The Self Sacrifice of a Mother
In this week’s parsha the Torah begins with the death of Sarah “ And Sarah died in Kiryat Arba etc”, (Bereisheit 23:2). Rashi brings down quoting Bereisheit Raba 58:5 that the reason Sarah died at this time was because she heard that her son was planned to be bound (during the akeidah, the binding of Yitzchak). When it appeared that this was almost going to occur her soul left her body and she died. Rav Shlomo Carelbach, who’s Yahrtzeit we commemorated this past week, learns a powerful lesson from this Midrash regarding a mother’s relationship with their child.
According to Rav Carelbach (see Rav Shlomo Katzs Even Shlomo P.197) the deeper reason behind Sarah dying at this moment, was because when she heard that Yitzchak was going to have the possibility of being sacrificed she thought not only was this going to occur, but that the whole world is falling apart and she therefore couldn’t live anymore.
Why most of our mothers don’t die for us literally like Sarah many of them have put in much mesirat nefesh (self-sacrifice) in order to help keep our Yiddishkeit as strong as possible probably for this very reason because like Sarah our foremother, they can’t live without giving us the best.
May we all appreciate all of our mothers for their constant dedication to us in ALL of the areas they have raised us in. Additonally for those of us who are not yet married (myself included) may we merit to have GOD find us our soul mate that will be a mother willing to self-sacrifice and “ kill herself” (GOD willing in a figurative way and not GOD Forbid faced with doing this literally) for her’s and our children. May such righteousness like the women of the redemption from Egypt, who the redemption occurred for, also bring us towards the final redemption and the coming of the Moschiach, may he come speedily in our days.
Good Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom, Gut Shabbes-Gidon Herschander