Chayye Sarah
Genesis 23:1-25:18
Précis: The parasha begins with the counting of the life of Sarah (Chayye Sarah), and with her death. It continues with a detailed description of the purchase of the cave of Machpela by Abraham for a family burial site. Abraham orders his servant to go to Abraham’s ancestral home to obtain a wife for Isaac, and after a series of fulfilled signs, the servant finds Rebecca. Rebecca returns with the servant; she and Isaac meet, fall in love at first sight, and become man and wife. The parasha ends with the death of Abraham, and his burial by Isaac and Ishmael in the family burial cave.
Gen. 24:63-67 “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the afternoon and he raised up his eyes, and saw that camels were coming. And Rebecca lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she got off the camel. She said to the servant, ‘What man is this that walks in the field to meet us?’ And the servant said, ‘It is my master;’ then she took a veil, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebecca, and she became his wife; and he loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.”
Do you remember the first time you glimpsed the love of your life? (I do, and it was not long after that I knew that she was the “one” for me. Happily, that moment occurred almost 43 years ago.)
For those who think that our Torah text’s comments on romance are limited to the Song of Songs, we read this week of a remarkable story of love, between Rebecca and Isaac. Rebecca has been “found” by Abraham’s servant, and brought a distance to meet her intended. As the long (and probably uncomfortable) journey comes to an end, she spots Isaac, strolling through a field, and he notices the arrival of a caravan. Rebecca "looked up; seeing Isaac, she got off the camel" (24:64). The translation “got off” may in fact be more accurately translated as “fell off, “meaning she was physically “falling" for Isaac.
She then asks the servant the man’s identity, asking who “this” man is. The Hebrew word used here for “this” (halazeh) is unusual. Because the text uses the same word to identify Joseph, who is described as handsome and fair of form, Midrash suggest that Rebecca felt Isaac to be a man of unusual good looks (Bereshit Rabbah 60:15). Learning that it is indeed Isaac, she covers herself in a veil, perhaps out of modesty or perhaps as a precursor to modern marriage ceremonies. The servant relays to Isaac “all that had transpired” in efforts to gain him a wife; Isaac takes her to his mother’s tent, where she comforts him; the text tells us “he loved her” (24:67), which is the first use of the word between a man and a woman in our Bible. As readers of “what happens next” we know that there would be strife and struggle between the two; years of barrenness, troublesome twins, and separation from their son Jacob for decades.
But there must have been something special to their love: unlike Abraham his father and Jacob his son, Isaac stayed with a single wife throughout his life.
In contrast to most of my weekly comments, this one is not intended to suggest ways in which a communal professional can work better, how we can connect more closely with the Divine, or how we might act better to our friend and families. The message here is simple: if you are blessed to find true love, cherish it.
Genesis 23:1-25:18
Précis: The parasha begins with the counting of the life of Sarah (Chayye Sarah), and with her death. It continues with a detailed description of the purchase of the cave of Machpela by Abraham for a family burial site. Abraham orders his servant to go to Abraham’s ancestral home to obtain a wife for Isaac, and after a series of fulfilled signs, the servant finds Rebecca. Rebecca returns with the servant; she and Isaac meet, fall in love at first sight, and become man and wife. The parasha ends with the death of Abraham, and his burial by Isaac and Ishmael in the family burial cave.
Gen. 24:63-67 “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the afternoon and he raised up his eyes, and saw that camels were coming. And Rebecca lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she got off the camel. She said to the servant, ‘What man is this that walks in the field to meet us?’ And the servant said, ‘It is my master;’ then she took a veil, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebecca, and she became his wife; and he loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.”
Do you remember the first time you glimpsed the love of your life? (I do, and it was not long after that I knew that she was the “one” for me. Happily, that moment occurred almost 43 years ago.)
For those who think that our Torah text’s comments on romance are limited to the Song of Songs, we read this week of a remarkable story of love, between Rebecca and Isaac. Rebecca has been “found” by Abraham’s servant, and brought a distance to meet her intended. As the long (and probably uncomfortable) journey comes to an end, she spots Isaac, strolling through a field, and he notices the arrival of a caravan. Rebecca "looked up; seeing Isaac, she got off the camel" (24:64). The translation “got off” may in fact be more accurately translated as “fell off, “meaning she was physically “falling" for Isaac.
She then asks the servant the man’s identity, asking who “this” man is. The Hebrew word used here for “this” (halazeh) is unusual. Because the text uses the same word to identify Joseph, who is described as handsome and fair of form, Midrash suggest that Rebecca felt Isaac to be a man of unusual good looks (Bereshit Rabbah 60:15). Learning that it is indeed Isaac, she covers herself in a veil, perhaps out of modesty or perhaps as a precursor to modern marriage ceremonies. The servant relays to Isaac “all that had transpired” in efforts to gain him a wife; Isaac takes her to his mother’s tent, where she comforts him; the text tells us “he loved her” (24:67), which is the first use of the word between a man and a woman in our Bible. As readers of “what happens next” we know that there would be strife and struggle between the two; years of barrenness, troublesome twins, and separation from their son Jacob for decades.
But there must have been something special to their love: unlike Abraham his father and Jacob his son, Isaac stayed with a single wife throughout his life.
In contrast to most of my weekly comments, this one is not intended to suggest ways in which a communal professional can work better, how we can connect more closely with the Divine, or how we might act better to our friend and families. The message here is simple: if you are blessed to find true love, cherish it.
