"Abraham rose up from the presence of his dead" (Genesis 23:3).
The Radomsker Rebbe understood this passage according to a teaching by Rabbi Eliezer cited in the Talmud (Shabbat 153a). He would always say we should do teshuvah (return to G-d) one day before we die.
His students were puzzled and asked: We don't know when we're going to die!? He said: Exactly! Therefore, engage in teshuvah today because you never know what your last day will be. Now, you'll dedicate your entire life to improving and getting close to Hashem!
So, Rabbi Yechezkel of Radomsk said that Abraham's ability to "rise up", all his spiritual progress, was due to his always being conscious that each day might be his last. The presence of his death was always before him.
By Rabbi Michael Skobac
Rabbi Michael Skobac had been involved with Jews for Judaism (Canada) since 1989 and currently serves as its Director of Education and Counselling. He is a leading authority on missionaries, cults and issues relating to Jewish continuity and Jewish spirituality. Rabbi Skobac's publications include Missionary Impossible; Counter-Missionary Survival Guide; The DaVinci Code: A Jewish Perspetive; and Intermarriage: Is There Ligth at teh End of the Tunnel?
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Republished by Angelique Sijbolts with permission for the Noahide Academy.