Daily Zohar # 1968 – Toldot – Like a lily among the thorns
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Hebrew translation:
18. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק, אַף עַל גַּב שֶׁכָּל זֶה עָשְׂתָה, לֹא יָדַעְנוּ הַאִם מַעֲשֶׂיהָ כְּשֵׁרִים אוֹ לֹא. אֶלָּא בֹּא רְאֵה, כָּתוּב כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה בֵּין הַחוֹחִים כֵּן רַעְיָתִי בֵּין הַבָּנוֹת. כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה – זוֹ כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. שֶׁהִיא בֵּין אוּכְלוּסֶיהָ כְּמוֹ שׁוֹשַׁנָּה בֵּין קוֹצִים, וְסוֹד הַדָּבָר – יִצְחָק בָא מֵהַצַּד שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם שֶׁהוּא חֶסֶד עֶלְיוֹן, וְעוֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד עִם כָּל הַבְּרִיּוֹת, וְאַף עַל גַּב שֶׁהוּא הַדִּין הַקָּשֶׁה. וְרִבְקָה בָּאָה מִצַּד שֶׁל הַדִּין הַקָּשֶׁה, וְהִתְעַלְּתָה מִבֵּינֵיהֶם, וְהִתְחַבְּרָה עִם יִצְחָק. שֶׁהֲרֵי רִבְקָה בָּאָה מִצַּד הַדִּין הַקָּשֶׁה, וְאַף עַל גַּב שֶׁהָיְתָה מִצַּד הַדִּין הָרָפֶה וְחוּט שֶׁל חֶסֶד תָּלוּי בָּהּ, וְיִצְחָק דִּין קָשֶׁה וְהִיא רָפֶה – הָיוּ כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה בֵּין הַחוֹחִים. וְאִם לֹא שֶׁהִיא רָפֶה, לֹא יָכוֹל הָעוֹלָם לִסְבֹּל אֶת הַדִּין הַקָּשֶׁה שֶׁל יִצְחָק. כְּמוֹ כֵן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְזַוֵּג זִוּוּגִים בָּעוֹלָם, אֶחָד תַּקִּיף וְאֶחָד רָפֶה, כְּדֵי שֶׁהַכֹּל יִתְתַּקֵּן וְיִתְבַּסֵּם הָעוֹלָם.
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Zohar Toldot
The Zohar praised Rebekah for keeping her purity even when coming from a negative environment and a place of judgments. Here the Zohar challenges the previous study and says that if Rebekah was 20 years old or even 13 it would have been a praise for her but she was only three years old and she didn’t have time or mental state to behave like them.
Rabbi Yehuda explains that she was three years old but with high intelligence. We learn that from her interaction with Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, who was sent to find Isaac’s soul mate.
Rabbi Yitzchak explains that Isaac had the aspect of hard judgment even when coming from the highest level of Chessed, which was from his father, Abraham. Rebekah came from hard judgement but by herself she was like the secret of “Like a lily among the thorns”.
Song of Songs 2:2
“כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה בֵּין הַחוֹחִים, כֵּן רַעְיָתִי בֵּין הַבָּנוֹת”
“Like a lily among the thorns, So is my darling among the maidens”
Because Rebekah wasn’t part of the wickedness and hard judgment that existed in her family, she had soft judgment and could be a match to Isaac who had hard judgment. The Zohar tells us that God brings couples together to make corrections that benefit the world.
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