When my husband and I were dating, we often joked about certain parts of
our personalities that made us different. I was the “Capricorn” (Hebrew month
of Tevet) to his “Cancer” (Hebrew month of Tammuz), which we most often saw
defined as head-over-heart and heart-over-head. In many ways we were an
excellent case of “opposites attract.” Similarly - sort of - the courtship
story of Isaac and Rebecca, which begins in this week’s parsha and continues
next week, is about a Divine pairing of opposites. It is also a narrative from
which our current society can learn a beautiful and important lesson.
Of the three patriarchs, Isaac is the one about whom there is the least text in
the Torah. He is a man of steadiness. Unlike Abraham, his father, and Jacob,
his son, Isaac made no grand journeys. The furthest he travelled was to Gerar,
a city where his parents had already made an impact. Isaac was the son of a man
known for his acts of chesed, loving-kindness, and a woman renowned for her
wisdom and modesty. His persona is of an introvert, focused on preserving his
father’s legacy. Holding onto a traditional path, he wanted to pass what he had
on to his eldest son. Isaac is considered in Judaic texts to be the embodiment
of the middah of gevurah, inner strength.
Rebecca, on the other hand, is a woman of movement and change. The daughter of
an avaricious con man (according to the Midrash), she did not let her family’s
corruption hold her back. Nor did traditions constrain her. When a man
(Eliezer) spoke to her at the well, she immediately responded, provided him
with water, and brought water for his camels. She doesn’t hesitate to follow
Eliezer to marry a man she’s never met. When her twins fight within her, she
demands an answer why, and when she sees a need to correct the path of events
(who should receive the blessing) she takes action to correct it.
It seems that Isaac is head-over-heart and Rebecca is heart-over-head. This is
significant because their union brought about the creation of Jacob, who is
known as the embodiment of tiferet, splendor - a blending of gevurah and chesed
that leads to emes, truth.
After the terrible tragedy in Pittsburgh this past week, there was a tidal wave
of finger-pointing articles. Perhaps in the wonderful union of Isaac and
Rebecca we can learn a lesson that will bring people together. From the
bringing together of Isaac, a conservative, and Rebecca, a liberal, the
splendor of truth could be born, and from the man of truth came the Jewish
nation, whose purpose is to be a holy nation and light unto the world.
In the wake of tragedy - may our people have no more - let us be inspired by
Isaac and Rebecca and come together as the family that we truly are.
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