The National Geographic had a recent
article about how the native Africans catch monkeys. They put a
banana in a log with a narrow opening which can just allow a
monkey’s hand to fit in, but it is not big enough to allow the
monkey to take the banana out with his closed fist. So the monkey
sticks his hand in, and can’t get it out with the banana, and is
trapped. Of course, if the monkey just let go of the banana, he
would be free, but he refuses to let go – and therefore becomes
dinner for some African tribe.
In this weeks’ Torah reading, the story
of the family of Rivka and Yitzchok, our illustrious ancestors,
continues. How does one become a Rivka? How do you become a person
like Rebbeca? What made her so special? Why wasn’t her neighbor down
the street chosen to be the mother of the Jewish People?
The Torah, at the beginning of this
week’s portion, tells us the secret. We already know, from last
weeks’ portion, who Rivka’s father and brother were. We also know
where she came from. The Torah spent an entire chapter on it! So the
sages explain, (as quoted in Rashi), that this verse is coming to
emphasize the righteousness of Rivka. In effect the verse is saying,
“Look at this special person! Rivka was the daughter of a wicked
person, the sister of a wicked person, and lived in a wicked land –
and nevertheless she became the righteous Rivka.”
What are these three things - one’s
father, brother, and land? The Maharal, in one of his
interpretations, explains that your father is your roots – he is
your history. It is where you come from. Your brother is you – you
are both chips off the same block – you share much of the same
genetic material – it is a mirror of sorts. And your land is the
environment in which you live. It is the noise that surrounds you.
The jingle bells, the media, the culture…These are 3 very strong
influences on the makeup of a person. His roots, his being, and his
environment – and in the case of Rivka they were all negative – but
she rose above it all.
You know, we all walk around with
baggage. We have the baggage of our roots-baggage from our childhood
and the effects of our homes growing up. We have the baggage of our
own disabilities. Our own natural faults. And then there is the
baggage we carry from the culture around us. Some of us carry around
a little more of one and a little less of the other. But in one way
or another we are carrying one or more of these 3 forms of baggage.
Rivka grew up with all three – but instead of allowing it to crush
her – she became Rivka. That is why Rivka is our mother, and not her
neighbor down the street.
She could have easily taken the easy
route out. She could have said it is too hard. I can’t overcome my
culture, I can’t overcome my family’s tendencies, and I surely can’t
overcome my own limitations. I will just give up! I just can’t let
go of that baggage. I simply can’t let go of that banana and set
myself free. I don’t think any of us would blame her. But then she
would have been that neighbor down the street whose name we never
knew and who never amounted to a hill of beans.
The Torah emphasizes for us who her
father was, who her brother was, and where she came from – because a
human being can rise above that all. We can learn from Rivka Imeinu
– Rivka our mother – and let go of whatever it is in our lives that
is keeping us stuck to that log, that is keeping us from being free
and soar to ever greater heights.
