The פרשה begins with a description of the life of שרה אימנו
ויהיו חיי שרה מאה שנה ועשרים שנה ושבע שנים שני חיי שרה
Rashi famously highlights
בת ק, כבת כ’, ובת כ’ כבת ח’
What lesson is the תורה teaching us with this description of the life of שרה?
A person goes through various stages throughout his lifetime. There are the years of childhood, adolescence, adulthood, middle age, and old age. On its surface, each stage in life is independent of the other, each with its own unique challenges and goals. Perhaps the תורה is hinting here that the stages we go through in life are all a continuous build up process, in which we carry each stage with us into the next.
The Brisker Rav would say that there are 3 things we can learn from toddlers. They’re always busy- never sitting around idle, they can cry one moment, but the next moment burst into laughter, and even when they fall, they get right back up and continue on. These traits of childhood can indeed remain with us throughout our lifetime.
This idea can be taken further. In the teen and young adulthood years, people are full of passion and drive, whether for matters of רוחניות or matters of גשמיות. As one ages, due to life circumstances, that passion often fades away, replaced by a sense of complacency and indifference. But the life of שרה אימנו teaches us that to the contrary, those lessons, failures and challenges of life are actually building blocks that are meant to propel us further and further. Not to give up, but to use each day as a step towards an even stronger and better tomorrow.
בת ק כבת כ, ובת כ כבת ח.
This is further highlighted later in the פרשה, when describing the life of אברהם אבינו
ואברהם זקן בא בימים
He carried with him all the days of his life, from young age to old.
We’ll conclude with a fascinating story that highlights these points.
A תלמיד of the חזון איש related that, for a period, the צדיק had to go swimming for health purposes. This תלמיד would accompany his Rebbe there. On one of their visits to the shore during the early morning hours, to the astonishment of the young man, the חזון איש started to splash him with water. To the amazed תלמיד, the גדול הדור exclaimed, ” I believe that someone who cannot act in good nature like a young child, can also not say a good סברא in learning!”
Indeed each stage in life can be carried forward, utilized, and exercised towards living a truly full life in this world.