Friday, November 2, 2018

CHUCK KOLB 11/02/2018 SHABBAT SHALOM

Shabbat Shalom - Parasha Chayei Sarah - the Legacy of Faith !!!

Previously posted ... 
In the Pumpkin Patch - the Bride of Christ !!!
http://conpats.blogspot.com/2018/11/chuck-kolb-11022018.html 
#ShabbatShalom - Welcome to this week’s Torah study, which is called Chayei Sarah (Life of Sarah). Please join with us as we study the portion of Scripture that will be read in synagogues around the world this Shabbat (Saturday).  We know you will be blessed by this Parasha (Torah portion) as it highlights how we can live worthy of leaving a legacy for future generations.


Last week’s Parasha (Vayera) ended with Abraham’s ultimate test — the binding and near sacrifice of his beloved son, Isaac (Yitzchak); but God provided an adult male ram for a sacrifice instead.  One must wonder what went through the mind of Isaac’s mother, Sarah. Although the title of this week’s Parasha, Chayei Sarah (חַיֵּי שָׂרָה), means Life of Sarah, it initially focuses on her death.  This corresponds with the Judaic thought that the awareness of death gives more meaning to life.
 
Tree Of Life Synagogue 
.ברוך אתה ה' אלוהינו מלך העולם, דיין האמת
Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha'olam, dayan ha-emet.
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, the Judge of Truth 
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1582773/jewish/The-Jewish-Blessing-on-Death.htm 
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/370763/jewish/Comforting-the-Mourners-During-Shiva.htm 
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/2018/10/27/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-8-dead-tree-life-synagogue/1789120002/ 

You can view this Parasha on our website complete with embedded links ... 
Chayei Sarah: The Godly Woman Behind the Godly Man published in 5776 

https://free.messianicbible.com/parasha/chayei-sarah-the-godly-woman-behind-the-godly-man/ 
http://free.messianicbible.com/category/torah 

Jewish holiday calendars & Hebrew date converter 
http://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/month_cdo/jewish/Jewish-Calendar.htm - https://www.hebcal.com 
https://yiddishkeit101.wordpress.com/category/hebrew-word-of-the-day 
http://www.wildolive.co.uk/feasts_of_the_lord.htm 

Parasha Reading Schedule 5779 
http://free.messianicbible.com/torah-reading-schedule 

Why Are Christians Adopting Jewish Practice of Studying the Weekly Torah Portion?
https://theisraelbible.com/christians-adopting-jewish-practice-studying-weekly-torah-portion/ 
http://restoringtheway.org/messianic-homeschooling/ 

Restoring the Broken Relationship of the Garden with the Tabernacle 
https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/restoring-the-broken-relationship-of-the-garden-with-the-tabernacle/ 

Holy, Holy, Holy Is the Lord of Hosts – YHVH Sabaoth 
The name YHVH Sabaoth is used 235 times in the Bible. 
http://free.messianicbible.com/feature/holy-holy-holy-lord-hosts-yhvh-sabaoth/ 

The Prophetic Significance of the Passover Lamb 
http://free.messianicbible.com/holiday/the-prophetic-significance-of-the-passover-lamb/ 

Celebrate Yeshua HaMashiach's birthday - The Feast of Tabernacles !
http://conpats.blogspot.com/2017/10/chuck-kolb-10082017.html 

Simchat Torah: Celebrating Yeshua – the Word That Dwells Among Us
http://free.messianicbible.com/holiday/dancing-joy-simchat-torah/ 

The Daniel Timeline 
http://www.davidjayjordan.com/Danieltimeline.html 

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Parshat Chayei Sarah

https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/3174/jewish/Chayei-Sarah-in-a-Nutshell.htm 
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/default.asp?tDate=11/3/2018 

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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Chaim Richman 

Weekly Torah Portion: Chayei Sara 

Old age, the blessing of wisdom conferred upon one who has lived his life with love and kindness towards others, a true recognition of G-d's presence in the world, is a gift for all of us to acquire, thanks to Avraham, who beseeched G-d to grant him old age and the wisdom to recognize the sublime beauty with which his beloved wife Sara lived her life. 

