Is life about the pleasure of being continuously plugged into G-d's light, or born out of the satisfaction of knowing that you're doing the right thing, or based on the legacy you leave behind? The answer is all three, all derived from Sarah’s life.

Being Plugged In

Charlie Harary gives a metaphor for understanding the Mesilat Yesharim’s notion of being continually attached to G-d’s light. He compares it to being plugged in, only plugged into the Source, G-d Himself. In such a state, every moment has completeness. It’s not about what you will achieve in the future but the connection of the moment. Such a connection enables the potential to deflect the daily spiritual challenges that come our way.

We see this continuity aspect in Sarah's life reflected in the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 60:16), which informs us that during Sarah’s lifetime, three miracles never ceased: a light continuously burned from Erev Shabbat to Erev Shabbat, her dough stayed fresh all week, and a divine cloud permanently hovered over the tent’s entrance.

In this way, when Rashi says all her years were for the good, it means every moment of every year. She embodied a continuous connection to G-d.

Deep Satisfaction

Reb Chaim Kanievsky understands the depiction of Sarah's years all as being good, in a more holistic fashion. Noting the difficulties she encountered, he said that the righteous see challenges as positive, gaining satisfaction from the fact that they are fulfilling their divine purpose.

This is reflected in the verse in Mishlei (19:23), "The fear of the LORD leads to life; he who has it rests satisfied, untouched by harm." Sarah's fear of G-d and her understanding that her challenges were an avenue to grow and come closer to G-d brought great satisfaction. Sarah lived by the axiom, Gam Zu L’Tova, to achieve a good life.

Legacy

To the Zohar (I:32a), the sum and substance of Sarah’s life related to her connection to Yitzchak. The first word of parsha Chayei Sarah is Vayehiyu, which numerically equals 37, the age of Yitzchak when Sarah died, as she heard the news of the Akeidah.

The emphasis on Yitzchak highlights Rav Soloveitchik’s notion of Mesorah, the importance of passing Jewish traditions from one generation to the next. Sarah dedicated her life to her only biological child being a G-d-fearing individual fit to faithfully transmit the Jewish traditions to the next generation.

This explains why Eliezer’s courting of Rivkah on behalf of Yitzchak seems to contain many superfluous pesukim. Because Yitzchak is a critical piece of the Mesorah, every detail is crucial.

Furthermore, regarding this, Rashi brings the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 60:8), "The conversation of the servants of the Patriarchs is more pleasing before God than the Torah [laws] of their descendants." Therefore, all these words in the Torah were critical, as they related to the Avot, who embodied unparalleled middot.

Therefore, Sarah never really passed, as she passed on the Mesorah.

This is in tune with the Gemara in Berakhot (18a) that says, “The righteous, even in their death, are called alive.”

The Lubavitcher Rebbe echoes the same idea when discussing the life of Sarah, quoting the Gemara, "Yaakov our father did not die... as long as his seed is alive, he is alive" (Taanit 5b).

We all live on by passing on the right chinuch to our children.

Conclusion

From the life of Sarah, we learn three aspects to living an eternal life. First, to be plugged into the Divine at every moment, and use that connection to deflect the daily tests, to gain satisfaction in following G-d’s will, and realize that we must bring up our children correctly, so that we can pass on the Mesorah to the next generation.