This week’s Torah portion is Chaye Sarah, which means the life of Sarah. Sarah has died at 127 years of age; and Abraham purchases a plot of land for her burial, large enough to be a burial estate for his family. It is a deed of sale embedded in the Torah. He then prepares to send his servant, Eliezer, to his family in Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac.
The servant asks if Isaac may come along on the journey, but Abraham will not permit it. Abraham says that God of Heaven and Earth will send an angel to make his errand successful. As he approaches his destination, the servant prays, “God, God of my master Abraham, may you so arrange it for me this day that you do kindness and Truth with my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water and the daughters of the townsmen come out to draw water. Let it be that the maiden to whom I shall say, Tip over your jug so I may drink and who replies drink and I will even water your camels, her will you have designated for your servant, for Isaac, and may I know through her that you have done kindness with my master. (Gen 24:13-14)”
The Torah reports that he had not yet finished his prayer, when Rebecca came out and offered to give him water, and to water the camels too. The text says, “The man was astonished at her. (24:21)” Eliezer finds out that she is Abraham’s relative and when he asks about lodging, she extends her family’s hospitality to him. Why should he be astonished? Perhaps it is because of the speed with which these events occurred. Also, perhaps it is because we are not used to having our prayers answered. The Talmud speaks about one reason the prayer was answered: because Eliezer was not praying on his own behalf.
There are several instances of this in the Torah. We read, “And Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants” (Gen. 20:17), and immediately after it says: “And God remembered Sarah as God had said,” [i.e.] The Talmud remarks: “as Abraham had [prayed and] said regarding Abimelech.”(Baba Kama 92a); another instance is the prayer of Moses about Miriam, when he cries out to God, “Please God heal her now!” (Num. 12:13), and she was healed at that moment. For Eliezer, when his prayer was immediately answered, it must have been a kind of spontaneous conversion. It’s not often that we have a shattering, peak spiritual experience in our everyday lives; an experience which is such a meaningful coincidence that it convinces us that the Divine Presence reached across the divide which separates Heaven and Earth, into our very lives. We don’t expect to encounter God in the everyday. Perhaps this is what Abraham meant by, “God of Heaven and God of Earth” (Gen. 24:3): that the Divine Presence encounters us at unexpected moments.
We don’t often believe our own experiences. If we did, we would not have had to wander 40 years in the wilderness after having seen the 10 Plagues, the parting of the sea, the giving of the 10 Commandments, the manna, and the pillar of cloud leading us each day. We would have trusted in God’s care and protection. We often attribute God in the mundane to mere coincidence. When the Torah says that Eliezer prayed that God do kindness and truth with his master, this is to say that when things go our way, we experience kindness. When we recognize Divine help, this is truth. It’s real. Another person may not recognize it from the outside, but we know it inwardly.
Does God answer prayer? Sometimes, and not always in the form we have asked for. Does God hear prayer? I’m convinced that the answer is yes, always. We should remember that is up to us to make the contact, through prayer, intentionally keeping the awareness of the Divine Essence in our consciousness, and through developing our relationship to the Divine. Out of our closeness can come the reaching from the Divine realm into the mundane, into our human affairs. As King David witnessed and wrote, God is there to all who call, to all who call upon God in truth” (Psalm 145:18). May our prayers, our calling out to God, allow us to experience the reaching out from shamayim, from the heavenly realm, into our lives for goodness and for blessing.
Showing posts with label Chaye Sarah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chaye Sarah. Show all posts
Friday, January 16, 2015
Friday, November 1, 2013
The God in Us
This week’s Torah portion is Chaye Sarah, which means the life of Sarah. It tells of Sarah’s death and of Abraham purchasing a cave and field in Hebron, the Cave of Machpeleh, for her burial and the burial of his family. It’s still there, a holy site, where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah are buried. Then Abraham sends his servant, Eliezer, back to his family in Mesopotamia, to find a wife for Isaac. It’s a beautiful story: Abraham does not want Isaac to marry any of the local Canaanite idol-worshippers. He needs to ensure that there will be grandchildren to inherit the land, and that his household and grandchildren remain monotheists. Eliezer envisions problems in the errand, such as: should he bring Isaac along? What if the young woman won’t come back with him? Abraham assures him that God’s angel will go with him and make the task successful. And this is just what happens – the events unfold miraculously.