Chayei Sara (Genesis 23:1 - 25:18) 
Parashat Chayei Sara is read on Shabbat: Marcheshvan 25, 5779 / November 3, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr_CO89jYf8 (18:36) 
https://www.youtube.com/user/henryporter2/videos 
Published on Oct 31, 2018 - The Temple Institute  
https://www.templeinstitute.org/events.htm 
http://www.templeinstitute.org/ 
Weekly Newsletter - http://is.gd/4BUvi 

Special ... Israel's National Anthem Performed in Abu Dhabi 
... and on the Temple Mount

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz4CdPVGXb8 (1:59) 
Published on Oct 29, 2018 - The Temple Institute  
This week, as Israeli athletes took two gold and three bronze medals in the Judo Grand Competition in the gulf nation of Abu Dhabi, Israel Hatikva national anthem was played for the first time ever in that Muslim nation. We see in the video Miri Regev, Israel's Minister of Sports and Culture standing at attention, while at her side, representatives from Abu Dhabi also stand respectfully throughout the playing of the national anthem. Our video then cuts to an earlier performance of Hatikva by two Israeli students on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. They are promptly arrested and removed from the Temple Mount by Israel police. The police are following orders that they have received from the Prime Minister of Israel's office. Current Israel policy does not allow any expression of Jewish faith or identity, or national expression by Jews on the Temple Mount, in order not to offend "Muslim sensibilities." Are the Muslims of Abu Dhabi less "sensitive" than the Muslims on the Temple Mount? Or is time for Israel's offensive (and illegal) policy of "deference" on the Temple Mount to end? Jewish prayer and expressions of faith and national identity must be allowed on the Temple Mount! 

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The Coming Temple - Full Documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKTO8YYs29c (48:17) NuBeat Music 12/21/16 
Filmed in the Old City of Jerusalem, this ground-breaking documentary investigates the research of renowned Biblical archaeologists, Bob Cornuke, David Sielaff and Earnest L. Martin who claim that Solomon and Herod's Temples never stood on the Haram al Sharif, also known as the Temple Mount. If they are right, then there is nothing to stop the Jewish people building their long awaited for Third Jewish Temple in the actual site where the Temples once stood. 

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Todah Rabah - beloved Rabbi Naphtali “Tuly” Weisz ...  

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/  https://israel365.com/ 

The Portion of Chayei Sarah 
https://theisraelbible.com/reading-plan/genesis/portion-chayei-sarah/  
https://theisraelbible.com/weekly-torah-portion/ 

The Israel Bible side-by-side English and Hebrew text along with audio being read in Hebrew.
https://theisraelbible.com/bible/genesis/chapter-1#verse-1 
https://theisraelbible.com/hebrew-alphabet-chart/ 
https://theisraelbible.com/proper-noun-directory/ 
https://theisraelbible.com/glossary/ 
https://theisraelbible.com/maps 

Is A Snake Appearing From Temple Mount Connected to the Messiah and Third Temple? 
by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz 

“How symbolic that this snake should appear at the place that is the heart of the Jewish people, where so many Jews were killed, at a time when Jews are still being killed. We have received a symbolic warning from these holy stones.” A snake wriggling out from between the stones of the Western Wall in search of a meal brought with it a message straight from Jewish mystical teachings; connecting the archetypal enemy of man with the High Priest in the Temple, and also, perhaps, serving as a harbinger of the Messiah. 
https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/116242/snake-temple/

Statement by Pastor John Hagee on Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting
by Video Manager 

CUFI Founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee addresses the horrific attack
on the Jewish community today at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh. 

