“מסתבר שלחיי הקודמים פשוט נעצר הסטופר. בבוקר ההוא. של השביעי באוקטובר. ועכשיו מנסה להתחיל חיים חדשים…” -התקווה 6

Like these words from Hatikva 6, so many of us are counting time from Oct. 7, viewing our lives as before and after. Avraham and Sarah’s lives too, in parshat Chayei Sarah, are divided into stages, for instance: “Sarah’s lifetime came to one hundred years and twenty years and seven years — the years of Sarah’s life.” Moreover, why at a specific point in the parsha is Avraham described as “Old, advanced in years”? The solutions provided by the commentaries resonate in this period of before and after, which we find ourselves in today. 

The description of Avraham seems superfluous – old (zaken) and advanced in years (ba be-yamim) – and is stated when Avraham finds himself at a crossroads in life. This is after the death of Sarah and before finding a wife for Yitzchak. Hence, Bereshit Rabbah teaches that until this point there was no old age in the world and Avraham requested old age to differentiate himself from Yitzchak. This “aging” was a recognition that it was time for him to step back and to solidify the continuity of the Jewish people through the next generation. Another midrash teaches that Avraham’s “aging” occurred after the death of Sarah. In losing his life partner, Sarah, he lost some of his vitality and passion for life.

Rabbi S.R. Hirsch’s commentary depicts Avraham and Sarah as maximizing their days. Sarah was able to carry the good and positive aspects of each stage of her life into the next phase of her “years.” Similarly, “ba be-yamim” means that Avraham made the most of his days rather than letting himself get lost in them. This was how they moved forward in life, despite the hardship they experienced – by focusing on the good.

In the spirit of Avraham and Sarah, may we find the strength to carry these days with us and find the points of goodness that will carry us forward. Shabbat Shalom -Karen Miller Jackson