Lessons from Parshat Chayei Sarah

Think about a really happy memory- what feelings come to mind when you reflect on this memory?

Next, think about a time when you faced a challenge- what feelings come to mind with this one?

When we think of Sarah Imeinu's life- did she only have "good" things happen to her? How is it possible that all of the years of her life were equally good?

Rabbi Yehonatan Gefen- aish.com

What exactly does this mean? The simple understanding would be that she was equally righteous throughout her life. However, it is possible to offer a different explanation that focuses on how Sarah herself viewed all the years of her life. Much of Sarah’s life was full of tribulations and pain. She was childless until the age of 90, while all her family around her gave birth easily. On two occasions, she was abducted by powerful Kings, and she endured the tribulations of Hagar. Each of these misfortunes alone could be enough to traumatize a person for life. When she finally gave birth to Yitzchak, she was able to enjoy some good years, but these were greatly outnumbered by the ‘bad’ years. Yet, Rashi teaches us, that, evidently, she viewed the difficult years in the same way as the joyous years.

How does the Gemara in Brachot connect to the above idea?

Rabbi Yehonatan Gefen- aish.com

This attitude is expressed in the Gemara in Brachos.¹ The Gemara teaches that just as it is appropriate to make a blessing over good happenings, so too it is appropriate to make a blessing over bad happenings. How can a person do this? By recognizing that the challenges and suffering are also essential pieces in the puzzle of the person’s life. We will only fully see how the tribulations were of equal importance to the good time in the Next World. This is why in this world, we bless Baruch Dayan Emet (Blessed is the True Judge) at tragic occurrences referring to our acceptance that what happened is for the best even though it is painful. However, in the Next World we will so ‘HaTov VeHameitiv’ (He is good and does good) – the same blessing we say on happy occasions. Yet, we can have an intellectual recognition that all the days of one’s lives are vital and that they all fit in the big picture. Moreover, there are many times when we can see how something painful helped us grow as person or had positive consequences in the long-term. Doing this will enable a person to see their entire life as a series of intrinsically connected and essential events, not a bunch of disparate occurrences. When it says that all of Sarah’s years were equally good, essentially, it means that Sarah was able to unite all of her life into one continuous event where all the many difficult years were equally ‘good’ as the years of obvious joy.

In one sentence or less, what lesson can we learn from Rashi's understanding of שני חיי שרה״" The Years of Sarah's Life?

According to Rashi, why does the story of the death of Sarah Imeinu immediately follow the story of Akeidat Yitzchak?

Rav Shimshon Pincus writes that the person bearing the news should have started by saying that Yitzchak was alive and well, and then relate the events of the Akeidah. Had he done that, then Sarah would not have felt such shock and she would not have died. However, a lack of attention to the use of his wordage by starting with the ‘negative news’ and only after that, relating the positive, had disastrous consequences.

According to Rav Pincus- what was the flaw in how the news of Akeidat Yitzchak was shared with Sarah Imeinu?

How can we take this idea and apply it to our own lives?