ELIEZER’S LONG-SHOT

This week in Chayei Sara we read the story of Abraham sending Eliezer on a mission to find a wife for his son Yitzchak. Eliezer traveled from the center-south of Israel back to Abraham’s homeland (somewhere near where Syria and Turkey meet) with the hopes of finding a fine girl from Abraham’s family. He prays for success in this mission, creates some kind of omen or sign to look for, and lo and behold the first girl he meet at the well, and one who generously draws water to feed both him and his camels turns out to be Rivka, from Abraham’s family!

What are the odds!? That made me think of the big space news this week of the European Space Agency’s comet landing. This project was launched a decade ago! Think of how old many of you were a decade ago. Think of the changes your lives and in our world since 2004. That’s when they launched Rosetta, a spacecraft with large solar panels designed and engineered to reach Comet 67P this past summer. Comet 67P is huge, it dwarfs Los Angeles in graphic online simulations. And its traveling at 40,000 miles an hour! All this 300 million miles away from earth! And this week Rosetta launched Philae, a small probe device to take pictures and test the surface of the comet. Now, that’s a long shot! A ten year shot at a moving target, but they did it! Think of all the engineering, calculations, research and investment it took to pull that off!

As this week is our first ever alternate Parents Weekend, its a relevant message as well. Parents make long-term investments in their children. Sometimes you don’t see the return on these investments for 10 or 20 years. It may feel like a long shot, especially when you launch a kid of to college, off he or she goes, like Rosetta into space, while you keep in touch of course, the kid is out there away far off, beyond direct control or supervision. You just hope it all works out, and all the investment and love and dedication you put in comes to fruition… this is a tribute to the parents celebrating with us this weekend. Its evident that your years of planning and preparations, personal dedication and investment of love and talent and time are blossoming in your children.

And a tribute to the students here as well:

RIVKA’S COURAGE

Back to the story of Eliezer and Rivka by the Well. Everyone says that Eliezer was looking for a girl who exhibited the traits of kindness, generosity and sensitivity. That’s true. There’s even a kids book called “Kind Little Rivka”. No one is going to argue against these qualities. Who wouldn’t want them in a spouse?

So no arguing against kindness, but there were other character traits in play here too. Rivka was courageous, showed intiative and fearlessness, offering this kindness to a stranger from a foriegn land. This courage is also evident from her being a “rose among thorns” growing up with Abraham-style values in a home and environment that wasn’t supportive of it. And you see her initiative later in life when she takes the bull by the horns and plots with Jacob to trick Yitzchak into giving him the blessing.

We would have never thought of this parents weekend, but students took initiative and made this happen. And for students to be invested and involved with Jewish life on a college campus is also a sign of personal courage and fearlessness, students who take initiative and make a difference.

Eliezer’s longshot is a tribute to the parents, and Rivka’s courage is a tribute to our students. Thank you both!