(ס) וַיְבָרֲכ֤וּ אֶת־רִבְקָה֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ לָ֔הּ אֲחֹתֵ֕נוּ אַ֥תְּ הֲיִ֖י לְאַלְפֵ֣י רְבָבָ֑ה וְיִירַ֣שׁ זַרְעֵ֔ךְ אֵ֖ת שַׁ֥עַר שֹׂנְאָֽיו׃
(60) And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “O sister! May you grow Into thousands of myriads; May your offspring seize The gates of their foes.”
- Rav Goldwicht asks, "why do we bless brides before their wedding with uncle Laban's blessing? Surely, we can be less scandalous and find a blessing from someone who is not a villain.
- He answers that Laban's blessing to Rebecca was the purest thing he ever did. God, our Torah teaches, never forgets a good act, a good thought, or pure intention. Even when the act is performed by an evil person.
- Throughout our generations, we repeat the heartfelt blessing of goodness given by an evil man. Perhaps bride & groom should lead us to follow God's ways. We always ought to remember the purity of love that brought us to this day of joy and fulness of heart.