“Hope is the most valued emotion!” were the words uttered by Rabbi Emanuel Ravad one Shabbat years ago in Seattle’s Sephardic Bikur Holim, “Because when all else is gone, you still have hope.”
Wow! Just wow! That statement blew me away then, and now over 30 years later those words still ring clear in my head.
Rabbi Emanuel Ravad is (or was) the director of Mikvah Education International, an organization dedicated to mikvah education. He came to Seattle to present an award to a public school student for his essay about his pride in his Jewish name and spent that Shabbat in Seattle’s Seward Park community.
His thin, graceful Bnei Brak-like appearance was impeccable and in stark contrast to SBH’s well-suited professional congregants. It was the first time I had seen a visiting rabbi dressed like that and, needless to say, his presence and his words about the value of hope left an indelible mark in my mind.
In this week’s parashah, it seems we find the most conspicuous signs of personal hope described in the Torah yet — Leah’s ‘tender eyes’ and the names of her children.
Rashi tells us that Leah’s eyes were tender from tears, tears for the fear that she would be stuck marrying Esav. For obvious reasons, she very deeply hoped she would not be forced to marry him. Additionally, the names she gave her children reflected her undying hope for Yaacov’s love.
- G-d saw Leah’s distress and enabled her to become pregnant. Leah declared: “See the son (re’u ben) that God has given me” and she therefore called him Reuven.
- When Shimon was born, Leah said: “This is because the Lord heard [shama] that I was unloved and has given me this one also.”
- When Levi was born, Leah said: “This time my husband will become attached [yilaveh] to me.”
- After giving birth to Zebulun, Leah said: “God has given me a choice gift; this time my husband will exalt me [yizbeleni].”
In the end, Leah was spared the life of being Esav’s wife, gave birth to Dina and half of the shevatim, and is buried in Maarat HaMachpela with her husband, Yaakov.
Right now things are difficult for us, and they may get harder – G-d forbid. But no matter what happens, no matter the situation we can still have hope. Hope is in our blood. We are such hopeful people that HaTikvah is the name of our national anthem!
Hope may not always be rooted in emunah, although it could be and should be. After all, G-d is The Source of Solutions, The Director of Direction, The Authority of Answers, The Giver of Goodness — The Place-to-Go for all our national, personal, material, and spiritual requests.
David HaMelech said it best in Tehillim perek 27, “Place your hope in Hashem, be strong, and He will strengthen your heart; place your hope in Hashem.”
Yitzhak Sasson 