Yom Kippur Begins Friday!

Yom Kippur, by Gottlieb (1878)

Rivka bat Betuel (c. 1677-1554 BCE) Often known simply as “Rebecca”, she is famous for being one of the four Matriarchs of Israel, wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau. A prophetess of the highest degree, she communicated with God to determine the fates of her twin children. Later, she out-prophesied her husband and drafted an ingenious plan for Jacob to rightfully receive the divine blessings (thus ensuring Jewish survival and continuity). Rivka is the Torah’s epitome of modesty, true love and purity. In fact, the first time the Torah mentions the words “love” and “virgin” are in regards to her. Embodying an incredible measure of strength – perhaps the first icon of girl power – she single-handedly watered Eliezer’s 10 camels. (That’s about 2000 litres of water that she personally hauled from a well!) Yom Kippur is her birthday.

Words of the Week

It’s better to eat in order to pray, than to pray in order to eat.
– Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (1789-1866)