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/115921/statement-by-pastor-john-hagee-on-pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting/ 
vid> https://youtu.be/UOF_h5QUptg (2:25) OfficialCUFI 10/27/18 

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2 FREE bumper stickers - I Stand with Israel 

http://www.shilohisraelchildren.org/free-bumper-stickers/ 
Hebrew “Trump 2016” Bumper Sticker 
https://israel365.com/store/i-love-israel/hebrew-trump-2016-bumper-sticker 

Jared and Ivanka Special w Joseph, Arabella and Theodore ... 
Shana tova u'metuka! #RoshHashanah - 5779 
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Todah Rabah - beloved Ted Belman writing from Jerusalem, Israel for 17+ years ...  
THERE IS NO DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION 


 INTO THE FRAY:Trump, Pittsburgh and US Jewry – A view from Israel
Trump is the creation of Obama. The divisions in American society he is accused of
exacerbating are ones largely precipitated by his predecessor’s policies and prejudices

by Martin Sherman

Why does it seem to a growing number of people that an [Obama] administration professing…to understand Jewish anxieties about the consequences of anti-Semitism in the Middle East does not appear to understand that the way some of its advocates…are framing the Iran-deal fight—as one between Jewish special interests, on the one hand, and the entire rest of the world, on the other—may empower actual anti-Semites not only in the Middle East, but at home as well? – Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic, August 11, 2015.
https://www.israpundit.org/into-the-fraytrump-pittsburgh-and-us-jewry-a-view-from-israel/ 

COLUMN ONE: American Jewry’s false prophets
Yet, by the lights of Foer, Ioffe, Milbank and their fellow American Jewish Trump-haters,
Obama was a friend of American Jews, and Trump and his Jewish supporters are their enemies.

by Caroline B. Glick, JPOST

Just hours after the largest massacre of Jews in America in US history, the Atlantic Monthly posted a piece by Franklin Foer. In his “Prayer for Squirrel Hill, and for American Jewry,” Foer wrote, “Any strategy for enhancing the security of American Jewry should involve shunning [President Donald] Trump’s Jewish enablers. Their money should be refused, their presence in synagogues not welcome. They have placed our community in danger.” That is, in the shadow of the blood drenched synagogue, Foer declared war on his fellow Jews.
https://www.israpundit.org/column-one-american-jewrys-false-prophets/ 
https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Column-One-American-Jewrys-false-prophets-570908 

Ted Belman, editor and publisher of Israpundit 
https://youtu.be/2_2jJpjU3zA (5:10) ILTV ISRAEL DAILY 10/9/17 http://www.iltv.tv/ 

Ted Belman - 12/3/17 
https://youtu.be/EO5kIMNtZwA (1:08:08) Alexander Gendler 12/3/17 
The “Jordan-is-Palestine” idea, as the preferred resolution for the Israel-Palestine conflict. The conference was organized together with Mudar Zahran, Secretary-General of the Jordan Opposition Coalition, who lives in England under the protection of that country's police.

3 ways to help Ted Belman ... 
Please send checks payable to Ted Belman, 
Dan #33, Unit 25, Jerusalem, 93509, ISRAEL 
Or go to Israel Institute for Strategic Studies 
and use your credit card and mention "Israpundit" 
Donators will get a US tax deductible receipt. 
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Courtesy of Bible Gateway via Jewish Voice ... 
Free Map! Where are the Lost Tribes of Israel today?

https://www.salemoffers.com/campaign/lost-tribes-map-fall-2017-b/ 
http://jvmi.convio.net/assets/pdfs/lost-tribes-map.pdf (1 page pdf) 
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Yavoh ~ He is coming ! 
Yahweh - Yeshua -  Ruach Ha-Kodesh 
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BREAKING NEWS FROM ISRAEL 
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Pumpkin Baked Penne Plus More Savory Pumpkin Recipes
https://www.joyofkosher.com/from-jamie/pumpkin-baked-penne/

Shortcut Shabbat
https://www.joyofkosher.com/holidays/shortcut-shabbat-time-saving-shabbat-recipes-that-will-be-ready-in-no-time/

It's Asian night!
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/one-pan-asian-veggie-pasta/ 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/asian-style-schnitzel/

This (literally) takes the cake!
https://www.joyofkosher.com/browse/6-brilliant-cakes-with-evoo/ 
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Dinner AND dessert in a sheet pan? Sign me up!
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The BEST ingredient for a delicious and affordable meal
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This is probably hubby's favorite email of all time!
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/recipes-inspired-by-deli-roll/ 
vid> https://youtu.be/x4o3RzJMdGA (6:07) 9/8/10 classic

Chocolate and parfaits = healthy breakfast. Whaaaat?
https://www.joyofkosher.com/browse/make-breakfast-great-again-6-recipes-and-nutrition/ 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/browse/five-healthy-hot-drinks-to-replace-coffee/ 

