From Womb to Tomb
Efrat, Israel – “And Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother. He married Rebecca, she became his wife, he loved her, and so Isaac was comforted after his mother” (Genesis 24:67).
The Biblical portion of Chayei Sarah features two main stories: the burial of Sarah (Chapter 23) and the search for a wife for Isaac (Chapter 24). What connects these stories? Furthermore, two of the Torah portions which deal with death - this portion and the portion describing the death of Jacob - have names which express "life": Chayei Sarah and Vayechi. Why is this?
The simplest explanation is that the motif which unites both parts of our portion is the ideal of chessed – lovingkindness. Our sages have taught that "care for the dead is the truest form of lovingkindness, since it is given without any expectation of repayment" (Rashi to Genesis 47:29), and Abraham spares neither effort nor funds to acquire a burial plot for his beloved wife. Chessed also plays a central role in the selection of a wife for Isaac - the heir to the covenantal patrimony: Eliezer, entrusted with this delicate mission by his master Abraham, stands by a well and stipulates that the young woman who draws water for him and also offers to draw water for his camels will be the one designated by God for Isaac (Genesis 24: 12-14). Hence it is chessed which must direct an individual from marriage to grave.
I believe there is an even deeper meaning which informs both stories, and which also requires, and expresses, chessed. The Midrash connects the name Rivkah (Rebecca/“rvkh”) with “hakever”(“hkvr” – literally, "the grave"), which is Rivkah spelled backwards. And if the reader finds the link between this name and that word a bit startling, I would remind you that throughout the Tractate Nidda, the word kever (grave) is used as a synonym for womb (rehem)! What is the connection between "grave" and "womb," which seem to relate to opposite life experiences?
As soon as the search for a wife for Isaac is concluded, the Bible records: "And Isaac brought her [Rebecca] into the tent of Sarah his mother, and so Isaac was comforted after his mother" (Gen. 24:67). Rashi cites a famous midrash, "'And he brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother,' and behold she became the image of Sarah his mother, that is to say she became Sarah his mother: for as long as Sarah was alive, a light remained burning from Sabbath eve to Sabbath eve, a blessing was to be found in the dough, and the Divine cloud remained attached over the tent; once Sarah died, all these ceased, and when Rebecca arrived, they all returned" (Bereishit Raba 60: 16).
The three "gifts" initially brought by Sarah and continued by Rebecca express the three commandments specifically directed to married women: the commandment to kindle the Sabbath lights (an illumination which speaks of familial peace), the commandment of challa (which the matriarchs extended to mean an "open house" of hospitality) and the commandment of nidda and mikve (which leads to family purity and stability). Each of these expresses the lovingkindness of giving of oneself to others, to one's family and to one's spouse. And of course the merging of the personalities of Sarah and Rebecca expresses the continuity of generations, the Jewish ideal of children maintaining the values and lifestyle of their forebears.
In a profound sense, the future is predicated upon the past; it is the "graves" of our ancestors which inspire the lives of their progeny, and grandchildren who bear the names and ideals of their forebears. Now we can understand why these Biblical portions which seem to be dealing with death are actually announcing continued life into a glorious future of redemption. God promised Abraham that through him all the families of the earth will be blessed (Gen. 12:3); however, the blessing will only be fulfilled through the progeny who have been influenced by his teachings and deeds.
As Abraham's tent was blessed through Sarah, Isaac's tent was blessed through Rebecca. And so Jacob/Israel summons his children to his deathbed so that he may reveal "what will befall them in the end of days" (Gen. 49:1). Although he doesn't specifically prophesy, he does bless and define his sons, each of whom is to develop into a tribe. He also singles out Judah, from whom the scepter of majesty shall not depart until the period of redemptive peace, when Israel will become the gathering place for all nations (Gen. 49:10). This is the meaning of our praise in the Amida prayer to the God "who performs acts of lovingkindness, the possessor of everything, who remembers the lovingkindness of the ancestors, and brings redemption to the children of their children for the sake of His Name with love."
Shabbat Shalom
