Parshat Hayyei Sarah

My wife, Laura, is a special person. Those who know her know this well. But there are little things that she has done and does that make her truly special.  When we were younger, we were counselors at Camp Ramah.  One regular day, Laura was walking along the path next to the gym/Beit Am.  As she was walking, she noticed a rather large stick on the path.  Without much thought, she picked up the stick removing it from the path, and threw it into a grassy area that had less foot traffic. Then, she kept walking. But, before she could take more than a few steps, the Director of the Camp came running out of his office to stop and thank her.  He told her that his office windows face the path that she was walking on, and that he had seen that stick hours ago, and was waiting to see how long it would take for someone to remove it.  Laura had passed the test and cleared the path for those who followed.  Now people could walk safely without obstacles.

​The Talmud (B. Brachot 17b) teaches that the whole world is sustained for the sake of (bi-shevil/בשביל) Hanina.  The Noam Elimelelkh teaches that the word “for the sake of/bi-shevil” means that Rabbi Hanina created a pathway (shevil/שביל) that opened up channels through which the whole world is sustained…We see that some righteous people/tzaddikim engage in severe ascetic practices for many years.  Through this they achieve great levels of piety.  But there are others who do not follow such strict regimens and they too attain great piety and wholeness.  The truth is, however, that they too have reached this place because of the [first] tzaddik’s efforts.  His strict discipline served to remove the separating barrier, sweeping aside the thorns, brambles, and briars that lay in the way, all the external elements that keep people from following this pathway to God…This is the meaning of the verse [from our Parsha, Parshat Hayyei Sarah,] “Abraham was old, come into days/אברהם זקן בא בימים (Gen 24:1).”  “Old” refers to one who has attained wisdom.  “Come into days” means that he has brought about unceasing compassion for the word “day” implies compassion (presumably since the day brings sun, sight, certainty and warmth)…Our father Abraham, through his service, removed the great separating barrier, making it easier for others to approach God in this way.  That is what any tzaddik wants and longs for—that people be enabled to walk in God’s path.

My teacher, Rabbi Art Green, writes that this teaching offers a model for righteous leadership: the tzaddik as path-breaker.  Compassion itself is a particular religious path.  And that is how Abraham lived his life.  Imagine the world we could create for others if our first instinct was compassion, like Abraham!  This takes hard work to be able to compassionately listen to those we disagree with and to act compassionately for others while still taking care of ourselves.  And this is our challenge.  In order to be righteous people, we must compassionately create room for those around us.  This week, may be blessed to travel on the smooth roads that our ancestors paved for us.  And may we succeed in continuing to blaze the trail for those who come after.  

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ezra