Good evening, everyone. Welcome home. The Parasha this week begins: Where was Yaakov going? Well, we know where he was leaving from. He was leaving to run away from his brother Esav, who wanted to kill him. The Torah is telling us something more important: Yaakov was going to get a wife. From the very beginning of the Torah, Hashem is telling us the importance of the relationship between husband and wife: Adam and Chavah. What did Adam say? “She is flesh of my flesh, bone of my bones.” Avraham and Sarah. What does Avraham say? “I’m going to survive. My soul will live because of you.” That’s how important the relationship was between Avraham and Sarah.
Yitzchak and Rivkah. Eliezer is bringing Rivkah. Yitzchak goes out to the field and sees her. So that can just tell us very simply: they met, they got married, finished. No, the Torah doesn’t tell us that. It says Yitzchak took Rivkah and brought her into the tent of Sarah Imeinu. He was relieved. He was comforted after the loss of his mother, which is one of the most painful emotions a person can have. And he loved her.
Now Yaakov. This Parasha tells us about Yaakov and Rachel. When Yaakov saw Rachel, he went and took the stone and moved it off the well all by himself, and he kissed Rachel. What is the Torah telling us? That he was a muscle man? That he was strong? He was a yoshev ohalim (dweller in tents)? No. The Torah is telling us that when a man meets the woman who is important to him to be his wife, it gives a man power. There’s no question. A man needs a woman. Two good reasons. Number one: We don’t cook. Who’s going to make Friday night food for us? More important than that, number two: It allows a man to fulfill two of the most important mitzvot (commandments) of the Torah. Number one: Peru u'revu (Be fruitful and multiply), velimadtem otam et beneichem (And you shall teach them to your children). You can’t do that without a wife.
The Zohar explains to us that in life, the man, the husband, is a giver, and the wife is a taker. You give her something, she uses it, she incubates it, and she gives it back to you in spades. No question about it. How do we see that? You give her money. What does she do? She takes that money and turns it into breakfast, lunch, and supper. She buys the kids clothing, and she buys everything else. She outfits the whole house with what’s necessary.
You give her an apartment. When you first get married, it’s not a shame to give her a house. But say you give her an apartment. What does she do with that apartment? She takes it and makes it into a home filled with love, warmth, and security. A man gives the woman his seed. She takes that seed, incubates it for nine months, and gives him back a child. That’s the relationship between husband and wife. What you give her, she gives you back double.
At Har Sinai, we got married to Hashem. Hashem is the man, the husband, and we are the wife. Hashem gives us everything. What are we supposed to do? Our job is to take what Hashem gives us and give it back to Him in return. What can you give Hashem? Hashem has everything. He needs nothing. We can’t give Him anything. The only thing that we can give Him is love, thanks, and devotion—the same things that we want from our wives. The more we give to them, the more they give back to us. We pray that Hashem will continue to shower us with His blessings, and the more He does, the more we thank Him, love Him, and show our devotion to Him, the more He gives to us. Let this be your thought of the day: The more you give to your wife, the more she gives back to you. A happy wife is a happy life.