Parasha Chayei Sarah (חיי שרה) — Bereshit 23:1 – 25:18. Read on Shabbat, November 7, 2026.
Summary of Parasha Chayei Sarah
Sarah dies at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven in Kiryat Arba, which is Hevron, and Avraham weeps for her. He asks the sons of Chet for a burial place; after a courteous negotiation, he buys the field and the Cave of Machpelah from Efron for four hundred shekels of silver, and buries Sarah there. Avraham, now old, then makes his servant, the elder of his household, swear not to take a wife for Yitzchak from the daughters of Canaan, but to go to the land of his birth. The servant sets out with ten camels for Aram Naharayim. Arriving at the well, he prays and sets himself a sign: the young woman who offers a drink to him and also to his camels will be the one destined for Yitzchak. Rivkah, granddaughter of Nachor, fulfills that sign exactly. The servant is welcomed into the home of Betuel and Lavan, recounts his entire mission, and the family acknowledges that the matter comes from G-d. When asked, Rivkah agrees to leave without delay. On her arrival, Yitzchak, who had gone out to meditate in the field, meets her; he brings her into the tent of Sarah his mother, marries her and loves her. Avraham takes another wife, Keturah, who bears him sons. He dies at the age of one hundred and seventy-five; Yitzchak and Yishmael bury him in the Cave of Machpelah. The parasha ends with the descendants of Yishmael.
The Themes
- The purchase of the Cave of Machpelah
- Rivkah’s kindness at the well
- Transmission from one generation to the next
Rav Raphaël Benizri’s Lectures on Chayei Sarah
- Chayei Sarah: The Death of Sarah (Part 1)
- Chayei Sarah — The Family of Avraham
- Chayei Sarah: The Source of Life
- Chayei Sarah: The Death of Sarah (Part 2)
Study booklets for each lecture: questions for the Shabbat table
A Question for the Shabbat Table
The servant chose Rivkah for her generosity toward the camels: what quality would we look for first in a person?
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Summary by the Pensées Juives editorial team. The Rav’s teachings are found in his lectures, linked above.