The Torah devoted one verse to Avraham and Sarah's courtship and marriage. The seven years of Yaakov's evolving relationship with Yaakov and Leah receives just 18 verses. But when Yitzchak weds Rivkah, the Torah gives us 67 verses. Why does the marriage of Yitzchak and Rivkah deserve such outsized coverage?
And a second question: Eliezer's meeting with Rivkah occurs, "at the time of evening, at the time when the water-drawers emerge. (Bereishit 24:11)" Clearly, "the time when the water-drawers emerge" is relevant for the story itself. But what is the import of "the time of evening"? In the entire Chumash, these words - l'eit erev, "at the time of evening" - are only found here, and when Noach's dove returns to the Ark, an olive branch in its beak. The link between these two events may explain the import of these words, and the extended report on Rivkah's marriage to Yitzchak.
Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra (Bereishit 1:5) writes that erev is a time of blurriness; as the sky darkens, we have trouble discerning forms, and our world becomes vague. Certainly, the dove returned at a time of erev; G-d had decided to destroy life with the Flood, and who knew whether life would be re-created? And the marriage of Rivkah and Yitzchak also came at an uncertain time: if Yitzchak would marry someone unfit to fill Sarah's shoes, the chain of tradition would break. Yitzchak needed someone who could re-create Sarah's tent. Indeed, consider Rivkah's career: without her, Esav receives the blessings, or Esav kills Yaakov for taking the blessings! Jewish history was very blurry at that moment. Then Eliezer encountered Rikvah, like Noach encountering the dove, and everything became certain again. This was a story worth telling, regardless of how many verses it required.
The uncertainty of Erev was built into each day of biblical Creation; perhaps this teaches that periods of ambiguity are good for us, compelling us to exercise our powers and take charge of our destiny. We may not enjoy erev, but when we pass these tests, we will see the fulfillment of Zecharyah 14:7 - "And it will be, at the time of erev, there will be light."
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner
Rosh Beit Midrash, YU Torah Mitzion Zichron Dov Beit Midrash |
