Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Chayyei Sarah/0/en

Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Chayyei Sarah

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What to Look for in a Spouse

Much of Parashat Chayyei Sarah revolves around finding A Wife for Yitzchak. 

• What were Avraham's main criteria when choosing Yitzchak's spouse?  Was he looking for someone who was likely to share his beliefs, or someone who was of noble character?
• How would you weigh the relative values of each? Is it more important that a spouse's religious observance and beliefs match your own, or that s/he have good middot?
• If everyone was idolatrous at the time, why did Avraham have his servant travel all the way to Charan, rather than look for a wife closer to home? Was there something inherently troubling about the Canaanites, or was Avraham simply fearful of having local in-laws of a different religion?

Like Father, Like Son?

Often readers picture Avraham as an active trailblazer, and Yitzchak as but a passive shadow, whose main contribution is being a link in the chain. Is this an accurate depiction?

• What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of each character?
• What are the main points of similarity and difference between the two?
• Perhaps surprisingly, the stories of father and son are actually quite similar, and exploring the parallels helps a reader appreciate both the overlap between and the uniqueness of each leader.  See Avraham and Yitzchak for more.