\u201cI Will Go\u201d: Rivkah\u2019s Lech Lecha<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of us are familiar with the classic song, “Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match,” and, in a sense, all Jewish matchmaking traces back to Parshas Chayei Sarah, where we encounter the foundational episode of the match made between Yitzchak and Rivkah. Two of my passions are utilizing the Torah as a practical guidebook for modern life and helping people find their soulmates. In this parsha, both of these interests converge, and when we examine through these two lenses the interactions between Avraham, Eliezer, Yitzchak, Rivkah, and her family we can unlock much insight and inspiration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a faithful assistant, Eliezer did everything he possibly could. He traveled, planned, prayed, and devised a specific test. When Rivkah passed the test, he inquired further about her family background. It quickly became clear to him that she was the one. To understand Eliezer’s mission as simply to find a wife for Yitzchak would miss the grand context of the story of the Founding Fathers and Mothers of Klal Yisrael and their idealism. For that, why would he need to find a woman whose natural instinct was to notice and anticipate another person’s needs, and spare no effort to assist them generously, far beyond what was expected? With the wealth Yitzchak would inherit, he would hardly need his wife to care for his basic needs. If, on the other hand, he had to find the unusual individual who could continue Sarah’s legacy and establish the foundation of the Jewish future, we can begin to appreciate the way Eliezer carried out his search. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We seldom think about this story from young Rivkah\u2019s perspective. While it may have been obvious to Eliezer that she was the right match, what made her willingly decide to leave her birthplace, home, family, and entire life behind to marry a man she had never met?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite an unsupportive and antagonistic environment, Rivkah had developed exceptional kindness, initiative, and generosity. Now, with this proposal, she was being offered the opportunity to join a family that would not only align with her character and values but asipired to something far greater. Nothing could match this historic opportunity for a life in which her extraordinary qualities could fully express themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was not merely agreeing to marry someone from a faraway land; she was choosing to step into a shared, epic mission. This is clearly reflected in her response. She didn’t just passively agree. It cannot be conincidental that Rivkah’s version of “I do,” her declaration of “\u05d0\u05b5\u05dc\u05b5\u05da\u05b0,” “I will go,” echoes Avraham’s “Lech lecha<\/em>.” It frames her “yes” as a proactive, self-initiated commitment to step into the unknown. Yet, unlike Avraham, who acted on a direct divine command, Rivkah made this profound choice entirely on her own initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What emerges is Rivkah’s secret to a successful marriage and a fulfilling life. For us, when we think about a potential match, we often resort to checklists, outline expectations, and consider basic compatibility. Rivkah\u2019s vision reached far beyond these details. For her, success came down to finding a partner who shared her vision for the life they wished to build together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is easy to see why many organizations draw on this narrative to guide young adults entering the shidduch process, to teach them how to navigate their search with clarity, purpose, and insight. No less than in ancient times, navigating shidduchim in contemporary times requires true agency; it requires that individuals actively choose the direction of their shared future. While it remains important to review the background and past experiences of a prospective partner, identifying a shared commitment to the future ultimately determines success. Rivkah\u2019s simple yet decisive declaration, “I will go,” reflected her willingness to step out of her comfort zone to become a partner to Yitzchak and a matriarch to the Jewish people. Centered around this timeless lesson, successful relationships still require shared goals and a conscious choice by both partners to walk the same path. “I will go” is a choice to live with purpose, just as our matriarch Rivkah did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reader\u2019s Reflection:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What is an \u201cI do\u201d moment that you can change into something more proactive, \u201cI will go\u201d ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had the great honor of attending my very special uncle\u2019s funeral in Jerusalem this week. I am thankful that I heard the call and was able to answer “I will go\u201d. I am also extremely grateful to all the wonderful people in Israel that also heard the calling of my very short visit and dropped everything so we could spend time together and to my supportive family who encouraged me to go. May the neshama of Chaim Yitzchak Ben Eliezer Tzvi have an Aliyah and may his family find comfort.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cI Will Go\u201d: Rivkah\u2019s Lech Lecha Many of us are familiar with the classic song, “Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match,” and, in a sense, all Jewish matchmaking traces back to Parshas Chayei Sarah, where we encounter the foundational episode of the match made between Yitzchak and Rivkah. Two of my passions are utilizing the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,40],"tags":[164,168,166,165,169,117],"class_list":["post-316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-machshava","category-parsha","tag-chayei-sara","tag-goal-oriented","tag-i-will-go","tag-matchmaking","tag-rivka","tag-shidduchim"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=316"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":319,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316\/revisions\/319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yiphoenix.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}