Rashi in pasuk Bais asks, “Why is the parsha of the Akeida next to the parsha of Sarah’s death?” Rashi answers it is to tell us that when Sarah heard that Avraham was bringing their son as an offering and that he was going to slaughter Yitzchok - her soul departed from her body from the shock of such news.

The Velt asks the following question. We know that Sarah had perhaps greater prophetic skills than Avraham.  When Avraham was told to slaughter his son - not only did he not go into shock - he went so far as to hold the knife in his hand to fulfill the will of Hashem. Yet, Sarah, who was not even there, had no idea about such a request from Hashem and was only ‘told’ about it “afterwards,” goes into complete shock and dies from the news.  How is it possible that she wasn’t able to handle it? Avraham was able to deal with this, while Sarah wasn’t? What’s the hezber?

The K’sav Sofer offers a beautiful explanation:

Of course Sarah didn’t die from just hearing the news. Sarah understood what the ma’aseh of the Akeidah meant for all future generations. She understood that anyone in future generations   - even the simplest of Jews - who has the ability to be moser nefesh received their strength from the ma’aseh of the Akeida.  But, since she took absolutely no part in it, and at the same time, understood it so well, caused it be that her soul departed from her. It’s because she realized she wasn’t involved in the act!

In our times, when a Yid is moser nefesh - where is he getting this strength from? Where does a person get the ability to just completely give up his life for his religion? From the masiras nefesh that Avraham showed by the ma’aseh Akeida . It was then that he instituted into every single one of our neshomas this midah of mesiras nefesh. And since Sarah was not involved in such a historical moment - an act that would instill such gevurah into all future generations - her soul immediately left her body.

When a person starts an organization or forms a program, whether it’s for kids at risk or a tzedakah function of some sort, the correct response from a Yid should not be, “what is it about?” but rather one should proclaim, “HOW can I get involved?”

There is an amazing story that brings out this point. In the 1950’s, a group of American ba’al habatim came to Reb Aharon Kotler ZT“L and asked for his haskama on the commencement of a new program.  They wanted to implement the Amud Yomi as they felt that a daf a day was way beyond the capacity of American Jews. However, Reb Aharon’s firm rejection was accompanied with the following explanation.

Reb Aharon was privileged to be at the Kinesia Gedolah in Vienna where Reb Meir Shapiro ZT“L proposed the Daf Yomi program that would serve as the daily torah obligation to many Jews across the globe. Reb Aharon had the zechus of standing next to the Chofetz Chaim at that time and as Reb Meir finished his proposal he heard the Chofetz Chaim mumble, “Yisroel Meir, where have you been all this time?”

Here you have a man that has written seforim on Loshon Hora, Kodshim (for the kohanim to know what to do when Moshiach comes), seforim for the Russians who were in the army, etc…. a man who was close to 90 years old, who had devoted ALL his time, energy and work for klal yisroel, that asked himself “Yisroel Meir, where were you all these years?”  That’s how a Yid thinks.

“How can I get involved?”

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