Written by Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis
(based on a derasha from
HaGaon Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita,
Ravad of Yerushalayim
Leil Shabbos)
Jewish Suffering
"Why does the Torah juxtapose the death of Sarah to Akeidas Yitzchak? When Sarah heard that Yitzchak was almost sacrificed during the Akeidah her soul left her and she died" (Rashi, Bereshis 23,3).
Although Avraham accepted the nisayon of the Akeidah with full faith, Rashi implies that Sarah died from the shock of hearing about Yitzchak's near-death experience. Sarah imenu was a great tzadekes; in some ways even greater than Avraham avinu. Why wasn't she able to accept the Almighty's command with similarcomposure ?
Sarah was a bastion of emunah. She in no way doubted the righteousness of Hashem's decrees, and did not have the slightest pang of regret when she heard that Avraham had taken Yitzchak to sacrifice him, at Hashem’s command. The pain that caused her death was rooted much deeper in the essence of her personality.
Chazal tell us "Ma'aseh Avos siman l'banim" – the actions of the forefathers are a sign [of what is to come for their] descendants. Sarah understood that if her son Yitzchak had been subjected to such a difficult test, that this was a foretaste of what her offspring would experience throughout all of the succeeding generations. Her empathy for all of the pain that the Jewish people would endure was great enough to cause her demise.
When the Holocaust began, Rav Shternbuch was a young bachur in England. He remembers hearing that one Rebbe in Poland told another that they had nothing to fear for surely Hashem would not send them trials that they could not withstand. The other Admor responded, "That is exactly what I am afraid of. The Jewish people can withstand pain without limit, and who knows what the extent of this tragedy will be."
In every generation, the Almighty sends the Jewish people challenges to test us and bring out the greatness of His chosen nation. Klal Yisrael's endurance despite countless agonizing nisayonos defies logical explanation. We inherited our extraordinary fortitude from the strength that both Avraham and Yitzchak displayed during the Akeidah.
Living Sanctified
Another way we can understand Sarah's pain was as an expression of disappointment. During the Akeidah, Yitzchak Avinu had come very close to dying al Kiddush Hashem. Dying while sanctifying Hashem's name is a very high level, yet there is an even greater accomplishment that a Jew must strive for – living al kiddush Hashem.
Sarah had worked her whole life to inculcate in her son Yitzchak the understanding that a Jew's ultimate task in this world is to sanctify Hashem's name with one's life. When she saw that the Almighty had almost taken Yitzchak's life al Kiddush Hashem, she worried that perhaps her son was not worthy of the exalted goal of living to glorify the Divine name. Her disappointment was so great that it caused her soul to leave this world.
All of his life, the Beis Yosef yearned to die al kiddush Hashem. He asked the malach who accompanied him how he could achieve this and was given exact instructions. Although he followed the malach's instructions to the letter, the Beis Yosef did not die sanctifying the Almighty's name.
The Beis Yosef questioned the malach about what he had done wrong. Like Sarah, the angel replied that living to sanctify Hashem is even greater than dying for this cause. He need not worry that he did not die while performing this mitzvah.
Positive Discrimination
The Torah generally speaks with brevity and precision. Yet when describing the transaction in which Avraham purchased the burial plot in Ma'aras Hamachpelah, the Torah describes the procedure at great lenth. What is the reason for this unusually detailed description?
The people that a person is buried near will, to some extent, be his "neighbors" for eternity. Therefore tzadikim take every precaution to ensure that they will be buried next to other righteous individuals. For this reason the Torah describes at length how much effort how much time and money Avraham Avinu expended to secure Ma'aras Hamachpelah as burial place for Sarah and the other Avos and Imahos.
Rav Shternbuch was once involved with a situation where a person who did not keep Shabbos was about to be buried next to Jews who were shomer Shabbos. Rav Shternbuch protested, and tried to stop the funeral. The parties involved were extremely upset and insisted that the Rav let them carry out the burial as planned.
Rav Shternbuch argued that it was actually in the niftar’s best interest that he be buried in another part of the cemetery. When the deceased would go to shamayim, they would ask him why he hadn't kept Shabbos. If he would reply that it had been too difficult, they would show him his "neighbors" who had been able to keep Shabbos properly. This would cause him to be judged more harshly.
Measured Tears
After Sarah's burial, Avraham proceeded to mourn and eulogize her. When describing Avraham Avinu's actions, the Torah writes a small chaf in the word bachah (crying). What is the reason for this deviation?
Shortly after Hagar married Avraham, she began to rebuke Sarah. Sarah felt Avraham was not standing up for her honor and told her husband, "The Almighty will judge between you and I [to determine who is greater]” (Bereshis 16,5). In doing so, she was "asking for judgment" and this caused her premature demise.
The Ba'al HaTurim (Bershis 23,2) writes that this is one of the reasons that the chaf is written small. Since Sarah had in some way hastened her own death by requesting judgment, Avraham could not eulogize her fully. While he delivered a hesped, the full honor that a tzadekes like Sarah deserved was not received.
Tzadikim are in complete control of their emotions, and every action is guided solely by their crystal-clear perception of the Divine will, as seen through the prism of halacha. Although Avraham loved Sarah dearly, he knew that one may not deliver a complete eulogy for a person who played even a small part in taking their own life. Avraham did not let his feelings cloud his unshakable commitment to the halacha under the circumstances.
Rav Hirsh Levinson was the son-in-law of the Chafetz Chaim, and known to be a great tzadik. Among his many righteous acts, he fasted regularly. Rav Hirsh died at a young age.
Although the Chafetz Chaim held his son-in-law in the highest esteem, when it came time to deliver hespedim the Chafetz Chaim did not know if he should say a eulogy for him. By fasting so much, Rav Hirsh might have contributed to his own early death. Perhaps he was considered like someone who had taken his own life, and one was prohibited from saying a hesped for him. Therefore, the Chafetz Chaim hesitated to eulogize him.
After great internal struggle, the Chafetz Chaim broke down crying. Rav Hirsh Levinson was a great tzadik who had acted l'shem shamayim, completely for the sake of Heaven. As such, it was definitely permitted to eulogize him.
Although we are not on the level of the Avos or the Chafetz Chaim, we can certainly take inspiration from their deeds. Halacha should be the guiding light of our lives, and all other considerations should be resolved within the bounds of halacha. In this way we will fulfill Sarah's prayers that her descendents would live lives al Kiddush Hashem and hopefully be spared from the further travails such as those we have encountered throughout the generations.
(HaRav Shternbuch's shiurim on the parsha are being prepared to be published by Feldheim Publishers as a sefer. For information about dedication opportunities, ideas for the title of the sefer, or shaylos for the Rav, contact dytravis@actcom.com.)
