Testimony to the Power of Love God's love for humanity is revealed in the love two people feel for each other -- "a man for a woman, a woman for a man, and both with God." Our tradition repeats the insight that human beings are fulfilled in their love for each other, in the deeds of love they can perform for each other. Love, then, is the dynamic process of completing yourself and another person at the same time.
This week’s Torah reading testifies to the power of love. After Abraham buries his beloved wife, Sarah, and mourns her passing, he then instructs his servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for Isaac. Eliezer returns with Rebecca, who becomes Isaac's wife and one of the great figures in the entire Hebrew Bible. Rebecca and Isaac are one of two couples in the Torah who are described as loving each other. And, in the process, the Torah also illumines the power of love inside us all. "Isaac then brought her into the tent of his mother, Sarah, and he took Rebecca as his wife. Isaac loved her and thus found comfort after his mother's death."
Parents, generally the mother, are the first source of love in life. The mother attends to her infant's needs even before the child is aware of having them. Food, comfort, clothing -- all are magically provided, along with smiles, kisses and hugs. As the child grows, the mother is there (and the father too) to provide support, encouragement and insight. But at some point in the child's life, it becomes apparent that the parents can no longer meet every emotional need or resolve every fear. As the child begins to see glimmerings of the parents as limited human beings, the parents slowly "die" as parents and emerge also as people.
Through most of our adult lives, we maintain some mixture of both attitudes -- viewing our parents as parents and also seeing them as people. But something precious died when we lost that vision of our parents as the perfect sources of love, protection and wisdom. Is that intense closeness gone forever? No -- in a loved spouse, we all have the opportunity to regain some of the security, affection and intimacy which babies and mothers enjoy. In a very real way, our spouse's love comforts for the "death" of the infant's image of Mother as perfect. And that comfort is as close a replica of the love of God as one can know in this world.
In the care, trust, decency and goodness of one's spouse, we can reaffirm the lesson learned in our mother's arms -- that in this sometimes difficult life, there is a haven, and that our love for each other can testify to God's love for all human beings.
Amen.