Parshat Toldot

“THE BENEFIT OF THE WAIT”

        The very beginning of Parshat Toldot is what I ruminated over this past week. In the first chapter of Parshat Toldot we discover that our matriarch Rivka is barren. In fact, she was barren for 20 years of her life. She and her husband Yitzchak were deeply distraught and consistently prayed to G-d for children.

         Since 1^st grade, my teachers have lectured that righteous individuals (such as Yitzchak and Rivka) do not receive their heart’s desires right away. Instead, they are inclined to pore over their prayer book with continued fervor and faith, beseeching G-d for what they need. When our innocent faces puckered with puzzlement over this, our teachers would enthusiastically state: G-d yearns for the prayers of righteous people. This is why He does not deliver what they ask for right away.

Parshat Chaya Sara

PARSHAT CHAYA SARA

        I apologize for the belated post on the weekly Parsha. I had a spontaneous weekend getaway—very spur of the moment. I was considering in forgoing writing about the Parsha (since Shabbat already passed), but then I realized that it’s Parshat Chaya Sara and the biblical character I am named after (Rivka/Rebecca) is introduced and wedded in this Torah portion. How can I possibly spring past this personally meaningful Parsha and meander into trivialities?

       Aside from that, this Parsha is especially relevant to singles because it deliberates upon the union of marriage. Commonly referred to as the “Shidduch Parsha,” Chaya Sara often draws lectures concerning dating and matrimony from Rabbis’ and teachers’ lips.

        Do I have any sermons about courtship and walking down the aisle? Hmm…let’s see…Well, I’ve seen the most genuinely kind and noble-hearted individuals (who are educated professionals and good-looking to boot!) being suctioned into a quicksand of loneliness and jaded dating experiences. I’ve also seen infantile and flighty individuals bask in the spell of fresh love and find their intended sooner than you can pop champagne and holler “Mazal Tov!” So, no, I clearly don’t have any sermons about this confounding labyrinth we like to call dating. I’m still as bewildered as the next single person. With very few exceptions, the whole notion of dating and marriage has left me scratching my head more than any other subject.