Abraham's mourning and wailing were not unknown emotional expressions to me as a youngster. I understood them only too well, for death was no stranger in our home. In the Great War, my mother had lost two brothers, and mourning was not hidden behind stern visages. Although I was quite young at the time, I was not shielded from the family's tears, in contrast to the practice by many modern parents who believe that children should not be exposed to the trauma that dying so often brings with it. To be sure, there are youngsters who might indeed be traumatized by death, but the majority know a lot about it.
Death is an inevitable part of our life cycle, and no one is exempt from it.
We like to believe that the right pill or doctor will manage to stave it off and perhaps may do so for a long time, but sooner or later the Angel of Death arrives at our door. It is better to face that fact, and our Jewish mourning rites have been ingeniously arranged to help us come to terms with our losses. Our youngsters ought to be taught that the life God has granted us is limited, and, therefore, it should be filled with as much meaning as possible. What Abraham paid for this plot of land was far more than it was worth on the market, but to him the honor of his beloved Sarah was priceless. It has proven to be priceless until this very day.