By Eric Lenefsky After many years of davening alongside her husband, Yitzchak, Rivka miraculously becomes pregnant. Yet, this pregnancy that she longed for was not an easy one, it was difficult. Strangely difficult, one might say.
The תורה tells us that the children inside of her were fighting one another. They were struggling with one another. רבקה says, I need to figure out what's going on and what this means for me, so she goes to seek out the word of God.
Hashem, whether directly or indirectly through a messenger, tells her, שני גוים בבטנך, there are two nations inside of you, ושני לאמים ממעיך יפרדו, two kingdoms will separate from you. ולאם מלאם יאמץ, one will become stronger than the other, ורב יעבד צעיר, the elder will serve the younger. רבקה gets her message, she goes on her way and has these two children, עשו and יעקב.
Yet רש"י quotes a famous מדרש which tells us that although the word in the פסוק is pronounced גוים, which means nation, it can be read גיים, which would mean proud, rich, powerful individuals. Who would these powerful individuals be? The מדרש tells us that it refers to אנטונינוס, a wealthy, powerful Roman statesman, and Rebbe, רבי יהודה הנשיא, an equally impressive individual who organized all the משניות and was the leader of the Jewish people.
The תורה might be hinting to us that there are these other people, these wealthy, powerful individuals, so affluent that the מדרש says that they were never lacking any vegetable or fruit on their table. Even if it was out of season, they were always able to have it, which 2000 years ago was a great novelty.
Yet רבינו בחיי points out a difficulty with this, because this מדרש seems to contradict the גמרא. The גמרא in כתובות קד, says that when רבי was dying, he gave over a final message, including that he never benefited from that which he had. That seems to go against what we were just told. We were told he was fabulously wealthy, that he always had every fruit or vegetable, regardless of the season. So how could it be that he never benefited from all that he had.
So רבינו בחיי gives a very simple answer, which I think we can take an important message from. He says, yes, the מדרש is right. רבי had all of these things on his table. Yet the גמרא is true, too. He didn't benefit from them. רבי himself had that which was necessary for his survival, that which was necessary for his health and overall well-being. But for everyone else, for the people who relied on him, for the people who ate by him, he had all the foods and delicacies that one could desire. Herein lies the message.
We have to take care of ourselves, that's for sure. We have to do that which is necessary for our health and overall well-being. But when it comes to others, we have to go above and beyond. We have to make sure that other individuals are taken care of and treat them as if they are these powerful, rich individuals by giving them everything we can.
When it comes to ourselves, we could and maybe should limit ourselves. We should live a more modest lifestyle. We should do that which is necessary for our well-being, but not that much more. But when it comes to others, we need to put others before ourselves.
Especially nowadays, in a time when things are not easy for כלל ישראל, it's an important message to remember, to put others before ourselves. And if you don't think there's anyone in your life who needs that, you should look harder. There are always people who need a little bit more help.
May we take this idea from רבי יהודה הנשיא, from רבינו בחיי, that yes, השם gives us a lot, and we should do that which is necessary for ourselves.
But we should go above and beyond using that which השם gave us to help the other people in our lives. May we be זוכה to do so, bringing all of כלל ישראל closer together.
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