Click for PDF
For translation to Spanish and Português
In Parshat Vayishlach, Yaakov Avinu fulfills the command of Hashem: “Arise, go up to Beth El and dwell there” (Genesis 35:1). After he builds an altar there, the Torah relates: “Devorah, Rivkah’s nurse, died”.
The Torah first mentioned this nurse in Parshat Chayei Sarah. When Rivkah agreed to go with Eliezer to marry Yitzchak, the Torah relates: “And they sent away Rivkah their sister, and her nurse” (Genesis 24:59). Why did the Torah see fit to tell us that Rivkah took her nurse with her? The Torah does not describe the rest of the things Rivkah packed in her suitcase; why is it important for us to know that she took a nurse?!
Furthermore, concerning her passing, why did Yaakov and his sons weep so much? As it is written: “And she was buried below Beth El under the oak; so the name of it was called Allon Bachut [Oak of Weeping]”. It appears that they grieved and wept bitterly, to the extent that they named the place after this weeping – “Allon Bachut”.
In Parshat Toldot, before the birth of Yaakov and Esav, the Torah relates that Yitzchak was forty years old “when he took Rivkah the daughter of Betuel the Aramean of Paddan Aram, the sister of Lavan the Aramean, to be his wife” (Genesis 25:20). Rashi (ad loc.) asks: “Was it not already written that she was the daughter of Betuel and the sister of Lavan and of Paddan Aram? Rather, it is to proclaim her praise: She was the daughter of a wicked man and the sister of a wicked man, and her place was among wicked people, yet she did not learn from their deeds”.
The question arises: How did Rivkah manage to “swim against the current” and be so fundamentally different from all her close surroundings, when all the figures closest to her were such wicked people? How did she succeed in being so righteous?
Rabbi Moshe Zvi Neriah zt”l answers in his book Ner L’Maor: Rivkah had a nurse! The Targum Yonatan ben Uziel translates the word “nurse” (minéketh) (in Parshat Chayei Sarah) as “Pedagavta” – meaning a pedagogue. Devorah, Reivkah’s nurse, was much more than just a wet nurse or caretaker; she was mainly a guide, influencer, and educator. Thanks to Devorah’s education, Rivkah succeeded in rising above the negative influences of her environment. Although she was “the daughter of a wicked man and the sister of a wicked man, and her place was among wicked people,” she chose to learn from the personal example of this great educator, and not from their deeds.
But what was Devorah, Rivkah’s nurse, doing in Yaakov’s household at the time of his journey to Beth El? Rashi explains: “What was Devorah’s connection to Yaakov’s house? Rather, because Rivkah said to Yaakov ‘I will send and fetch you from there’. She sent Devorah to him to Paddan Aram to leave there, and she died on the way”.
Why did Rivkah specifically choose Devorah for this task of summoning Yaakov home? Rabbi Neriah zt”l explains that Devorah had succeeded in influencing Rivkah so strongly that she managed to extract Rivkah from the house of Bethuel and Lavan as a righteous woman worthy of marrying Yitzchak. Now that the time had come to extract Yaakov from Lavan’s house, Rivkah sent Devorah to “replicate the success” and bring Yaakov and his sons out of Lavan’s house without spiritual harm. Based on this, it is understandable why, when the elderly Devorah dies on the way, Yaakov and his sons grieve and weep so bitterly. This woman had influenced their family in such a strong and meaningful way throughout the years. She was responsible for Rivkah earning the title ‘Rivkah Immeinu’, and she helped them exit Lavan’s house peacefully. Her absence was deeply felt and painful.
Just as Devorah did not despair of Rivkah, and despite her being “the daughter of a wicked man and the sister of a wicked man, and her place was among wicked people,” she took her under her wing and succeeded in influencing and educating her, similarly, we must never despair of any Jew. It does not matter who one’s parents are, who his siblings are, or which neighborhood he grew up in. What is needed is the counsel of the right person, who will come and impart the positive and correct influences, in the right place. And we cannot know what the results will be!
The ‘Torah Mitzion’ Shlichim, spread out throughout the world, bring the light of Torah and the light of the Holy Land everywhere. Like Rivkah’s nurse, the “Pedagavta,” their influence will, G-d willing, raise up many faithful and righteous Jews who will be the leaders of the next generation of the Jewish people. These leaders will themselves influence others and continue to disseminate the light of the Torah everywhere, until “A new light shines on Zion, and may we all merit its light speedily”.
For comments: zevroness@gmail.com
