~ What are the scenes of dying you find in our reading? What other scenes of death do you recall in Torah? Can you see common themes in those moments?
May their Memories be a Blessing
יהי זכרם ברוך
Joyce Fienberg
Richard Gottfried
Rose Mallinger
Jerry Rabinowitz
David Rosenthal
Cecil Rosenthal
Bernice Simon
Sylvan Simon
Daniel Stein
Melvin Wax
Irving Younger
(ה) וַיִּתֵּ֧ן אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֖וֹ לְיִצְחָֽק׃ (ו) וְלִבְנֵ֤י הַפִּֽילַגְשִׁים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם נָתַ֥ן אַבְרָהָ֖ם מַתָּנֹ֑ת וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֞ם מֵעַ֨ל יִצְחָ֤ק בְּנוֹ֙ בְּעוֹדֶ֣נּוּ חַ֔י קֵ֖דְמָה אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ קֶֽדֶם׃ (ז) וְאֵ֗לֶּה יְמֵ֛י שְׁנֵֽי־חַיֵּ֥י אַבְרָהָ֖ם אֲשֶׁר־חָ֑י מְאַ֥ת שָׁנָ֛ה וְשִׁבְעִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְחָמֵ֥שׁ שָׁנִֽים׃ (ח) וַיִּגְוַ֨ע וַיָּ֧מָת אַבְרָהָ֛ם בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָ֖ה זָקֵ֣ן וְשָׂבֵ֑עַ וַיֵּאָ֖סֶף אֶל־עַמָּֽיו׃ (ט) וַיִּקְבְּר֨וּ אֹת֜וֹ יִצְחָ֤ק וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל֙ בָּנָ֔יו אֶל־מְעָרַ֖ת הַמַּכְפֵּלָ֑ה אֶל־שְׂדֵ֞ה עֶפְרֹ֤ן בֶּן־צֹ֙חַר֙ הַֽחִתִּ֔י אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י מַמְרֵֽא׃ (י) הַשָּׂדֶ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־קָנָ֥ה אַבְרָהָ֖ם מֵאֵ֣ת בְּנֵי־חֵ֑ת שָׁ֛מָּה קֻבַּ֥ר אַבְרָהָ֖ם וְשָׂרָ֥ה אִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃
(5) And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. (6) But to the sons of the concubines, that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts; and he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, to the east country. (7) And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, a hundred years, and seventy years and five years. (8) And Abraham expired, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. (9) And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; (10) the field which Abraham purchased of the children of Heth; there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
בס"ד. אור ליום ה' פ' חיי שרה, כ"ף מרחשון ה'תשמ"ה
ויהיו חיי שרה מאה שנה ועשרים שנה ושבע שנים שני חיי שרה, ומדייק אדמו"ר (מהורש"ב) נ"ע בעל יום ההולדת במאמרו ד"ה זה דשנת עטר"ת, הרי כבר נאמר ויהיו חיי שרה [ומפרט שנותי' במאות עשיריות ואחדות], ומה מוסיף שני חיי שרה. ומבאר זה ע"פ מה דאיתא בזהר דהטעם על זה שבשרה דוקא נאמר ימי שני חיי' שלא נאמר בשאר אמהות, הוא, כי שרה נחתת (למצרים) וסלקת כד"א ויעל אברם ממצרים הוא ואשתו, ובגין כך זכתה לחיין עילאין. ומסיים (בזהר שם) ועל דא דילה הוו חיין. ועפ"ז מבאר בהמאמר מה שכפל עוד פעם לומר שני חיי שרה, כי ויהיו חיי שרה הוא שזכתה לחיין עילאין, ושני חיי שרה הוא שהחיין נעשו שלה, דילה הוו [וכמבואר בהמאמר החילוק דשני הענינים]. וצריך להבין הקשר והשייכות דפירוש המאמר ששני חיי שרה הוא שהחיין נעשו שלה, עם פירוש רש"י עה"פ ששני חיי שרה הוא שכולן שוין לטובה.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, Parashat Chayey Sarah, 15 of Cheshvan, 5745
And the life of Sarah was one hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years, those were the years of the life of Sarah.
