Chayei Sarah | Gen 23 | Part One

Chayei Sarah | Gen 23 | Part One

Chayei Sarah, (חַיֵּי שָׂרָה — Hebrew for “life of Sarah,” the first words in the parashah) is the fifth weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes Genesis 23:1–25:18. The parashah is made up of 5,314 Hebrew letters, 1,402 Hebrew words, and 105 verses, and can occupy about 171 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah). We read it on the fifth Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in November. The parashah tells the stories of Abraham’s negotiations to secure a burial place for his wife Sarah and his servant’s mission to secure a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac.