Parashat Chayyei Sarah – Shabbat 11/7/2026

By Rabbi Ellen S. Wolintz-Fields

In Parashat Chayyei Sarah, we encounter transitions shaped by both loss and continuity. Sarah’s death opens the parashat with silence and grief, yet the narrative quickly moves toward action: Abraham secures a burial place, Isaac is brought into marriage with Rebecca, and the covenantal story continues forward. Life, even in mourning, refuses to end.

This interplay of absence and continuation connects deeply to Shema Koleinu—“hear our voice.” In moments of grief, our voices often feel fragile or incomplete. We speak from places of memory, longing, and uncertainty. Shema Koleinu affirms that even those voices are heard—that prayer does not require fullness, only honesty.

Eliezer’s prayer at the well is especially striking. He asks for guidance in finding Isaac’s future wife, and his words are answered with remarkable immediacy. This moment reflects the essence of Shema Koleinu: that human speech, when offered sincerely, enters into relationship with divine listening.

At the same time, Chayyei Sarah reminds us that hearing is not only vertical but generational. Abraham listens to the needs of the future; Rebecca hears the call to leave her home; Isaac listens to the unfolding of covenantal destiny.

Together, Chayyei Sarah and Shema Koleinu teach that even in the presence of loss, voices continue to matter. We are heard not only in moments of clarity, but also in transition, as life moves forward and the covenant endures.