And the Admor Maharsha (Shmuel of Lubavitch, 4th Rebbe) … asks: look, it is already written "the life of Sarah" … what is added by "the years of the life of Sarah"? And he explains through what the Zohar says, that the reason for this, regarding specifically Sarah, regarding whom it is said "the years of the life of Sarah" which is not said regarding the rest of the Matriarchs, is that she was taken down (to Egypt) and was saved, as it says "and Avram came up from Egypt, he and his wife" and because of this she merited a life above/ a higher life. And the text of the Zohar concludes that this is why it is written "life". And he explains according to this the doubling of the expression once more - "the years of the life of Sarah" and "the life of Sarah was" - to say that "the years of the life of Sarah" means the life above, and "the years of the life of Sarah" is that she made life hers. … And we need to explain the connection of the explanation of the Admor that "the years of the life of Sarah" means that life was made 'hers' with the explanation of Rashi, that explains that all "the years of the life of Sarah" were equal in being good.
(29) And the time drew near that Israel must die; and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him: ‘If now I have found favour in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt. (30) But when I sleep with my fathers, thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place.’ And he said: ‘I will do as thou hast said.’ (31) And he said: ‘Swear unto me.’ And he swore unto him. And Israel bowed down upon the bed’s head.
The fox said to them: From what are you fleeing?
They said to him: We are fleeing from the nets that people cast upon us.
He said to them: Do you wish to come up onto dry land, and we will reside together just as my ancestors resided with your ancestors?
The fish said to him: You are the one of whom they say, he is the cleverest of animals? You are not clever; you are a fool. If we are afraid in the water, our natural habitat which gives us life, then in a habitat that causes our death, all the more so.
The moral is: So too, we Jews, now that we sit and engage in Torah study, about which it is written: “For that is your life, and the length of your days” (Deuteronomy 30:20), we fear the empire to this extent; if we proceed to sit idle from its study, as its abandonment is the habitat that causes our death, all the more so will we fear the empire. The Sages said: Not a few days passed until they seized Rabbi Akiva and incarcerated him in prison, and seized Pappos ben Yehuda and incarcerated him alongside him. Rabbi Akiva said to him: Pappos, who brought you here? Pappos replied: Happy are you, Rabbi Akiva, for you were arrested on the charge of engaging in Torah study. Woe unto Pappos who was seized on the charge of engaging in idle matters. The Gemara relates: When they took Rabbi Akiva out to be executed, it was time for the recitation of Shema. And they were raking his flesh with iron combs, and he was reciting Shema, thereby accepting upon himself the yoke of Heaven. His students said to him: Our teacher, even now, as you suffer, you recite Shema? He said to them: All my days I have been troubled by the verse: With all your soul, meaning: Even if God takes your soul. I said to myself: When will the opportunity be afforded me to fulfill this verse? Now that it has been afforded me, shall I not fulfill it? He prolonged his uttering of the word: One, until his soul left his body as he uttered his final word: One. A voice descended from heaven and said: Happy are you, Rabbi Akiva, that your soul left your body as you uttered: One. The ministering angels said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: This is Torah and this its reward? As it is stated: “From death, by Your hand, O Lord, from death of the world” (Psalms 17:14); Your hand, God, kills and does not save. God said the end of the verse to the ministering angels: “Whose portion is in this life.” And then a Divine Voice emerged and said: Happy are you, Rabbi Akiva, as you are destined for life in the World-to-Come, as your portion is already in eternal life.
There are two sections of the liturgy reflect the ways we think and speak about the life of the congregation. We did the first one in the early in the morning service, when we thank God for our ability to be part of a prayer community, and for the opportunity to pray regularly, the ability to say Shemah together.
During Shabbat services, we acknowledge with a specific Mi Sheberach those whose contributions allow the synagogue community to thrive. The victims of the Pittsburgh community were mainstays of their communities. They came to services early to form a minyan, welcomed other congregants, and supported the life of the congregation. Before putting the Torah away we will read that prayer on page 176 and we express our gratitude for those who make it happen, here at B'nai Israel and in all Jewish congregations in the world.
We will remember that they were killed due to what they represented: the desire to continue upholding Jewish values of community, diversity, kindness and compassion towards the stranger, the poor, the widow, the orphan.
And we will remember the spirit of Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon and others sages, who did not let fear stop them from living their lives in a meaningful way. And may we be inspired by those who came before us, and remember always to make life ours - in our terms, in goodness, bringing light to the world one action at a time. Shabbat Shalom.