Living a truly good life

Rabbi Shmuel Bloch

Director of Programming at Arachim SA

Transitioning from children to adults, we base most of our major life decisions on one consideration: will my choices cause me to have a good life or not? We are constantly seeking and searching for the means to guarantee that we live a good life.

When we reflect deeply and contemplate life itself, we realise how precious life is and we understand that we do not want to look back thinking that our life was anything but good. We all appreciate and recognise that our goal of living a good life is possible and attainable. However, it requires toil and effort on our part to get there.

This week’s parsha discusses the death of Sarah and Avraham’s determined efforts to have her buried in Maaras Hamachpelah, the cave of Machpelah, in Chevron.

“Sarah’s lifetime was one hundred years, twenty years and seven years; the years of Sarah’s life” (Genesis chapter 23 verse1). Rashi (1040 – 1105) explains that the last phrase in the first verse “the years of Sarah’s life” is coming to teach us that all the years of Sarah’s life were good.

However, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin raises a very perplexing question: How are we to understand that Sarah’s life was good? Even a cursory reading of the book of Bereishis shows that Sarah’s life was filled with ordeals and difficulties!

She was childless for so many years. She experienced famine and exile. She was abducted by Pharaoh in Egypt and later by Avimelech. Despite all that happened to her, Rashi clearly states all of her years were equally good. How can we make sense of Rashi’s words?  

Rabbi Pliskin answers by quoting the great Chasidic Rebbe, Rabbi Zushia of Anipoli (18^th century) who explains that Sarah mastered the attribute of constantly saying “Gam Zu LeTovah” which translates in English as: “This too is for the good.”

This phrase is attributed to a sage in the Talmud, Nachum Ish Gamzu. Whatever circumstances befell him, he would recognise it as coming from Hashem and always see the good in it.

Nachum Ish Gamzu provided a model for us to follow to generate a perspective that everything in life happens for a reason and that Hashem only ever causes things to happen for our benefit.

It is critical to note that the phrase “this too is for the good”, does not explain why things happen or take the pain away in difficult circumstances. Rather, it is a tool to put events in their correct perspective and get on with the business of living life.

Sarah lived with the perspective that her difficulties will not define and shape her life. She overcame and surmounted them by seeing the good in every situation and seeing G-d’s care and love at every step of the way. Living with such clear vision she truly did have a good life.

Try say “Gam Zu Letovah” – “this too is for the good”, once a day and you too will come to realise how good your life really is.