Abraham and Sarah. We all know them by name. Two very powerful personalities. Reading the Torah, we can feel the tension in their home. Abraham loved both his sons. Sarah kicked one out. Abraham, not too pleased, turned to G-d for help, and was advised to “listen to your wife.” That is why when this week’s Torah portion tells us that Sarah died and Abraham took a new wife, we are not surprised that he welcomed back his son Ishmael into his home. In other words: Abraham moved on from Sarah.
However, if this is the narrative, then why is the whole Torah portion called the “Life of Sarah,” when in actuality, Sarah died? We must say that the lesson we learn throughout this week’s portion is that Abraham and his children did live according to Sarah’s world view. That is why the portion is called the “Life of Sarah,” since she continued to live on in their actions.
How do we see this?
1 – Sarah’s burial place. Abraham is very specific as to where he wants to bury Sarah. We see his negotiating skills at play. Not to get into the details here, but why was he so desperate to buy this particular piece of land? Because it was believed that Adam and Eve were buried there. Adam and Eve were not “Jewish,” yet it was important to Abraham that his wife, and eventually he as well, would be buried next to them.
2 – Isaac’s future wife. Abraham was very particular about whom Isaac would marry. He wanted to make sure that Isaac’s wife would live according to Sarah’s wishes.
3 – Confirmation of his wishes. When Abraham saw how Ishmael’s wives were behaving, he said: I will leave all of my belongings to my son Isaac. If Abraham had had any second thoughts, they were confirmed at that point—he confirmed that his wife Sarah was right.
From these examples we see the influence that Sarah had not only on Abraham after her death, but on us as well.
The Tomb of the Patriarchs is the burial place of our ancestors. Every year, the IDF makes it possible for thousands of Jews to visit Hevron and spend their Shabbat in prayer and celebration, although this year that will not be happening. We learned the values of a “good Jewish wife” from Sarah and Rebecca. We also learned how to value Jewish education. These are important lessons that Sarah imparted to us. That is why we call this portion the “Life of Sarah,” since sometimes only after one’s passing is the tension eased, and we come to appreciate the wisdom in their lessons.