In this week's Parsha we read about the pregnancy of Rivka Immeinu. We read how she was so uncomfortable with the conflicted energies within her womb, that she went to enquire about this of Hashem. Rashi explains that she went to the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever, which is where one would go to enquire of Hashem. Rashi also tells us that at the yeshiva it was Shem who received an answer for Rivka via ruach hakodesh and communicated it to her. The answer that Rivka received was that within her womb were the beginnings of two great nations, that would have separate priorities and separate destinies and that eventually the older would serve the younger.
Chassidus views the reality of the two "nations" within Rivka as related to the two forces within each person, the Yakov aspect which suggests a desire to be centered and committed to G-dliness and giving and the Esav aspect, an opposing inclination towards selfishness and immediate gratification in the physical world.
Rivkas as we learnt last week is connected to the "eye" of the well, which means she sees reality in a dualistic fashion, she sees clearly what is in the here and now, but she is also able to see beyond the now to the future, and to see beyond the details of the immediate to see the bigger picture. When Eliezer found Rivka at the well, our sages tell us he was not only looking for her kindness, but he was looking for a quality within Rivka's worldview that was represented within her "eye". Eliezer was looking for the girl who had the right kind of vision.
Rivka carries the message of the prophesy she hears from Shem about her two sons for 60 years. When Yitzchak is ready to give his blessing, she realizes that she needs to become proactive to manifest that prophecy.
Yitzchak is aware that Esav has some of the qualities of a true first born, but what Rivka understands is that when he sold his birthright to Yakov, he revealed his true essence, which showed him not to be a vessel for the blessing. He was only connected to the moment and Rivka knew the blessing has power for all of eternity.
Reb Shlomo explains that the blessing from Yitzchak would be a blessing that would full the recipient with enough holiness to enable their descendants to "mamesh make it to the end" with faith and trust intact!
On the basis of that blessing the descendants of Yakov sit and learn Torah in Jerusalem today, on the basis of that blessing, the descendants of Yakov witness horrible and brutal murders in Jerusalem and stay committed and faithful to G-d's path and on the basis of that blessing we are able to see beyond the realities of today to a visualize and believe in a picture of peace and resolution for tomorrow.
Rivka was told that the elder, the first born, (the physically focused, worldly, self interested and crafty) will serve the younger, (the Torah serving, ultruistic G-d fearing )Yakov. We need to look with the eyes of Rivka to see the reality of today, and not be blind to what is happening, but at the same time, to be able to keep the vision of redemption alive, when the nations of the world will empower us to serve Hashem, when we will truly integrate our own physicality and creative strength and power to serve only good and when we will be able to embrace and channel our own shadow selves to truly be in healthy emotional states of joy and gratitude constantly....
As we beg and plead for Moshiach we need to remember that there were sages at various times in our history who resisted the idea of Moshiach coming because they feared that with the enormous energy shifts that would occur, there would be much bloodshed and suffering. For years the idea of the coming of Moshiach was always identified with the war of Gog and Magog and not a popular idea at all, but the Rebbe refocused our attention. Holding on to that fear is not an authentic Jewish path and will hold the world back from reaching its ultimate potential. The Rebbe pleaded with us (and can I say demanded of us?) that we should be very focused on doing everything we can to bring Moshiach, and to focus on all the good that the era of Moshiach will reveal to us, with the ultimate revelation of a world that is all good, but is it possible to birth a baby since the "aveirah" of Chava in Gan Eden without the pain of contractions?
Rivka worked hard that Yakov should get the blessing for "the end" from Yitzchak, and she was successful, because of that, we have made it thus far, and we need to hold on just a little bit longer, because the night is almost over, and dawn is breaking over the horizon, but we need to hold fast to our faith and our strength... we are mamesh so close to the end....
May the memory of
Rabbi Moshe Twersky hy"d
Rabbi Kalman Levine hy"d
Rabbi Areyeh Kupinsky hy"d
Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg hy"d
be for blessing and may their neshamos have continuous aliyot..
and may the following have a refuah shelaimah
Shmuel Yeruchem ben Baila
Chaim Yechiel ben Malka
Eitan ben Sara
Yitzchak ben Chaya
Moshe ben Atara
remembering with gratitude:
Zidon Nahad Sief
With thanks to Shlomo Katz for giving over so beautifully the Torah teachings of Reb Shlomo Carlebach which served as inspiration for this piece.
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