THE SATAN BEHIND US 

When the Greatest Test Comes After the Mitzvah — Parashat Chayei Sarah 

Have you ever done something you knew was right, only to find yourself regretting it when things didn’t turn out as expected? We all recognize the Yetzer Hara who tries to stop us from performing a mitzvah. But what about the Yetzer Hara who comes afterward, whispering that perhaps we made a mistake? Drawing on the remarkable teachings of the Netivot Shalom, the Ba’al HaTurim, and the Gemara, we explore the deeper meaning of our nightly prayer, “Vehaser Satan milefanenu ume’aharenu” — asking Hashem to remove the Satan from before us and from behind us. Why does the Torah emphasize Sarah’s 127 years, and what was the Satan really trying to accomplish by connecting her death to the Akedah? 

In this Sunday’s Breakfast & a Class, we discover that the greatest spiritual battles sometimes begin after the mitzvah is completed. The Yetzer Hara can attack through regret, convincing us that our sacrifices were mistakes, or through pride, persuading us that our accomplishments make us better than others. From Avraham’s response to Sarah’s passing to the Gemara’s warning about toheh al harishonot — regretting our earlier good deeds — we uncover a powerful lesson about faith,humility, and perseverance. And perhaps the most inspiring words in the entire parashah are simply “Vayakam Avraham” — Avraham got up. Despite his pain, he continued building the future. Because sometimes the greatest test is
not doing the right thing, but remaining faithful to it afterward.