If you’re like me, in the days leading up to Hurricane Sandy you didn’t take all of those ominous-sounding warnings too seriously. Just out of curiosity, I went to my local supermarket where I saw people stocking up on bottled water and non-perishable items like they were going out of style. I really couldn’t understand all of the hysteria; after all, the media often over-hypes these severe weather events in order to boost their ratings. But just to be on the safe side, I picked up a few extra D batteries (which I thought were overpriced) and a couple of bags of potato chips.

All too soon I came to realize that I would have been far better off to have heeded those warnings and behaved with more forethought. It became pitch black in the house by 7:00 p.m., save for the few rays of light emanating from our flashlights, and I was ready to call it a night by around 9:00. I began to feel like a member of the Ingalls family back in Little House on the Prairie, listening to the winds blow across the plains. While I was sitting in the dark, I had time to reflect and to consider where I’d gone wrong in my pre-Sandy preparations, or lack thereof. It basically boiled down to two points. First, I expected the power to only be out for a day or two at most. I never expected that we’d be without power for close to a week. (And we’re among the lucky ones. As of this writing some of my neighbors are still in the dark!) Second, I didn’t fully realize how difficult it would be to procure some of the most basic provisions in the aftermath of a hurricane. All of the items needed for the long haul may not be available when you want and need them most.

But I’ve learned my lesson. The next time a storm warning is issued by the National Weather Service, you can be sure that I’ll keep the old Boy Scout motto in mind: Be prepared!

I believe that this is a lesson not only in storm preparedness, but in getting the most out of life. In this week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah, the verse says (Genesis 24:1), “And Abraham was old, well on in years, and Hashem had blessed Abraham with everything.” In the original Hebrew text, the words “well on in years” appear as bah ba-yamim, which literally means “coming in (or with) days”. I once heard an interesting explanation of this: As Abraham came toward the end of his life, he was carrying with him valises and suitcases stuffed with “days” – the days of his life. And each of these days was filled to the brim with meaning, purpose and fulfillment, because Abraham was well aware that our time in this world is finite, and we have a limited amount of time to prepare ourselves for the eternal world-to-come by amassing as large an inventory and stockpile as possible of good deeds, Torah, and mitzvos before it’s too late. Our Sages have issued many warnings about the need to prepare ourselves ahead of time. For example, the Midrash teaches ( Koheles Rabbah 1:15), “This world is likened to dry land and the world-to-come to the ocean”. In other words, before embarking on a lengthy sea voyage, it would be wise to stock the ship with all of the necessary provisions because once it sets sail, it’ll be too late. If a person chooses to ignore these warnings, they’ll unfortunately realize the error of their ways only when they no longer have the opportunity to remedy the situation, kind of like the guy sitting in the dark during the power outage kicking himself for not stocking up on more bottled water and batteries while he had the chance.

So let’s learn well the lesson of both Abraham and Sandy: Maximize the opportunities you have to accumulate a wealth of the most precious commodities that life has to offer before the lights go out – forever.