Eliezer approaches a spring near Haran in the evening. As he arrives, he prays to God, “Adonai, God of my master Abraham, may you so arrange it for me this day and do kindness with my master Abraham. See, I stand here by the spring of water and the daughters of the townsmen come out to draw water. Let it be that the maiden to whom I shall say, please tip your jug so I may drink and who replies, drink, and I will even water your camels, her will you have chosen for our servant, for Isaac, and may I know through her that you have done kindness with my master.” The Torah then immediately says, “ And it was when he had not yet finished speaking that suddenly Rebecca, who had been born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife if Nachor, brother of Abraham, was coming out with her jug upon her shoulder.” A few paragraphs later, the story is retold and the servant says, “I had not yet finished speaking to my heart when Rebecca came out with her jug on her shoulder.” The Torah also says the Eliezer was “astonished.” It was not just that his prayer came true, for it all happened just as he had requested God that it would happen, but that it happened with such great speed, before he even finished saying the words inwardly to himself.
That God hears our thoughts and prayers and knows what is in our hearts, we could call the Us in God. The Creator is not other that we, but we are within the Eternal, which allows God to know us: our thoughts, feelings, and actions. But what allows us to contact the goodness and blessings of God, so that they can come to us, as they came to Abraham and Eliezer? Perhaps it concerns us being in consonance with God’s wishes. God wanted Abraham’s descendants to inherit the land. God also wanted those descendants to be monotheists, so Abraham was took steps to further these results. Eliezer wanted to do his very best for Abraham and Isaac, to serve and to help. Rebecca wanted to be kind and to give generously of herself, by carrying water to a stranger. These three people performed acts of goodness, helping to further God’s plan. Thus, they were able to contact what we might call the God in Us, that goodness and generosity, that willingness to serve and help, that allows blessings to flow in the Universe. Miracles happen when we are aligned with God’s purpose. The Eternal is leading us to greater compassion and Oneness. When we express the essence of Holiness, through words, deeds, even intentions, we draw the attention of the Us in God, which allows us to experience the God in Us, leading to everyday miracles in our lives.
Aligning ourselves with goodness and generosity is not always easy, but knowing it is possible, knowing that we are expected to walk in that direction can help us choose the right way to go. May we all open our minds to the possibility of the God in Us, so that the Us in God feels real to us and becomes a tangible presence in our lives. May we be guided by the Holy One, our Divine parent and teacher, so that we walk, as Abraham, Eliezer, and Rebecca did, easily, joyously, and without impediment, within the mind of Divinity.
Eliezer approaches a spring near Haran in the evening. As he arrives, he prays to God, “Adonai, God of my master Abraham, may you so arrange it for me this day and do kindness with my master Abraham. See, I stand here by the spring of water and the daughters of the townsmen come out to draw water. Let it be that the maiden to whom I shall say, please tip your jug so I may drink and who replies, drink, and I will even water your camels, her will you have chosen for our servant, for Isaac, and may I know through her that you have done kindness with my master.” The Torah then immediately says, “ And it was when he had not yet finished speaking that suddenly Rebecca, who had been born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife if Nachor, brother of Abraham, was coming out with her jug upon her shoulder.” A few paragraphs later, the story is retold and the servant says, “I had not yet finished speaking to my heart when Rebecca came out with her jug on her shoulder.” The Torah also says the Eliezer was “astonished.” It was not just that his prayer came true, for it all happened just as he had requested God that it would happen, but that it happened with such great speed, before he even finished saying the words inwardly to himself.
That God hears our thoughts and prayers and knows what is in our hearts, we could call the Us in God. The Creator is not other that we, but we are within the Eternal, which allows God to know us: our thoughts, feelings, and actions. But what allows us to contact the goodness and blessings of God, so that they can come to us, as they came to Abraham and Eliezer? Perhaps it concerns us being in consonance with God’s wishes. God wanted Abraham’s descendants to inherit the land. God also wanted those descendants to be monotheists, so Abraham was took steps to further these results. Eliezer wanted to do his very best for Abraham and Isaac, to serve and to help. Rebecca wanted to be kind and to give generously of herself, by carrying water to a stranger. These three people performed acts of goodness, helping to further God’s plan. Thus, they were able to contact what we might call the God in Us, that goodness and generosity, that willingness to serve and help, that allows blessings to flow in the Universe. Miracles happen when we are aligned with God’s purpose. The Eternal is leading us to greater compassion and Oneness. When we express the essence of Holiness, through words, deeds, even intentions, we draw the attention of the Us in God, which allows us to experience the God in Us, leading to everyday miracles in our lives.
