BackAlways Growing
By: Rabbi Dr. Abraham Unger
This week’s parsha opens with the verse, “And the life of Sarah was 100 years, and 20 years, and 7 years…” It’s a strange phraseology. Why not just state that Sarah lived 127 years? Rashi, the great medieval exegete, comments, “to tell you that each unit of her life stood on its own… each section was equally good.” The lesson here is that each part of our lives have their own value and meaning. There is no one stage of life without significance. We learn, teach, and leave a legacy every step of the way.
How many of us are truly able to grow and evolve as we walk across the terrain of our lives? How many of us can change our perspectives as we age? The Torah here is reminding us never to become fixed in our ways; to always remain open while remembering where we come from. It is not always easy, but that is the Jewish way.
That kind of flexibility while still bound to tradition is why we have survived as a people. It is why we understand, at each phase of our collective history, how to move forward.