Hayyei Sarah

HAYYEI SARAH

Readers Digest Version from looking down miles away:

Sara passes; Isaac has his servant look for a bride, Isaac marries Rebecca, and Guess what?  Abraham gets married again too; has more sons!  Abraham passes!

Let’s focus on the following and allow me to paraphrase:

24:15 -16

Isaac’s servant, Eliezer, ,aka as a matchmaker of sorts, the Shad-kahn, had not yet finished speaking when seeking a bride for his master, and behold  (Rebecca) appeared. She had been born to Betuel, the son of Milkah, the wife of Nachor, Abraham's brother.

This woman was very good looking, absolutely FINE - a virgin too- no man had known her.  Rebecca comes from very, very modest means, while Isaac, well – From a G-dly righteous and spiritually sound family!  Totally Opposite!

Eliezer makes the intro; Isaac invites her in, that is Rebecca inside the tent (home) that of his passed mother, Sarah……. They wed. The 1^st Official Jewish Wedding! Mazel Tov!

Let’s take a bird’s eye view and delve into this and look at a few parallels and a few modern day twists: 

1.    One perspective from author, Nafatali Silberberg, implies the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca is a metaphor for “our mission in life…..”   “We are all Eliezers, and our mission is to effect a ‘match’(Shidduch) even stranger than the one Eliezer indeed made.   She states, “ We are sent to bring together in holy matrimony the eminent groom, G-d, and the reluctant Bride, our mundane world….. “   No 2 greater opposites exist: G-d is the essence of selfishlessness and spirituality, while the world exudes egotism and….materialism. Yet we are expected to unite the 2 in unison and perfect harmony by living spiritually and G-dly lives and therefore revealing within the world, OUR WORLD, its truest nature – That of G-dly essence.   With each act and G-dly Mitzvahs, we as Humans perform and commit to, we have the power to infuse and meld together acts of spirituality OF true meaning!

We as humans are the perfect Yenta’s because we as Humans are the ‘fusion’ of opposites; A body, our body, that has desires and needs, AND……. A love for the teachings of G-d and his diviness.

How very beautiful that OUR history, OUR Judaism, OUR Torah, OUR people’s law, truly shows such parallels and lessons always!

This is honestly something WE all can learn from and absorb – This story, this piece of history, OUR Torah!   Opposites do indeed attract, my friends.

2.    This leads me to John Gray, famous author known for…..” Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus”    Any of us in a relationship, marriage, civil union, divorced, etc. understand this concept…..

OPPOSITES, like that of Isaac and Rebecca, do attract, and that Gray understands this and expresses himself well in his NOW very famous and worldwide read book printed in many languages!

“When a man can listen to woman's feelings without getting angry and frustrated, he gives her a wonderful gift.

He makes it safe for her to express herself.

The more she is able to express herself, the more she feels heard and understood, and the more she is able to give a man the loving trust,acceptance,appreciation,admiration,approval, and encouragement that he needs.”     Guys,  Shhhhh and calmly listen!  Girls, please speak slowly!

“Just as women are afraid of receiving, men are afraid of giving.”

Go home and try it with your most sincere emotions.  This is true sharing!

“A woman under stress is not immediately concerned with finding solutions to her problems but rather seeks relief by expressing herself and being understood.”  AND……  “To offer a man unsolicited advice is to presume that he doesn't know what to do or that he can't do it on his own.”   Again, listen carefully, learn from our partners carefully.  Show sincerity.

I just love this one and this honestly makes my marriage work and I do tell my wife, Hendel something like this daily:

“To love someone is to acknowledge the goodness of who they are. Through loving a person, we awaken their awareness of their own innate goodness. It is as though they cannot know how worthy they are until they look into the mirror of our love and see themselves.”………  She makes me a better ME, and I say daily, “I am a better man, because of what you give to Me.” and that is what I share; Are we a bit opposite? Uhh, uhhh, yep. 

As this Parsha shares, as well as authors, Gray and Silberberg, opposites do attract, and have understanding, and  the likes of  sincere patience.   Be it in a marriage, or OUR own relationship with G-d.

Friends, I sincerely ask all of you to take this Parsha and what I’ve shared to heart, absorb it, read it again, and again…..and see the parallels in your own lives and relationships with your loved one and that of your RELATIONSHIP with G-D!

Amen!