This past week I talked to someone who was understandably sad about his upcoming divorce. I spoke to a person who needs a kidney transplant, another individual was worried about his recent loss of a job, a man asked me to say Kaddish for his mother he just buried, and a friend of a friend received a diagnosis of double myeloma. On the national stage, conflict, violence and needless death is the daily norm in the Middle East, the civil war in Sudan is resulting in an underreported genocide, and Ukraine and Russia are continuing to bomb each other. Our own country is frighteningly fragmented in so many ways. All of this is enough to make you lose faith.
But then I remembered this week’s Torah portion.

In Chayei Sarah, we learn of the passing of Abraham. The text tells us that when our first patriarch died, he left this world at peace and satisfied. (Gen.25:8) This verse, and all it implies, served as the basis for a very meaningful teaching by the ancient commentators.

Notice urged the sages, that when we examine the long life of Abraham as chronicled in Genesis, any impartial observer sees a litany of incredibly difficult episodes. His wife Sarah dies before he does. Almost slaughtering his beloved son Isaac at the apparent behest of the Almighty, certainly caused unimaginable suffering and emotional harm to Abraham. Banishing his firstborn, Ishmael, was no doubt deeply heartbreaking. Mediating the obvious tension between Sarah and Hagar had to be immensely stressful. There were challenging times when Abraham travelled to Egypt because of a famine in Canaan, and when he had to separate from his nephew Lot.
Yet, somehow, Abraham died a happy man?

God’s covenant with Abraham consisted of two major promises. That his descendants would dwell in the land that was shown to him, and his progeny would be as numerous as the stars in heaven. Reading the chapters immediately prior to his death, Abraham purchases the Cave of Machpelah, the first piece of geography of the land of Israel owned by the Jews, and Isaac finds a wife and is married to Rachel, signaling the continuity of Abraham’s lineage. By realizing that the first steps of fulfilling the divine vows have now been obtained, Abraham knows the spiritual and practical future of his people has been secured. Indeed, he had reason to be content at the end of his life. And, what a message for us.

Yes, life will unfold with pain, struggle and tragedy. But like Abraham, we cannot lose faith, we draw comfort from and focus on the successes that portend a tomorrow beyond our own time that is full of positive promise to be fulfilled.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Jack