TAKING THE INITIATIVE
In this week’s Parsha, Toldos, the Torah goes out of her way to point out the greatness of our mother Rivka. In referencing Rivka, the Torah identifies her as the daughter of Besuel from the region of Padan Aram and the sister of Lavan. All these details are redundant as we already know them from last week’s Parsha. The reason it is repeated is to teach us the great-ness of Rivka. In spite of her father, Besuel, who was known as a wicked person and in spite of her brother Lavan who was known as a sly dealer and in spite of the region of Padan Aram which was known as a place of much pagan practice, Rivka emerged a virtuous and righteous young lady. This is truly a great testament to Rivka.
The Parsha tells us further that Yitzchak and Rivka were childless for 20 years so they pleaded with HaKadosh baruch Hu to please grant them a child. The Torah states that both Yitzchak and Rivka davened to HaShem and He accepted the prayers of Yitzchak.
The implication of this verse is that HaShem’s response came in the merit of Yitzchak without Rivka’s prayers. Our Sages comment on this and teach us that Yitzchak prayers were more effective than Rivka’s because Yitzchak had his own merit and the merit of his father, Avraham, who was also a righteous person. Rivka, on the other hand, had only her own merits but not the merits of her father.
How difficult this explanation is! The Torah just pointed out in the previous verse the greatness of Rivka as being able to over-come the influence of her father, her brother and her re-gion in general? What challenges did Yitzchak have? He was raised in a beautiful home where the lessons of HaKadosh baruch Hu were part and parcel of Avraham’s home. His father was a great man, his mother a great woman and the environment was conducive to being righteous. If Yitzchak had been anything less than righteous it would have been a sin!
To address this, let us examine what makes a person righteous. Righteousness is defined by one’s relationship with HaKadosh baruch Hu.
Relationships are a very personal experience. It is a personal sentiment that one develops from within. Although our relationship to HaShem is expressed in the performance of His mitzvos, it is not the performance itself. Rather, it is the core drive behind the mitzvah. Relation-ships are not developed out of habit, fear or peer pressure. Quite to contrary, it must be initiated from within; on one’s own initiative. The depth of the relationship is dependent upon the degree of one’s initiative to create that relationship As one great poet wrote “Initiative is doing the right thing without being told”.
When the society and the community direct you to follow a given path, initiative is absent. When Rivka recognized the need to follow the path of HaShem she had no choice, she needed to take initiative. Yitzchak, on the other hand, had no need to take initiative to follow in HaShem’s path. It is given to him by his parents and by his environment. It is therefore a much greater accomplishment and a much greater demonstration of relationship on Yitzchak’s part.
We know that the strengths of our forefathers were bequeathed to their descendants. How fortunate we are to have such forebearers! Even if we already find ourselves in the frum crowd we all have the capacity to initiate our own personal relationship with HaKadosh baruch Hu.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind