The Life of Sarah

The name of the Parsha, Chayei Sarah, indicates the special genius of the Torah in the art of euphemism. A euphemism is an expression that makes something sound better than it is, and, while it can be inappropriate in some contexts, it plays a major role in both the Written and Oral Torah as a way of emphasizing a positive conclusion.

For example, in the Gemara, a Rabbi will often say things like, “the death of that man,” referring to himself in the third person so as to avoid expressing the possibility of a tragedy.

B’derech efshar (hypothetically), our parsha, which describes the petirah (passing) and burial of Sarah Imeinu, is called “the life of Sarah,” as the honorable end of her life was the culmination of its essence and her life itself was part of the origin of Yahadus (Judaism).

For example, the moment in which Avraham Avinu (23:13) entreats Ephron to take his money in exchange for the cave of Machpelah, the burial place of Sarah Imeinu, forms a basis in halacha (Jewish law) for the means of effecting kiddushin (part of the marriage process) through money. Both the Rambam and the Aruch HaShulchan cite this pasuk (verse) as evidence that money effects the transaction. In this way, the matriarch’s life extends to the present in providing the basis for a type of Jewish marriage contract.