Win a Fabulous Jerusalem Apartment While Supporting the Land You Love

https://unitedwithisrael.thedreamraffle.com/?a=jok till 12/10/18 

Win a Trip to Israel
https://www.joyofkosher.com/page/win-a-trip-to-israel-with-colavita/
FREE DOWNLOAD: My Make Ahead Mezze Recipe eBook (32 page pdf) 
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Free Mezze Ebook
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It's your last chance to download my Modern Israeli Summer ebook
Download my FREE Modern Israeli Summer ebook with over 20 fresh & easy recipes. 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/israel/modern-israeli-summer-free-recipe-ebook/

Finally! A Healthy Meal Plan for the Whole Family: Fresh Families by Jamie 
https://freshfamilies.us/ 
https://freshfamilies.us/register/ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6lQsuWGrrA (1:01) 

Today Show - Make Jamie Geller’s tasty brisket with apples and honey cake 
https://www.today.com/video/make-jamie-geller-s-tasty-brisket-with-apples-and-honey-cake-1315037763843 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/from-jamie/easy-twists-on-holiday-favorites-as-seen-on-the-today-show/
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/as-seen-on-the-today-show-easy-oven-seared-soy-silan-brisket/

The Perfect Week for Matzo... As Seen on The Today Show
https://www.joyofkosher.com/2018/03/the-perfect-week-for-matzo-as-seen-on-the-today-show/
w vid Use matzo in 4 different ways for Passover!
https://www.today.com/video/use-matzo-in-4-different-ways-for-passover-1198725699778
https://www.today.com/food/easiest-most-delicious-matzo-ball-recipe-passover-t125845
Matzo Balls by Jamie Geller 
https://www.today.com/recipes/matzo-balls-recipe-t125837 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/best-ever-matzo-ball-soup/ 

Watch Jamie cooking Brisket with Megyn Kelly on The Today Show
by Shifra Klein 
https://www.joyofkosher.com/2018/01/jamie-gellers-brisket-101-as-seen-on-the-today-show/
https://www.today.com/video/make-3-hearty-winter-meals-with-this-delicious-classic-beef-brisket-recipe-1164913219668 
https://www.amazon.com/Jamie-Gellers-Brisket-101-LEFTOVER/dp/1976983851/ 

Camp Zeke http://www.campzeke.org 
$1,000 off camp for new families - first come, first served!
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Free 2017 - 63 page cookbook - recipes by Alexandra Zohn, MA, HHC 
http://www.campzeke.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2017-Camp-Zeke-Cookbook.pdf 

The Most Popular Recipe - Year 2017
https://www.joyofkosher.com/recipes/potato-kugel-cups/ 
https://youtu.be/ApKzja2XnWE (6:39) 
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And the life of Sarah [Chayei Sarah] was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
Genesis 23:1



Shabbat Shalom - Parasha Chayei Sarah - the Legacy of Faith !!!


The Hebrew text of the Torah scroll is usually read using a Torah pointer called a yad (hand).
 
Shabbat Shalom 
 
Welcome to this week’s Torah study,
which is called Chayei Sarah (Life of Sarah).
 
Please join with us as we study the portion of Scripture that will be read in synagogues around the world this Shabbat (Saturday).  We know you will be blessed by this Parasha (Torah portion) as it highlights how we can live worthy of leaving a legacy for future generations.
  
CHAYEI SARAH (Life of Sarah)
Genesis 23:1–25:18; 1 Kings 1:1–31; 1 Peter 3:1–7
 
“And the life of Sarah [Chayei Sarah] was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.”  (Genesis 23:1)
 
Although the title of this week’s Parasha, Chayei Sarah (חַיֵּי שָׂרָה), means Life of Sarah, it initially focuses on her death.  This corresponds with the Judaic thought that the awareness of death gives more meaning to life.
 
Sarah is the only woman in the Bible to have a Parasha named after her.  What an honor!  All the other Biblical characters that Parashot are named after are men:  Balak, Pinchas, Korach, Noach and Yitro.  This underscores how important the matriarch Sarah is to our faith.
 
