This week’s torah portion, Chayei Sarah, directly follows the episode of the “Akeida”, where God orders Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. Throughout the centuries, there have been countless studies devoted to the incomprehensible dedication shown by Abraham in his willingness to follow through on God’s command. We’re astonished that Abraham could put aside the compassion he obviously felt for his son and resignedly carry out the dreadful task he had been dealt.We’re never told what Abraham’s wife, Sarah, knew of his plan that day. But if she had even an inkling of Abraham’s intentions…well, as a fellow mother, I can intuitively imagine the storm of anxiety and despair that would have been raging in her breaking heart. This boy, Isaac—for whom Sarah had prayed; whom Sarah had carried for nine months; whom all of Sarah’s hopes and dreams were bound up in—was in grave danger, and there was nothing his mother could do to protect him. Considering the heart-stopping anxiety Abraham and his family must have endured through this ordeal, it perhaps comes as little surprise when we learn, at the start of this week's subsequent torah passage, that Sarah has passed…Each week, a member of the clergy offers their personal perspective on a topic of their choice, such as the week's Torah portion, a Jewish holiday, ritual, custom, or history.