This week's section, Chaiei Sara (The Life of Sarah), mainly recounts the marriage of Isaac to Rebecca. Abraham saw the need to find a suitable partner for his son Isaac and sent Eliezer, his faithful servant, to his hometown, to his own family, to find a wife.
The Torah recounts the covenant between Abraham and Eliezer, then what happens to Eliezer, that is, how he finds Rebecca by a well of water, then he is taken to her house to talk to Lavan (Ribetan's brother) until he returns to Rebecca and tells Isaac what happened on the way.
Now, one of the main purposes of the Torah is to give the laws and precepts by which we must live in order to fulfill our reason for being, that is, to make this world a dwelling place for God. Many of these mitzvot appear in the Torah in a summarized form, sometimes referenced by a single word or letter. Why does the Torah recount a story three times, when seemingly more important matters are written briefly?
Our sages explain, in response to this question, that the words of the servants of the patriarchs are more precious to God than the Torah of their children. But why?
One of the concepts behind this answer is kabalat ol (Acceptance of the yoke of heaven). This concept implies an acceptance of divine commandments that transcends the intellect. Just as a servant accepts and fulfills the words of his master, so too is it expected of the Jew to accept divine commandments, even in an irrational way. Moreover, all of Judaism is based on this concept, since we are servants of God.
We see this same idea in the Giving of the Torah, when the Jewish people said "We will do" and then "We will listen," symbolizing the acceptance of the yoke of heaven.
This concept is particularly relevant in relation to marriage, the central issue of parashah, Since many times it is required that the spouse accept things, regardless of the reasoning behind it and, mainly, the subjugation of both parties to a common goal higher than both of them: to build an eternal house within the Jewish people, a goal that is achieved through connecting with God and His Torah, which are eternal.
That is why the Torah repeats this story three times, since within it one can clearly see this foundation of unconditional surrender.
This does not mean that there should only be blind acceptance, but rather that, after that acceptance, there should be an effort to understand as much as possible. In fact, as a person progresses in their unconditional acceptance, their capacity for understanding grows, and those matters that were previously irrational slowly become rational, rising ever higher and strengthening the bond with God.
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