She dreamed of being the wife
of Yaakov. She longed with all her heart to be the mother
of the nation of Israel. It was her right to speak out when
she saw the injustice that was being perpetrated against
her in front of her very own eyes. Yet, she knew that if
she stood up for herself, it would hurt her sister. Rachel
chose to sacrifice everything that was important to her in
order to protect her sister, without letting anyone know
about it. That is what G-d really cares for. Pure self-sacrifice
that remains hidden from the world. The selflessness of one
sister for another in a private setting was a greater act
than the “greatest deeds of mankind.”
Jewish women throughout the ages
have followed in the footsteps of Rachel. Nancy, too, personified
our matriarch Rachel.
On the surface, Nancy was a regular, fun-loving person. She
was not going to make headlines in Jewish history. She did
not create programs, she did not stand up in front of crowds
and lead. In fact, most people who knew her were probably
not aware of the extent of her greatness. Because it was
all private.
When Nancy was competing in multi-day
bike competitions, she always managed to arrange her schedule
to avoid competing
on Shabbos. For Sunday races she travelled late Saturday
night rather than travelling during the day on Saturday to
be fully rested for Sunday’s races. Would anybody know
if she did otherwise? Did anyone care? Was Nancy going to
be written up in the newspaper about her Jewish heroics?
Absolutely not. Her refusal to eat out with everyone else,
her insistence on fasting on even the most minor fast day
among others who had never heard of such things, were acts
of pure devotion. And they were all private.
Nancy did not brag about her commitment
to leading a religious Jewish life under not such easy circumstances.
She did not
show off. Just the opposite. Nancy could not tolerate a show-off.
You do what’s right because it is right, not because
people are watching. These are words that Nancy lived by.
You sacrifice for your friends, whether they are aware of
your sacrifice or not. This was Nancy. The beauty of her
life lies, like Rachel, in its simplicity and above all,
lack of fanfare. No big cheers. No displays. No awards. Nancy
was a true Jewish hero. Who knows what the true impact of
her life has been for the world? Nancy was another link in
the glorious chain of Jewish women who walk in the steps
of our mother Rachel.
