How can we make sense of Rivka? If I asked you to describe the archetype of motherhood, the last word you would use is deceptive. Yet one of the most memorable, retold, and seismic tales in Jewish history revolves around Rivka’s plan to trick her husband and conspire with Yaakov to receive a blessing from Yitzchak, a blessing intended for her other son Esav. While there is debate as to whether Yitzchak realized which son he was in fact blessing, there is no question that Rivka was the mastermind of this scheme.
So, what’s the deal? Do we praise “the switch scheme” and in doing so teach ourselves and our children that as long you believe you are justified; you can play tricks and deceive?
We must be careful not to limit Rivka’s legacy to a few highlights – the switch of the blessings, her zerizus in helping Eliezer – we must see the big picture and understand the foundational role she played in our history. If we look at who Rivka was from the very beginning, someone who rose above the immorality of her childhood home, who ran to help others with purpose and care, who accepted – from the time she conceived – the heartbreaking task of separating her children from one another, what we see is strength, resilience, and great sacrifice. If that’s not motherhood, I don’t know what is.
