Parashat Chayyei Sarah 5784

by Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields

Parashat Chayyei Sarah is very apropos for the time we are living in. We read about Abraham finding a final resting place for Sarah, after she dies. Abraham wanted to ensure that his beloved wife was buried properly, a responsibility that we hold sacred until this day. In the past month, our people have seen the deaths of nearly 2,000 people, many of whom may have never thought that they would need a burial plot so soon. This responsibility then fell on others in the community.  The responsibility of burial is truly a communal responsibility, as we read stories of funerals where people were concerned that nobody would be in attendance, because the deceased’s family lived outside of Israel, and then hundreds of people actually attended the funeral. Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh – All the people of Israel are responsible for one another.