Rivkah, our matriarch in this week’s parashah of Toldot, orchestrates a dramatic scene, using her favorite son Yaakov to trick his twin brother Esav, manipulating the birthright blessing given by her husband Yitzchak. I often read this parashah and get the sense that Rivkah couldn’t leave well enough alone. She couldn’t believe that things would work out, she had to be overly involved in such a heavy handed way.
Some may view Rivkah as the hero of the story, allowing Yaakov to inherit the birthright blessing. And some may view Rivkah as the villain, tearing her family apart as she pitted her children and her husband against each other. I wonder what led Rivkah to do this. What kept her from being able to step back and just let her children be? Why did she feel so compelled to step in, control the situation, which ultimately had tremendously difficult repercussions for her family?
I think Rivkah believed this was the only possible option because she had a mindset of scarcity. She received a prophecy from God that Yaakov should receive the blessing, but she saw it her place to intervene and control everyone around her. She wasn’t content with letting it play out, letting the blessing flow to each of her sons. She thought there wasn’t enough blessing to go around, there wasn’t enough opportunity for both of her sons, so she pushed Yaakov to take the blessing intended for Esav, as if there wouldn’t be any left afterwards. So often, we make our way through life thinking there won’t be enough for us. Enough opportunity. Enough blessing. Enough love.
The spiritual challenge for each of us is realizing that we can work towards embracing all of these without a heavy hand. Without being overly controlling of our lives - we can experience abundant blessing without withholding it from anyone else. There is enough blessing for me. There is enough opportunity for you. There is enough love for all of us.
I pray that we are each able to seek out the abundance in this world, knowing that we are each worthy, no one more than anyone else. May we each feel blessing, may we each feel love.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Sarit
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