“And Sarah died in Qiryat-Arba…” (Bereishis 23:2)

Most of us are familiar with Chazal’s teaching that Sarah’s passing was connected to her hearing about the Akeida. Why should hearing about the Akeida have caused her death? Many explanations have been offered. I would like to share two of them, both based on a well-known principle of Chazal.

  1. Sarah was greater in prophecy than Avraham. Therefore, while the test of the Akeida was extremely difficult for Avraham, for Sarah it would have been less daunting. As such, when she heard that Yitzchak was still alive, she seemingly concluded that Avraham had failed the test. That mistaken conclusion was so devastating to her that she died from the anguish it caused.
  2. Rav Chayim Shmulevitz (Sichos Mussar 5733) offers a different explanation, which carries a lesson for all of us. A well-known parable teaches that if everyone in the world were to place all their troubles into a bundle and set it on a table, and then each of them was given the opportunity to take back any bundle they wanted, each person would take back his own bundle rather than someone else’s. The reason is that Hashem fits every challenge to the person who receives it, in accordance with the abilities He has granted them. A challenge that a person is not equipped to handle is not presented to him. Consequently, there could be situations in which a great person would not withstand the test that a lesser person could overcome. Sarah didn’t have the tools necessary to endure the test of the Akeida, and therefore she couldn’t survive it.

This idea sheds light on the last of the 10 commandments: “לֹא תַחְמֹד”, (“do not covet”), which ends with “ְוכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ”, (“nor anything that belongs to your fellow”). It is well known that the antidote to coveting what someone else has is the realization that if you truly want what he has, you must take his entire package. Most of us are not interested in that. We may want his money, fame, talents, or success, but we do not want the rest of the package.

When it comes to taking the entire package, most people would choose their own package over anyone else’s. Not only are we most comfortable with our own challenges, but we have also been given the ability to face, endure, and grow from them.

May Hashem grant all of us the fortitude and perseverance to overcome all of our tests, and may we merit to bring Moshiach bimheira veyameinu.