Parshah Columnists for Chayei Sarah

Oedipus, schmoedipus! When the Torah tells us that when Isaac married Rebecca and brought her home, "behold, it was Sarah, his mother" -- it means something else entirely

How is it that the Torah's depiction of love is so different than our common notion of it? Perhaps the answer is that love true doesn't come from where we think it does

Have you ever driven 60 miles to meet a friend, only to have that friend—who lives two miles away—arrive 10 to 15 minutes late?

Surrounded by a group of able-bodied men, Eliezer did not appear as a helpless, weary chap begging for a drink. And Rebecca was a young woman of nobility, not a poor servant girl accustomed to lugging water from wells . . .

Abraham appreciated a simple yet sometimes difficult truth: if you want to make something truly yours, you must pay for it.

All of her years were equal, parallel, identical, even-steven for good? Is this possible?

Great blessings such as these do not come as the result of any particular ability we may have or lack.

We navigate through life, and we want to know “what’s in it for me.” We don’t always identify with the “chariot” of our history, with those men and women who saw themselves exclusively as vehicles of the Divine will.

From the dawn of history, people have been searching for a sense of joy, which is as elusive as it is desirable.

There was conflict and separation, but that was the beginning, not the end.

Something significant is being hinted at here, otherwise why mention, each time, exactly where the field is and who Abraham bought it from?

Yes, Abraham will have a land. He will have countless children. But these things will not happen soon, or suddenly, or easily.

The events recounted in the Torah section of Chayei Sarah all take place after Sarah's death. Not only that -- they seem to all underscore the fact of her demise. Yet "Chayei Sarah" means "the life of Sarah"!

If you ended up on the upper story, consider yourself lucky. If you find yourself on the lower level, consider yourself luckier.

No other decision you will make in the course of your lifetime will affect you as deeply and as irrevocably

"Love at first sight" is a monumental bobba meise

To my mind, "G-d helps those who help themselves" is a perfectly religious statement

Everyone goes through a stage of innocence. Unfortunately, for most people this stage eventually passes...

What are the first qualities one should look for in our search for their soul mate? A lesson from approach Eliezer, Abraham's messenger to search for a bride for Isaac

"Opposites attract" -- but how opposite can happily married spouses be? Take Isaac and Rebecca. Or G‑d and our world

Eliezer’s approach to his mission teaches a valuable lesson in the art of “matchmaking.”

"I want someone who's kind but not the too-kind type that lets himself be walked on, smart but not haughty, assertive but not overbearing, handsome but not vain.." The Rebbe laughed. "It sounds like you want to marry more than one person"

Abraham and Sarah entered each day as one would enter his home, entirely and without reserve...

The assertion that Columbus “discovered” America highlights a curious claim made by Abraham.

The death of Sarah, Abraham's negotiations with the Hittites for a "plot" of land, and the 400 pieces of silver paid for it -- as played out in the inner dynamics of our psyche and soul

Had Isaac and Rebecca met in the modern age, their courtship might have looked something like this. Isaac would notice Rebecca at the well . . .

No name, no identity, no "Harvard Grad '86, Yale '89, fed the starving in Albania in '97, joined the March for the Homeless 2000, top executive in a Fortune 500 company, board member at the local JCC, plays golf to support the local Hadassah chapter, and has a wonderful relationship with his three exes..."

Why are so many complex laws in the Torah written in so few words?

In a final summation of Sarah’s life, the Torah tells us two things—that she was beautiful and that she had a flawless character—her two great qualities juxtaposed.

When his wife Sarah passed away, Abraham was offered an incredible bargain: a free burial plot. Abraham's refusal to accept teaches us something about the worth of bargains...

How and why do I allow myself to squander so many of life's opportunities, and what can I do to bring the dwindling minutes of my life back under my control?

In this week’s Torah portion, we are introduced to our matriarch, Rebecca. Our sages applied to her the verse: “As a rose among the thorns, so is my beloved among the daughters.”

The “if only” attitude claims that if only we had some essentially missing quality, then our lives would be infinitely enhanced.

There are some who push through life just trying to get from one day to the next. There are others who say that every moment is to be savored. Abraham's attitude surpassed both of these.

The Jewish dynasty started with Abraham, but must go through Isaac and his son, Jacob. Everyone who comes from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob is intrinsically Jewish.

Live in this world, but live above it.

A moment uncounted is a moment that never was.