The People Who Love Us Will Miss Us
Nov 6, 2026 By Israel Gordan | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah
I found myself thinking about that exchange while reading this week’s parashah, Hayyei Sarah. The title itself presents a familiar paradox. Although it means “the life of Sarah,” the portion opens with her death. But perhaps the title is more appropriate than it initially appears. Sarah’s death is announced in the opening verses, yet her presence continues to be felt throughout the narrative.
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Rachel Cohn – Senior Sermon (RS ’26)
Nov 14, 2025 By JTS Senior Sermon | Commentary | Senior Sermon | Hayyei Sarah
Hayyei Sarah All Class of 2026 Senior Sermons
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Death and Dignity
Nov 14, 2025 By Gordon Tucker | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah
Parashat Hayyei Sarah begins with the death of the matriarch Sarah. Interestingly, it is the first time that a death enters into the Torah’s narrative. In all of the genealogies from Adam and Eve through the lives of Abraham and Sarah, deaths were matter-of-factly recorded with the simple word וימת. And of course, there was the global death and destruction during the Flood. But the death of Sarah is the first one that generates a story, and a template, as it were, for how to deal with death—burial, eulogizing, mourning, and the subsequent continuation of life.
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Aiden Pink – Senior Sermon (RS ’25)
Nov 21, 2024 By JTS Senior Sermon | Commentary | Senior Sermon | Hayyei Sarah
Aiden Pink – Hayyei Sarah
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“Ger Vetoshav”: A Lesson on Vulnerabilities and Humility
Nov 22, 2024 By Gordon Tucker | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah
Abraham rose, as he had to, from his wailing, because there was a necessary and sacred task to perform. And at that moment of needing to bury his dead, an enormity confronted him. Here’s how Abraham put it: “ger vetoshav anokhi”—I am merely a stranger (ger), come to be an alien resident (toshav) here. I have no place; I have no accumulated rights and privileges.
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Jonathon Adler – Senior Sermon (RS ’24)
Nov 8, 2023 By JTS Senior Sermon | Commentary | Senior Sermon | Short Video | Hayyei Sarah
Parshat Hayyei Sarah All the Class of 2024 Senior Sermons
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Who Was Abraham’s Last Wife?
Nov 10, 2023 By Claire Shoyer | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah
Parashat Hayyei Sarah focuses on the devoted relationships between two of our patriarchs and two of our matriarchs. We begin by reading of how Abraham strove to fully acquire the land for Sarah’s burial. We then see that Abraham wanted to find a fitting wife for his son, Isaac. Abraham’s servant brings back Rebecca, and she and Isaac begin a partnership which seems supportive and loving—as soon as Isaac and Rebecca meet, we read that Isaac loves Rebecca and finds comfort in her after his mother’s death (Gen. 24:67). In both accounts, we see that each of these pairs was specifically well-matched. Why, then, does the parshah end by saying, “And again, Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah” (Gen. 25:1)? Who was this additional wife, Keturah, and why do we read about her in the context of the loving relationships of Abraham and Sarah, and Isaac and Rebecca? Is Keturah introduced simply to transmit information about Abraham’s geneaology, or does her presence signify something deeper?
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Rebecca the Patriarch
Nov 18, 2022 By Judith Hauptman | Commentary | Hayyei Sarah
This week’s parashah, Hayyei Sarah (Genesis 23:1–25:18), is about continuing the line, producing progeny. The parashah opens with a report of Sarah’s death at 120 years old. It closes with a list of Abraham’s children from concubines and Ishmael’s many offspring (25:1–18). But the central story of the parashah, the entire chapter of Genesis 24, is about finding a wife for Isaac.
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