Charlie Cytron-Walker

1st Year HUC student

Parshat Toledot

"But the children struggled in her womb and she [Rebekah] said, "If so, why do I exist?" She went to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord answered her…"

(Genesis 25:22-23, JPS Translation, 1999)

In this week’s parshah, Toledot, we see the impact that one woman can make. Rebekah not only favors Jacob, impacting the whole of Jewish history, she also exemplifies how we can relate to G-d. However, in the way they read the text, several classical commentators diminish that relationship.

The parshah begins with Isaac praying to G-d for a child on Rebekah’s behalf. After this, Rebekah conceives. We know that it was not an easy pregnancy because her pain and discomfort cause her to ask, "If so, why do I exist?" The actual meaning of the Hebrew is not certain, however a Midrash explains that Rebekah asked other women about their experiences during pregnancy, and she discovered that her pregnancy was not normal. Rebekah wants to know why her suffering is unique.

She then asks G-d about her pain; this is where I start to question the motivations of our commentators. The rabbis who wrote Genesis Rabbah explain that Rebekah travels to the Academy of Shem and Eber in order to question G-d. Rashi and others support this Midrash, but I think the explanation of our rabbis raises a major issue. If Rebekah "…went to inquire of the Lord…", the G-d of Abraham and Sarah, would the Academy of Shem and Eber be the place that she would go?

Abraham was the first Jew and the first monotheist. After Noah, the only people G-d has spoken to at this point in the Torah are Abraham and Sarah. G-d has made a covenant with Abraham, which is the basis of our known relationship with G-d. This is a very early point in our history, so the Academy of Shem and Eber could not focus too much on a monotheistic practice, especially if they don’t necessarily proscribe to the belief themselves. And most importantly, there is no record of G-d talking to Shem or Eber. So if Rebekah wanted to ask G-d anything, why would she go to their Academy?

The Ramban offers a more reasonable interpretation of "She went to inquire of the Lord…": he says that she went to pray. According to the Ramban, when the word lidrosh (to inquire) is used in relation to G-d, it is only used in the context of prayer. If Rebekah goes to pray to G-d about her situation, then there’s no need for Shem and Eber, which would appear to greatly simplify any reading of the verse. Since the Midrash points to this "Academy", however, there must be something more to their argument.

We see this when we look at the beginning of verse 23: "And the Lord answered her…." In Hebrew, "Vayomer Adonai lah…" is directly translated, "And the Lord said to her…". In English, it seems quite obvious that G-d is starting to respond to Rebekah’s question, by speaking directly to her. The same Midrash, however, claims that because of the word order, "Vayomer Adonai lah…", it must be indirect speech. This Midrash, along with Rashi says that G-d speaks to Rebekah through a messenger, Shem from the Academy. Through divine inspiration G-d explains Rebekah’s pain to Shem, so he can then tell Rebekah G-d’s message.

We find the same grammar used in Exodus 4:6, however, when G-d talks to Moses from the burning bush. The verse reads: "Vayomer Adonai lo ode…", which translates to "And G-d said to him further…". There is no commentary about the phrasing in this situation, despite the fact that the word order of the Hebrew is exactly the same as in the verse about Rebekah. No one suggests that G-d spoke to Moses through a messenger, especially not during their first encounter. Since the grammar is the same, and G-d is speaking directly to Moses at the burning bush, G-d must be speaking directly to Rebekah in this parshah.

In reading these verses in the way that they do, these classic commentators suggest that Rebekah needs an intermediary both to pray and to receive the word of G-d. They suggest that someone who is not Jewish (Shem) would have more of a connection to G-d than she would. Through their reading of the text, I feel that they have gone out of their way to deny women a direct relationship with G-d. I do not know if they feel that women are not worthy of receiving a direct communication from G-d, but that seems to be the implication of their interpretation. In the same text, I see something very different.

Based on the language that is in the verse and elsewhere in the Torah, I see Rebekah setting an example for all of us. When she asks, "If so, why do I exist?" she teaches us that it is possible to begin a dialogue with G-d. And one of the most basic forms of our dialogue with G-d starts with prayer. Not only is Rebekah the first woman in the Tanach to pray to G-d, but by asking an existential question, she is also the first person in the Tanach to pray for understanding. In this respect, Rebekah teaches us how to pray.

But unlike many of us, her prayer is directly answered by G-d. In fact, G-d speaks to Rebekah before G-d speaks to Isaac. This might have been the situation that the classical commentators were trying to avoid. Perhaps they thought that if G-d spoke to Rebekah first, Isaac would become a less significant character. But in my eyes, G-d makes a covenant with Isaac and his historical role as patriarch is not diminished based on whom G-d spoke to first. Additionally, it makes sense for G-d to address Rebekah first considering the impact of her actions on the future of her children, our ancestors. After all, she is the one who favors Jacob and it is through Jacob’s line that our people continued.

When Rebekah teaches us about prayer, she not only points to how we can begin our dialogue with G-d, she also shows us that women have a lot to teach. When G-d speaks to Rebekah, we learn that women are not limited in the way our classical commentators would have us belief. I therefore see these two lines of text, as a celebration of the diverse possibilities for women within Judaism. And through Rebekah’s example these verses illustrate the connection we can all have with G-d.

Shabbat Shalom