7th of Elul, Shabbat Shalom, and Parashat Chayei Sarah

For today, Chayei Sarah, the fourth parashah of the Torah, Genesis 23:1 - 25:18, the end of Sarah's life and the winding up of Abraham's life as he secures Isaac's future.

Abraham sends out a servant to find a wife for Isaac. Remembering that some loving strong relationships come from the wisdom of elders, and not merely our own attractions and insights, seems counter-cultural today here in the US.

For Elul, we can see that trusting outside sources for fundamental questions in our lives, submitting to the wisdom of others, may be helpful.