Why not bring a piece of evolving Judaism into your week? Each Torah portion is so rich with so much to share! These small shabbat rituals are meant to be just a taste of Torah to connect with on Shabbat. Enjoy for yourself, or share at a Shabbat table near you.
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(א) וַיִּהְיוּ֙ חַיֵּ֣י שָׂרָ֔ה מֵאָ֥ה שָׁנָ֛ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים שְׁנֵ֖י חַיֵּ֥י שָׂרָֽה׃
(ב) וַתָּ֣מָת שָׂרָ֗ה בְּקִרְיַ֥ת אַרְבַּ֛ע הִ֥וא חֶבְר֖וֹן בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַיָּבֹא֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם לִסְפֹּ֥ד לְשָׂרָ֖ה וְלִבְכֹּתָֽהּ׃
(1) Sarah’s lifetime—the span of Sarah’s life—came to one hundred and twenty-seven years.
(2) Sarah died in Kiriath-arba—now Hebron—in the land of Canaan; and Abraham proceeded to mourn for Sarah and to bewail her.
Shabbat ritual: We all mourn in different ways. We may be driven by our raw emotions following a loss, or by a formal mourning practice. Sometimes we are able to begin mourning a loss immediately, and other times the mourning process unfolds before us in unknown ways. One thing I’ve learned is that loss doesn’t have to be something you experience alone. This week think about a loss (of any kind) you’ve experienced and share what was hard or challenging about that loss with someone else. Or, create some space for yourself to write about that loss in your life. Just as Abraham mourned Sarah, it is important to allow ourselves space and time to mourn our losses, each in our own way.