Tuesday, Mar-Cheshvan 18, 5778 / November 7, 2017

The highlight of this week’s Parsha, Chayei Sarah, is the story of the marriage of Yitzchak (Isaac) and Rivkah (Rebecca). 

After Sarah's passing, Abraham sent his trusted servant Eliezer, to Abraham’s birthplace, to find a wife for Yitzchak. Abraham was 137 years old at that time. Yitzchak was 37.

Abraham commanded his servant,“go to my country and to my family and take a wife for my son, Yitzchak." 

Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, prayed that he should succeed in his mission to choose the right girl for Yitzchak. "Before he finished praying, Rivkah came out with her pitcher on her shoulder. And the servant ran to meet her and said, 'Give me a little water to drink from your pitcher'. And she said, 'Drink, my master', and she hastened and let down her pitcher upon her hand and gave him to drink. Then she said, 'Also for your camels I will draw until they have finished drinking' Eliezer presents her with gifts and went to speak to her parents. They agreed to let Rivkah go.

Then the Torah tells us, "And Yitzchak brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and he took Rivkah for his wife; and he loved her and Yitzchak was comforted for his mother."

Of our four matriarchs (Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, Leah), Rivkah was the only one about whom the Torah tells us that she was tested if she had the qualifications to become a matriarch of the Jewish people.  The test was not to see her level of intelligence but to prove her level of generosity and kindness. 

Q."And Yitzchak brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah… and Yitzchak was comforted for his mother." Why, only after bringing her into his mother’s tent, was he comforted after his mother?

A.Our sages tell us that while Sarah was alive, three miracles were experienced in her home regularly. 1) The Shabbat lights which Sarah lit each Friday, would burn from one Shabbat to the next.   2) There was a blessing in the dough (food).   3) A cloud always hung over her tent. When Sarah died, the three miracles stopped. When Rivkah came into the tent, all three miracles returned.  As a result, "Yitzchak was comforted for his mother."

These three things are significant to every Jewish home:  1) The cloud over the tent teaches us that the Jewish home must be shielded from outside destructive forces. 2) There must be continuous light - spirituality, holiness and peace in the home. 3) The food has to be a source of  "blessing" - having a kosher home and reciting the proper blessings before and after eating. The continuity of our Jewish heritage is primarily from the home.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY & SUCCESSFUL DAY