journey of a thousand miles. Our pasha contains the most serene description of old age and dying

anywhere in the Torah. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and

full of years, and he was gathered to his people. There's an earlier verse, no less moving. Abraham

was old, well advanced in years, and God had blessed Abraham with everything.

Nor was this the serenity, nor was this serenity the gift of Abraham alone.

Rashid, like the sages, was puzzled by the description of Sarah.

She lived to 127 years old. These were the years of

Sarah's life. The last phrase seems completely superperfluous. Why not just tell us that Sarah lived

to be 127? What is added by saying, these were the years of Sarah's life.

Rushie is led to the conclusion that the first half of the verse talks about the quantity of her life,

how long she lived, while the second tells us about the quality of her life.

They, the years she lived, were all equal in goodness.

Yet how is any of this conceivable?

Abraham and Sarah were commanded by God to leave everything that was familiar, their land, their home, their family,

and travel to an unknown land.

No sooner had they arrived than they were forced to leave because of famine.

Twice. Abraham's life was at risk when driven into exile. He worried that he'd be killed so that the local ruler could

take Sarah into his harem. Sarah herself had to say that she was Abraham's sister and had to suffer

the indignity of being taken into a stranger's household.

Then there was the long wait for a child, made even more painful.

By the repeated divine promise that they would have as many children as the stars of the sky

or the dust of the earth.

...