Now Sarah's life was 127 years--the years of Sarah's life.
Genesis 23:19
The reading from this past week in the Torah is the Parsha "The Life of Sarah" .
It is called "The Life" of Sarah, even though it is actually to tell about her passing, at the time of her death at 127 years.
Sarah lived in righteousness, purity and with a love of loving-kindness--the quality of chesed, in Hebrew-- in everything she did . She and Abraham opened up their tent for hospitality to strangers to share the truth about the One true God. Her whole being emanated light because she drew from the source of light for her life. At age 90 God blessed her and Abraham (who was 100) with a child, even though in the natural it was impossible. Nothing is impossible with God!
In connecting with something about challah, the aspect I wanted to share is how her light shone even in her challah dough!!
According to a midrash in Bereshit Rabba, we learn that Sarah's dough was divinely blessed, that her challah stayed fresh from Shabbat to the next Shabbat, and that a candle would burn in her tent from Sabbath Eve to the next. There was said to be a cloud of the divine presence always over her tent.
I love this teaching about Sarah
＊ from a Rabbinic source, quoted below, and what it tells about her life and how she lived doing everything for the glory of God. I can try to imagine the light that shone forth from her very being!! The woman who was the mother of all the generations of Israel. Her challah dough was divinely blessed! From the same midrash, we also learn that the divine blessing left in all those areas, but when Rebecca came into the tent as Isaac's bride, the blessings returned.
Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother,
took Rebecca and she became his wife--and he loved her.
So Isaac was comforted after the loss of his mother.
Genesis 24:67
And Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah, his mother-" All the days that Sarah was alive, a cloud was connected (lit. tied) to the entrance of her tent. When she died, the cloud stopped [resting at her tent.] And when Rebecca came, the cloud returned. All the days that Sarah was alive, the doors were open wide. When she died, the wideness stopped. And when Rebecca came, the wideness returned. And all the days that Sarah was alive, there was a blessing in her dough, and when Sarah died, that blessing ended. When Rebecca came, [the blessing] returned. All the days that Sarah was alive, there was a candle that would burn from Sabbath Eve to [the next] Sabbath Eve, and when she died, the candle stopped [burning for so long]. And when Rebecca came, [the week-long flame of the candle] returned. And as soon as [Isaac] saw her, that she did the deeds of his mother, separating her challah in purity and separating her dough in purity, he brought her into the tent.
＊ from Bereishit Rabbah 60
please read on , these !
"Notes on the "Challah-cast":
My basic "filming" plan was to take scenes of first getting flowers for Shabbat at the flower shop, a special bouquet to honor the Life of Sarah, then zooming in on the flowers in the shop, and next scene , zooming out on the flowers when back in my home, and showing the flowers and the dough.
The whole short film, the challah-cast, would be homage to Sarah. The aspect of the challah that we would focus on is the dough, talking about the teaching above, about the blessing on her challah and the light that she shone from living with the Divine Presence always.
In my challah making scenes I would just show the dough, from when its made, to when it rises, as I talk about that aspect of Sarah's life.
So that is the basic idea for the week of Chayei Sarah. What I am learning for the challah-casts is it takes a lot of "takes" to get a short video together! And I have to work fast if I want to do it by Shabbat, from the making of the Challah.
After all, I didn't get a finished challah-cast that I felt ready to share, so am just sharing this post as an "outline" this week, and realize that I may not get a finished Challah-cast each time. I started to get a little discouraged, but, rather than get discouraged if I don't complete it, I am glad as it is a way of drawing closer to Him in the process.
The midrash (Rabbinic commentary) from Bereishit Rabbah, is about how once Isaac and Rebecca married, and Rebecca entered into Sarah's tent with Isaac, the blessings returned through her.
Its such a beautiful testament to the generations, how through Sarah's life, Rebecca was able to enter in and keep alive the flame of God's presence continually. It is said that in the time after Sarah died, the blessings stopped, but when Rebecca entered the tent as Isaac's bride, they returned again.
May we learn from the Life of Sarah, and be inspired to keep the light of Yeshua shining through our lives, and be diligent in prayer and in how we live, to pass it on to the next generation.
And a PS, I really was gettting a little discouraged not having done a Challah-cast, so just to keep on going I made a "rough" upload with talking it through and I also included the next Parsha, Toldot, to tie in with it. If you are moved to watch it, you can see it HERE
When we spend time with the Lord, and more than that, when we live with Him as the source of our very being, then our light will shine forth in all we do. And nothing is impossible with Him!
Blessings and Shabbat Shalom!!
Every year I post my Rebecca (Rivka) drawing (Below) to go with this parsha!
Blessings and Shalom!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
♡
Shayndel
So she said, "Drink, my lord," and she quickly lowered her jar onto her hand and gave him a drink. Now when she finished giving him a drink, she said, "I'll also draw water for your camels until they've finished drinking." Genesis 24:18~19
