Hear us, my lord (Gen. 23:6)
As a token of their respect, the sons of Chet addressed Abraham as "my lord." Abraham, however, refused to reciprocate, even in his business dealings. Abraham, the first Jew, reserved the term solely for G-d, despite social convention. (Rabbi Yosef Horowitz)
And the servant ran to meet her (Gen. 24:17)
According to the commentator Rashi, it was only when Eliezer saw the well water miraculously rising toward Rebecca that he decided she would make the perfect wife for Isaac. Yet only the water Rebecca drew for her own use rose up by itself; the water she drew for Eliezer and his camels had to be brought up by hand. We learn from this that although G-d may perform miracles to assist a righteous person, when it comes to doing mitzvot, it is preferable to perform them oneself in a natural manner and not to rely on miracles. (Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev)
And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac, but to the sons of the concubines...he gave gifts (Gen. 25:5-6)
Isaac is symbolic of holiness and the spiritual realm; the "sons of the concubines" stand for the physical and corporeal world. The Torah teaches that we must give "all" of ourselves - the lion's share of our time, energy and talents - to spiritual matters. Worldly matters, however, can be placated with "gifts." (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites (Gen. 24:3)
Although Abraham's relatives were idol worshippers like the Canaanites, they were not similarly degenerate in the moral sense, a trait passed on from generation to generation. Abraham's family may have held false religious beliefs, but mistaken ideas are not hereditary. (Avnei Ezer)
Then Abraham expired, and died in a good old age (Gen. 25:8)
On the day that Abraham passed away, the greatest of the nations cried, "Woe to the world that has lost its leader; woe to the ship that has lost its captain." (Talmud, Baba Batra)
Among all of his [Ishmael's] brethren he settled (lit. "fell") (Gen. 25:18)
With these words the Torah portion of Chayei Sarah concludes, to be followed immediately by, "And these are the generations of Isaac, the son of Abraham," the beginning of the Torah portion of Toldot. This alludes to the ultimate fall of Ishmael in the End of Days and the subsequent triumph of Moshiach, the son of David, who is descended from Isaac. (Baal HaTurim)
Reprinted from the Chayei Sar 5763/2002 edition of L’Chaim.
