, schools, organisations and individuals from around the world to come together to remember the impact Rabbi Sacks made on the Jewish world and beyond, and to learn and teach some of his Torah on his first Yarzheit.
Abraham and Sarah's Different Perspectives on Isaac's Birth with Rabbi Friedler (Parashat Vayera)
Abraham and Sarah's Different Perspectives on Isaac's Birth with Rabbi Friedler (Parashat Vayera)
Join Rabbi Friedler and Deb for a class which looks at Hashem's attributes of mercy and judgement in Parashat Vayera. Learn what we can tell from the different names of Hashem and various words which the Torah uses when about the birth of Isaac. Class uses the Artscroll Chumash.
Special Mazel Tov to Kadimah!
What a proud moment for our community to see Kadimah placed as a finalist for the Prime Minister's Education Excellence Awards 2021 for Excellence in Environmental and Sustainability Category! Kol Hakavod Kadimah!!!