Chayei Sarah
This parsha is literally “bookended” with the passing of two mighty biblical figures. First Sarah dies in the opening line, possibly of a broken heart in the wake of the near loss of her son Isaac at the ends of her husband. But as Abraham settles into a decades long retirement, the next generation comes of age with the amazing love story of Isaac and Rebecca. The parsha then ends on a poignant but hopeful note with the reunion of Isaac and Ishmael, but only because their father has now died and they both face an uncertain future.
