This Shabbats Torah portion Chayey Sara begins by telling of the death of Sara Imenu at the age of 127. Our Rabbis explain that there is a direct, causal link between this event and the preceding section, which tells of the binding of Isaac). When Sara heard that Abraham had placed her son upon the altar as a sacrifice, she was so startled and horror-stricken that she died. This consequence of the binding of Isaac was orchestrated by Satan for the purpose of posing yet another religious challenge to Abraham Abinu. Even after passing the test of the binding of Isaac by showing his preparedness to sacrifice his beloved son to obey G-d, he was tested again to see if he would regret this act when faced with its adverse consequences. Even after a person performs a difficult Misva, he can forfeit its rewards and benefits if he regrets it afterward. If a person struggles to wake up early to attend the Minyan, but attending the Minyan causes him to miss a lucrative business opportunity, if he then regrets going to the synagogue he forfeits all the benefits of that Mitsva. The challenge of Mitsvot continues even after we perform a Mitsva. We are challenged to feel gratified over having fulfilled a Mitsva knowing that it is inherently and inestimably valuable regardless of any minor negative consequences that we might then have to endure. And thus Satan, after his unsuccessful attempts to prevent Abraham Abinu from going through with the Akeda (the binding of Isaac), made another attempt to bring Abraham down by making it seem like a mistake, as though it caused his beloved wife’s death. But Abraham passed this test, as well, never questioning G-d or his decision to obey the command of the Akeda. He recognized that Hashem’s decree that Sara should die had nothing at all to do with his compliance with G-d’s command, and did not regret his decision for a moment. Shabbat Shalom!
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 15:10:00 +0000
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