Hayyei Sarah: A Shabbat of Comfort and Healing

Rabbi Naomi Kalish, director of the Center for Pastoral Education at JTS, reflected on the story of Abraham from Parashat Hayyei Sarah and connected it to many people’s experiences during the pandemic. As a result, she created a Shabbat program called “Hayyei Sarah: Finding Comfort and Renewal in Jewish Sources.” Utilizing the topics of this specific parashah, death, burial, loss, grief, consolation, and reconciliation, the same issues we struggled with during the pandemic, JTS partnered with synagogues to create special programs that explored themes dedicated to spiritual care, healing, compassion and resilience.

Read Rabbi Kalish’s article “Hayyei Sarah: A Shabbat of Comfort and Healing” in eJP.