Chayah
Sarah
Gen. 23:1 - 25:18
This is thanksgiving
weekend and as is our custom,
many of us spend this wonderful holiday with family. It is
estimated that more people travel to be with family at Thanksgiving more than at any other time of
year. Some in attendance today are
perhaps visiting with
relatives in
Our Torah portion for this week is also
about the importance of family. It
begins with the death and burial of Sarah and continues with the marriage of
Isaac and the remarriage of Abraham as well as the death of Abraham. Abraham placed great value on his family
relationships. The narrative about the
death of Sarah and her burial is something that many of us can relate to if you
have had the responsibility of making decisions about a loved one’s funeral.
When you care deeply for a loved one, you are naturally concerned about where
they are to be buried and about all of the funeral arrangements. However, it is
not only the burial of Sarah that we find Abraham concerned about family
issues. In chapter 25 Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for his child of
promise, Isaac. Notice that he instructs
the servant to go to is hometown to find a wife. Although Abraham obeyed the will of God and
left his family and
friends behind, he did not forget about them.
Not only does he remember them but he wants his son to marry someone
from there. Even in last week’s torah
portion we see the importance of family in the life of Abraham. When he hears of the danger that his nephew
is in, he comes to the rescue. I think
there is a valuable lesson to be learned by observing the value that Abraham
placed on family relationships. As believers
in Yeshua, there is sometimes a breakdown in family ties when we become
believers. Our relatives may shun us for
our belief in Yeshua and sometimes in our zeal to share the message of
salvation with them we alienate them and cause wounds that can take a long time
to heal. Just as Abraham was called out
but maintained good family relationships so it is important that we not neglect
our families as well. It is important that
we do our best to strengthen our family bonds - regardless of religious beliefs. While it is definitely important to share our
faith with whom we love, remember that God is the one who convicts and saves.
If they know that you are a believer, they are reminded of it whenever they see
you! Open doors of communication and
opportunities to talk about Yeshua come when you strengthen your
relationships. Even if there is no
family strife, we can learn from this portion of Torah that we should be
thankful to God for the family that we have and be a good testimony by visiting
and appreciating our relatives. Happy Thanksgiving and Shabbat Shalom.