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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.”

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THE BEAUTY OF AGING

Excerpted from a talk from Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky

The Midrash relates the following conversation between Avraham and HaShem. Av-raham turned to HaShem “You told me that I am most beautiful of all people and yet when I and my son enter the city nobody recognizes who is the father and who is the son and they therefore do not know to whom to give respect”, since Avraham and Yitzchok were identical. HaShem responded “With you, old age shall begin”. That night Avraham’s hair whitened.

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THOUGHTFUL ACTS OF KINDNESS

In this week’s Parsha, Chayei Sara, the Torah tells us the story of the search for a wife for Yitzchok in great detail. Our father Avraham sent his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchok. He instructed Eliezer to take a wife from his own family. He understood that this woman will be the mother of the Jewish nation and as such needed to have the Abrhamatic disposition of sensitivity to the needs of others. When Eliezer arrives at the city of Nachor he turns to HaShem with the request that HaShem guide him in finding the appropriate woman. He begins his prayer with the following introduction. “Blessed be HaShem Who has not discarded His chessed (loving kindness) and His emes (truth) from my master….”

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ODE TO THE JEWISH WOMAN

In this week’s Parsha, Chayei Sarah, the Torah tells us of our mother Sarah’s death. The name of the Parsha translates as “The Life of Sarah”. I wish to dedicate this issue of TableTalk to the life of Sarah Imeinu. In her role of being the first Jewish woman, she set the path upon which Jewish women walk and upon which they build their homes. Although there is much to say about Sarah’s life specifically, I would like to address the role of the Jewish woman in general.

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THE GREAT BANQUET

This week the Baltimore community lost a great man. Rabbi Mendel Freedman, the principal of the Bais Yaakov Elementary School for 36 years passed away last Shabbos. How appropriate it is that this week’s Parsha, Chayei Sara, offers us the record of the life of our mother Sara. I was fortunate to have been Rabbi Freedman’s brother in-law as he was married to my dear sister.