Aligning ourselves with goodness and generosity is not always easy, but knowing it is possible, knowing that we are expected to walk in that direction can help us choose the right way to go. May we all open our minds to the possibility of the God in Us, so that the Us in God feels real to us and becomes a tangible presence in our lives. May we be guided by the Holy One, our Divine parent and teacher, so that we walk, as Abraham, Eliezer, and Rebecca did, easily, joyously, and without impediment, within the mind of Divinity.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Chaye Sara: The Life of Rebecca
This week’s Torah portion, Caye Sara, the life of Sara, is named after our first matriarch; but really centers on the life of Rebecca, Rivka, the second matriarch. Sara dies and Abraham buys the Cave of Machpeleh in order to bury Sara. Then Abraham sends his head servant back to his family in Mesopotamia to select a wife for Isaac. The servant, Eliezer, prays to God that, when he asks a maiden for a drink, the girl who says to him, Drink and I will even draw water for your camels, will be the one who has been Divinely chosen to the be the right bride for Isaac. He is not even finished praying this prayer to God when Rebecca appears and says those exact words. The servant is amazed, caught in a coincidence that he knows is supernatural.
Last week I spoke about Abraham’s kindness and willingness to give, and how the giving and receiving of love is the model for all receiving and giving in the Universe. Abraham’s kindness was demonstrated again and again by his actions. Here we see in Rebecca the same qualities. There is very little in the Rabbinic commentary about Rebecca. I always felt a little embarrassed about Rebecca. One of the few complimentary things I found about her is from the Zohar (I:50a), which says,“For when a man is at home, the foundation of his house is the wife, for it is on account of her that the Shekinah departs not from the house. So our teachers have understood the verse, “and he brought her to the tent of his mother Sarah” (Gen. 24: 67), to indicate that with Rebecca the Shekinah came to Isaac's house.” Perhaps my talk tonight might be titled, A Tribute to Rebecca. Her actions show that she was young and energetic; kind and generous. The text says three times that, like Abraham, she hurried to help. She ran to the spring and kept running to draw water until all the camels had enough to drink. The servant gives her gifts and inquires whether he and his entourage may spend the night. She answers that there is room and plentiful feed for the camels at home. Like Abraham, she is one who offers hospitality. Eliezer has arrived to find almost a second Abraham. The similarities do not stop there. Eliezer asks her family for Rebecca’s hand in marriage for Isaac. They agree. The next morning Eliezer asks to leave with Rebecca and her family asks him to remain ten months to a year. But Eliezer wants to leave immediately. Thank God for the history of women that Rebecca’s family asks her permission before they send her off. They ask, “Will you go with this man?” She says, without any hesitation, “I will go.” This parallel’s Abraham’s leaving his homeland when he received God’s call, without any indecision or questioning. Their ability to seize opportunity, resulted for both of them, in their receiving undreamed of spiritual and material gifts. Rebecca’s plucky optimism, trust, adventurous nature, and her willingness to say “Yes” to life, betting on a happy future; shows that she is Abraham’s spiritual heir, as well as his biological heir. She is, in fact, his Grand-niece.
It is Rebecca who, in next week’s portion, inquires of God about the twins jostling inside her and receives a response, making her a prophetess. It is also Rebecca who is the cause of Jacob’s stealing the blessing, taking the responsibility upon herself, but thereby insuring the spiritual legacy and continuation of Judaism. Perhaps she used the only weapons a woman had in that society, not direct confrontation, but indirect, yet decisive, action. And speaking of action, like Abraham, who went to rescue Lot, Rebecca rescues Jacob twice. She takes the blame upon herself, instructing him to lie to his Father. Then, by subsequently sending Jacob off to find a wife with her family in Mesopotamia, she further insures his survival and the continuation of their line. Sending him to her family resulted in Jacob’s 12 sons becoming the 12 tribes of Israel. Not that lying and deceiving are to be condoned. Quite the contrary: but we should remember that Abraham did it too. We are told he lied twice. Perhaps it’s a case of us giving God lemons and God making lemonade, for these actions all resulted in mostly positive outcomes.