Sarah dies in Kiryat Arba, and her funeral is the first to be recorded in the Torah.
 

Sarah is buried in the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Ma'arat HaMachpelah), the
second holiest place in Judaism after the Temple Mount.  This burial
place, in which the fathers and mothers of the Jewish faith are buried, is
located in Hebron.  In Parasha Chayei Sarah, Abraham purchases this
land for the full asking price.
 
Last week’s Parasha (Vayera) ended with Abraham’s ultimate test — the binding and near sacrifice of his beloved son, Isaac (Yitzchak); but God provided an adult male ram for a sacrifice instead.  One must wonder what went through the mind of Isaac’s mother, Sarah.
 
Did she even know for what purpose Abraham departed with their son?  Did she worry that her joy — her reason for laughter — Yitzchak — may not return home alive to her?
 
Scripture does not address this; however, in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament), we do read of Sarah’s radical obedience to her husband as an example of faith and courage that women of God are encouraged to emulate:
 
“For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves.  They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.  You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.”  (1 Peter 3:5–6)
 

A Jewish woman buries her face in her siddur
(prayer book) as she prays at the Western
(Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.

Sarah demonstrated this radical obedience to her husband — first by leaving everything behind, including her home and family, to follow Abraham to a new land.  She did not know where they were going and had to live inside a tent in the desert like a stranger.
 
In order to protect her husband, she even agreed twice to enter a foreign king’s harem where she could have potentially been greatly harmed and defiled.  Still, even in this, she obeyed her husband.
 
God rewarded Sarah’s obedience and did indeed rescue her from Pharaoh's and King Abimilech’s harems.  Clearly it was God who did not allow the King of Gerar to touch Sarah:
 
“And God said to him in a dream, Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart.  For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.’”  (Genesis 20:6)
 

Jewish women pray at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem.
 
There is only one way that Sarah could have walked in such radical obedience — and that is through absolute faith and trust in God.  She may not have trusted her imperfect husband who was willing to sacrifice his wife to save his own skin, but she trusted God to protect and preserve her from all evil.
 
Many believe that Sarah lacked faith when she gave her servant Hagar to Abraham in order to raise up children for him.  Jewish tradition, however, holds that Sarah was convinced that God would be true to His promise to bring forth nations through Abraham, and that she was acting in faith.
 
Hagar was not just any servant, either.  Sarah personally trained her in faith.  Moreover, it is quite possible that she was Pharaoh's daughter.
 
The fact that Hagar conceived (and Sarah did not) caused Hagar to think that she was more spiritual and, therefore, more blessed than Sarah.  In her pride, she exalted herself over Sarah.
 
When the three angels visited Abraham, Sarah understood that the child of promise would come through her.
 

Abraham, Sarah, and the Angel (1520s), by Jan Provoost
 
Bearing Fruit in Our Latter Years  
“They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be vigorous and flourishing.”  (Psalm 92:14)
 
Sarah gave birth to Yitzhak (Isaac) at 90 years of age.
 
This shows us that we are not expected to idly sit in our rocking chairs as we reach our golden years; we can remain vital and active.
 
Both Abraham and Sarah achieved significant accomplishments, not in their youth, but in the last years of their life.
 
This is in keeping with an old Jewish saying:  “At 40 one is fit for discernment, at 50 for counsel, at 80 for special strength.”
 
Caleb is an example of this.  He was one of only two people out of a generation of millions to enter the Promised Land, and he asked for a mountain to conquer at 85-years-old!
 
“And now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.  As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.  Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day.”  (Joshua 14:1012)
 

An Israeli grandmother teaches her grandchildren how to
bake cookies.
 
Although it has become politically incorrect to ask a woman her age, Scripture does not hesitate to reveal Sarah’s age at her death.
 
The numerical value of the opening term of this Parasha (vayih’yu [וַיִּהְיוּ֙] and was) adds up to the sum of 37, which is the same as the difference between the age of Sarah when she gave birth to Isaac at 90 years old and her death at 127.
 
These 37 years were surely some of the best years of Sarah’s life as she raised the child that she and Abraham had hoped and prayed for most of their adult lives.
 
