Parshat Chayei Sarah
People today are living longer than previous generations.
The office for national statistics states that “One in three of today’s babies will live to see their 100th birthday, according to latest estimates”. To put this into further perspective the ONS states that by 2050, one in four people in the UK will be aged 65 years or over.
This of course creates numerous challenges to how our society cares for the elderly. As people live longer they have more and more specialised needs. Social care in our society in many ways is overtaking the problems surrounding medical care in the NHS. There are now calls to integrate social care into teh NHS. For many – quite rightly so- social care will be high up on their priority list when thinking about who to vote for next month. Yes not everything is about Brexit!
Our Parsha this week advances the Judaic concept of ageing. This week the torah relates the death of Sarah our first Matriarch. Yet although discussing her demise the title is Chayei Sarah – the life of Sarah. Don’t let the title fool you- the Torah is teaching us that awareness of death gives meaning to life. As Jews we don’t hide from death. We don’t delude ourselves that we are immortal.
We realise that every moment of life is precious. Not just the early days of youth when we are full of vigour and enthusiasm and zest for life. Equally important are the later years in life.
When the Parsha describes the 127 inspirational and exemplary “years of Sarah’s life”, it divides her righteous womanhood into three parts, “100 years, 20 years, 7 years.” Rashi observes this and explains based on a Midrash that the torah wishes to emphasize certain distinct qualities: that at 100, Sarah’s lofty spiritual purity was equal to a 20 year old (free of sin) and at 20, her pristine physical beauty was as wholesome as a seven-year-old.
The Torah is teaching us that every year of Sarah’s life was part of a spiritual journey and of equal importance. Sarah matures and progresses from outer beauty to inner beauty. This is the mark of a true Jewish Woman.
The verse then repeats again “Sheni Chayei Sarah” these are the years of Sarah and Rashi explains that this must refer to her years after the age of 100 all the way until the ripe old age of 127.
Every moment of life is precious and it is not how many moments we are given but rather what we do with them.
As King David taught in Psalm 90
“So teach the number of our days, so that we shall acquire a heart of wisdom”
Shabbat Shalom