What constitutes a good life? Wouldn’t it be nice if we had the answer? A simple checklist to follow to live our very best life.   

This week’s Torah Portion, Chayei Sarah says that Sarah was one hundred years and twenty years and seven years old. The way that this verse was written gives us clues about Sarah’s life. In the first words, the Torah doesn’t say that Sarah was 127 years old; rather, it stresses one hundred years, and twenty years, and seven years. Why? Midrash teaches that when Sarah was 20, she was as innocent as a seven-year-old, and when she was 100, she was as beautiful as a twenty-year-old (Genesis Rabbah 58:1). Clue number one, Sarah is exceptional inside and out. Also in this verse, the phrase, “Sarah’s life” is repeated twice. Rashi teaches that it is repeated to indicate that they were all equally good (Rashi Genesis 23:1)-clue number two, Sarah made the most of each year of her life. 

What made Sarah’s life good? Was it her husband, her son, her friends, where she lived? The Torah doesn’t tell us, just that her years were good. A simple internet search for what makes for a good life narrows it down to five broad categories: material comfort, health, engagement in meaningful activities/work, loving relationships (with partners, family, and friends), and belonging to a community. 

Not a checklist, as happiness varies from person to person, but some general direction. While this can be difficult in practice, the goals are there. Our lives are richer, and our days can be better when we invest time and effort in our friends and family, our partners, our community, and ourselves.   

What are your five steps to living a good life? 

What relationships do you want to invest in this year?