The Torah shows Sarah as her husband’s partner in life and his equal.  In Jewish oral tradition, they are both considered to have been excellent teachers in their own right, with Sarah teaching the women and Abraham teaching the men.
 
She completely shared Abraham’s journey with God in a spirit of faith, courage, and if necessary, self-sacrifice.
 
She endured being uprooted from her native land, being barren (considered a curse in Middle Eastern culture) until the age of 90, being held captive, and being exposed to the advances of foreign kings (twice).
 
Through it all, she remained faithful to God, to her husband, and to her calling.
 

Carrying the Torah scroll
 
Obviously, Sarah was a beautiful woman.  So beautiful, in fact, that Abraham resorted to calling her his sister to protect himself from the gangs of marauding soldiers who might be tempted to kill him in order to take his wife.
 
Even though Sarah was, in fact, his half-sister, this still did not justify the deception that put his wife’s honor at risk.  How did Sarah endure so many difficult trials in her lifetime?
 
It was through her optimism and inner tranquility that comes only with faith in God that Sarah was able to deal with such adversity.  This was likely part of her appeal and power.
 
The Bible tells us that we have need of endurance also:
 
“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”  (Hebrews 10:36)
 

The Egyptians Admire Sarai's Beauty, by James Tissot
  
Behind Every Great Man
“Who can find a virtuous wife [eshet chayil]?  For her worth is far above rubies.  The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain.“  (Proverbs 31:10–11)
 
It has often been said that behind every great man is a great woman.  Sarah takes this one step further.  She is the Biblical model of the Godly woman behind the Godly man.
 
She showed herself to be the great woman who helped ensure the successful continuation of Abraham’s dynasty.
 
The Life of Sarah is not about her death, therefore, but about her legacy.  Abraham ensures that her legacy continues by setting in motion the finding of a wife for Yitzhak (Isaac).
 
For that reason, as this Parasha continues, the story becomes more about Isaac’s life, and less about Abraham.
 
Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik wrote, “Without Sarah, Avraham takes leave of the world stage.”
 

Men recite prayers from the siddur during morning prayer just before the
Torah is read.
 
A good part of this Parasha centers on how Abraham’s servant located a proper wife for Isaac.
 
He essentially chose a kind-hearted woman who was capable of decisive, compassionate, Godly action.
 
She was a woman who would take the time to help a stranger and his animals.
 
She was also the kind of woman who, once she knew God’s purposes, would not hesitate to act immediately.  As soon as she knew that God had selected her to be Isaac’s wife, she did not let another day pass in fulfilling that destiny, though family members sought to give her an excuse to delay her leaving.
 
Abraham’s marriage to Sarah and Isaac's marriage to Rivkah (Rebecca) reveal that a partner’s spiritual qualities are far more important than their physical attributes (although beauty and attention to appearance obviously helps).
 

Eliezer and Rebecca at the Well (1648), by Nicolas Poussin
 
God has a plan for us.  May we use the wisdom of God to understand that our choice of a life partner will affect how we fulfill our calling and subsequently, the legacy that we leave.
 
To prepare to leave such a legacy, may we choose partners prayerfully, praying for them even before we meet them.  And may we base our decisions about whom we will marry on spiritual qualities, on whether a potential partner possesses the beautiful inner characteristics of God's chesed (lovingkindness and mercy), grace, selflessness, and benevolence toward all.
 
For those of us who are already married, we can pray as couples that God will use us to accomplish His purposes.  We can be the kind of partner that helps our spouse walk in his or her destiny.  As well, we should pray that God will give our children a sense of His purpose for their lives.
 
God worked in the lives of Abraham and Isaac to bring them a suitable partner through whom He would bring forth Israel.  This reminds us that God has a grand plan in which the lives of each individual plays a role.
 
He is still working in the same manner that he was during the time of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Rebecca — not only to accomplish His purposes for the Jewish People, but for each of us.
 
His eye is on every detail of our lives, and He wants us to partner with Him in His purposes.
 
 
As the Day of the Lord draws near, please help us proclaim the Word of God to Israel and the nations.
 
"I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved."  (Romans 11:25–26)
 
Shabbat Shalom from the Entire Bibles For Israel Family!

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