CONNECTED TO THE SOURCE
The Torah dedicates this week’s Parsha to the passing of our mother Sarah. Regarding the verse that states that Sarah died in Kiryas Arba, the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh, goes to great lengths explaining that Sarah dies only in the physical material world but her life continues uninterrupted. The basis of this notion is taught in the Talmud; “Tzadikim, even in their death, are considered alive, and the wicked, even in their life are considered dead.”
I want to share an insight I gained from a talk given by Reb Aaron Lopiansky.
We usually use the word ‘alive’ in the context of animation, which is a correct usage. So that any creature that has animation is clearly alive. This includes any form of movement whether its feet move or its heart pumps.
There is however a situation that we consider dead even though there is much movement. In the case when an animal continues to move immediately following its slaughter. For those initial moments or even a minute after the animal is dead, it continues to move. While those movements are genuine movements and the animal is contracting its muscles, we still recognize that this movement is just coming from residual energy left in the animal but there is no life left.
Behold! Alive is not defined by actual movement but by the question of, is there life within this animal. In a similar vein our Sages teach us that being alive is not defined by our ability to practice our creativity and other forms of animation but whether there is life within us.
The question then remains, if being alive is defined by if there is life within we need to know what is life? What is the criteria which defines life? The world defines life as some form of spirit that exists within an organism. It is that spirit which allows for movement. The movement itself does not define life; it is only an indication that there is life within. However, when we know that there is no longer any life left and the movement is simply residual energy we correctly identify the animal as dead.
Our Sages, however, have a different criteria for life than simply if there is a spirit within. Life is defined by being connected to the eternal source of life; be connected to HaShem Himself.
We find this definition regarding the Talmud’s distinction be-tween the flowing stream coming from a spring and the flowing stream coming from rainwater. (pictured: The Banias Spring) The former is called ‘living water’ and the latter is called simply a ‘stream’. The former comes from an ongoing flow of water that never ceases, hence it is living. The latter has no such source and cannot be called living.
Hence, true life is actually, true existence that never ceases to exist. Therefore, true life does not exist in our finite material world. The source of life which is true existence can only be found with HaShem, the Creator of all existence. To the extent that one is connected to that Source there is life. When there is no connection to that Source. When our Sages teach that even in this world when the wicked are living they are still considered dead, they are saying that although they are certainly alive and well and enjoying the pleasures of this world, nevertheless, they are cut off from the Source. They are no different than the dead car-cass that jerks and spasms once it is slaughtered.
Our mother Sarah lived every moment in complete connection to HaShem. Any connection she had to this finite world was only in the context of connecting to HaShem.
It is not the quality of life that counts, it is the eternity of life that counts.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind