Act Your Age -- or Not

by Devora Gila Berkowitz

Parshat Chayei Sarah

How old are you?

According to tradition, Sarah was as innocent from sin at one hundred as she was at twenty. And her attractiveness at age twenty was equivalent to her pure beauty as a seven-year-old. (Rashi, Bereshit 23:1)

So, how old are you? Well, that depends. Chronological age? That's based on the calendar. Biological age is the condition of your physical health in terms of the cellular processes. How you actually feel -- that's psychological age.

To further complicate things, how about the idea that, created in G-d's image, we are all ages at once -- a composite package of past, present, and future. A bundle of kinetic and potential energies. It's the idea of the "inner child" that is always inside of us, or the wise old soul that we feel are growing into with each life experience.

So, how old are you? And in the end, does it really matter?

Top 3 Reasons Why Sarah Laughed

by Devora Gila Berkowitz

Parshat Vayeira

EXCERPT FROM DESERT NEWS, 2047

Mamre Plains -- Three men visited Avraham Avinu and Sarah Imeinu in the scorching heat of the afternoon yesterday. Some neighbors claim that the men are, in fact, angels in the form of humans sent to deliver an important message to the patriachal couple. The visitors claim that Sarah will become the world's oldest first-time mother next year at the record age of 99; her husband will be a ripe one-hundred. The men remain anonymous.

When asked about her reaction to the news, Ms. Imeinu commented, "I just had to laugh."

Why does Sarah laugh? There are two major opinions on this. Some say she doubted Hashem's ability to perform a miracle. Others, such as the Kotzker, suggest that her laughter was a joyful one.

I'd like to offer a third view. Let's suspend the idea of laughter as an aspect of capability; whether she was capable of bearing a child, or whether Hashem was capable of performing a miracle.

Let's instead focus on the prayers around the issue. Have you ever wished for something, then gave up on it, only to see it come true later on? Years of Sarah's praying for a child were perhaps followed by decades in which those prayers were humbly abandoned. Maybe the laughter is in response to those long-forgotten prayers finally being answered. It's a feeling that G-d acknowledges her. It's that moment of  "ah-hah, now I understand why I had to go through all of that suffering" -- a moment of connection between her original prayers and her acceptance of G-d's will for the years that she did not have children.

Try this exercise: Think of something you've prayed for that you're still waiting to see become a reality. Practice accepting that until now, it has been G-d's will to not bring that desire yet into the world. Understand that if you feel this yearning deep in your soul, it's G-d's desire too. Have emunah that G-d will manifest this desire in the right time.