Rebecca is our first convert: like Abraham, a person of courage and generosity, kindness, action, optimism and faith. She was wise in her choices and visionary in her actions. Perhaps we should speak about Abraham, Rebecca, and Jacob when we mention our Patriarchs, for she deserves our admiration and gratitude, not only for our continuation but also for the quality of our spiritual legacy. Rabbi Nachman of Breslau famously said, “A person walks in life on a very narrow bridge. The most important thing is not to be afraid.” And Rabbi Gelberman’s book Spiritual Truths says this too: “When we expect good we are sensitive to all its signposts. We do not miss the boat!” Rebecca’s fearlessness as she looked into the face of the unknown, her willingness to help, her taking a stand for what she knew was right, no matter the consequences, her strength, and her faith in God, make her someone we can look up to. May an appreciation of her life help us to let go of the fears that keep us from finding and experiencing our own blessings. May we confront life as she did, having faith in the goodness of life, with optimism for the future; and giving of ourselves, that we may be a blessing to others and receive all the good that is surely coming to us.
Last week I spoke about Abraham’s kindness and willingness to give, and how the giving and receiving of love is the model for all receiving and giving in the Universe. Abraham’s kindness was demonstrated again and again by his actions. Here we see in Rebecca the same qualities. There is very little in the Rabbinic commentary about Rebecca. I always felt a little embarrassed about Rebecca. One of the few complimentary things I found about her is from the Zohar (I:50a), which says,“For when a man is at home, the foundation of his house is the wife, for it is on account of her that the Shekinah departs not from the house. So our teachers have understood the verse, “and he brought her to the tent of his mother Sarah” (Gen. 24: 67), to indicate that with Rebecca the Shekinah came to Isaac's house.” Perhaps my talk tonight might be titled, A Tribute to Rebecca. Her actions show that she was young and energetic; kind and generous. The text says three times that, like Abraham, she hurried to help. She ran to the spring and kept running to draw water until all the camels had enough to drink. The servant gives her gifts and inquires whether he and his entourage may spend the night. She answers that there is room and plentiful feed for the camels at home. Like Abraham, she is one who offers hospitality. Eliezer has arrived to find almost a second Abraham. The similarities do not stop there. Eliezer asks her family for Rebecca’s hand in marriage for Isaac. They agree. The next morning Eliezer asks to leave with Rebecca and her family asks him to remain ten months to a year. But Eliezer wants to leave immediately. Thank God for the history of women that Rebecca’s family asks her permission before they send her off. They ask, “Will you go with this man?” She says, without any hesitation, “I will go.” This parallel’s Abraham’s leaving his homeland when he received God’s call, without any indecision or questioning. Their ability to seize opportunity, resulted for both of them, in their receiving undreamed of spiritual and material gifts. Rebecca’s plucky optimism, trust, adventurous nature, and her willingness to say “Yes” to life, betting on a happy future; shows that she is Abraham’s spiritual heir, as well as his biological heir. She is, in fact, his Grand-niece.
It is Rebecca who, in next week’s portion, inquires of God about the twins jostling inside her and receives a response, making her a prophetess. It is also Rebecca who is the cause of Jacob’s stealing the blessing, taking the responsibility upon herself, but thereby insuring the spiritual legacy and continuation of Judaism. Perhaps she used the only weapons a woman had in that society, not direct confrontation, but indirect, yet decisive, action. And speaking of action, like Abraham, who went to rescue Lot, Rebecca rescues Jacob twice. She takes the blame upon herself, instructing him to lie to his Father. Then, by subsequently sending Jacob off to find a wife with her family in Mesopotamia, she further insures his survival and the continuation of their line. Sending him to her family resulted in Jacob’s 12 sons becoming the 12 tribes of Israel. Not that lying and deceiving are to be condoned. Quite the contrary: but we should remember that Abraham did it too. We are told he lied twice. Perhaps it’s a case of us giving God lemons and God making lemonade, for these actions all resulted in mostly positive outcomes.
Rebecca is our first convert: like Abraham, a person of courage and generosity, kindness, action, optimism and faith. She was wise in her choices and visionary in her actions. Perhaps we should speak about Abraham, Rebecca, and Jacob when we mention our Patriarchs, for she deserves our admiration and gratitude, not only for our continuation but also for the quality of our spiritual legacy. Rabbi Nachman of Breslau famously said, “A person walks in life on a very narrow bridge. The most important thing is not to be afraid.” And Rabbi Gelberman’s book Spiritual Truths says this too: “When we expect good we are sensitive to all its signposts. We do not miss the boat!” Rebecca’s fearlessness as she looked into the face of the unknown, her willingness to help, her taking a stand for what she knew was right, no matter the consequences, her strength, and her faith in God, make her someone we can look up to. May an appreciation of her life help us to let go of the fears that keep us from finding and experiencing our own blessings. May we confront life as she did, having faith in the goodness of life, with optimism for the future; and giving of ourselves, that we may be a blessing to others and receive all the good that is surely coming to us.
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