Praise Her Works: Conversations with Biblical Women

3 Rebekah

17 o Chapter 3 Rebekah PENINA ADELMAN :¥vhÇ¢H»j hº°n&h k_ÄýF g÷¥r±tû&u cIºy Uv¦,ºák¥n&D “She is good to him, never bad, all the days of her life” (Prov. 31:12). jkaa vgaca 'ejmhk vknd kund vn hfu /vecr uz 'gr tku cuy uv,knd okugka udvbn 'vhp ,t vktabu rgbk treb urntu uscg ,t ovrct rnuk thv ,ahhc,n scgk vthav ukpt sjtk u,c ,t than ost t"s /lkt rnt,u vzv ahtv og hfk,v vk urntaf vecr kct 'oukf /unt vra vkvtv ejmh vthchu ch,fs 'vra vagnk ihnus vhagn uhva She is good to him, never bad, this is Rebekah. And what kind of good did she do for Isaac? At the time that Abraham sent his servant , and they said, “Let’s call the young girl and make a request of her” (Gen. 24:57); now it was customary in the world that when a man would wed his daughter to someone, even if it were a servant he was wedding her to, she would be embarrassed to say anything. But when Rebekah was asked, “Will you go with this man?” … she said, “I will” (24:58). Another thing: Rebekah’s deeds were like Sarah’s, as it is written, “Isaac then brought her to the tent of his mother Sarah …” (24:67). —Midrash ha-Gadol As soon as Sarah died, Abraham woke up to the fact that his son Isaac needed a wife. He sent his trusted servant, Eliezer, to find a suitable woman back in the land he had left years ago. When Eliezer asked what he should do if this woman were not willing to leave her land to marry, Abraham told him to return without her. Above all else, Abraham did not want his son to return to the place where he, Abraham, had grown up. He dared not send him back to a land where people bowed down to statues and believed that these 18 Praise Her Works gods of rain and thunder and grain and fertility could be won over with gifts. So Eliezer set out for Aram-naharaim, birthplace of his master, to find a wife for Isaac. He brought 10 camels with him as a bride-price. When he reached the city of Nahor, he stopped at a well where the women drew water. He said, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, grant me good fortune this day, and deal graciously with my master Abraham: Here I stand by the spring as the daughters of the townsmen come out to draw water; let the maiden to whom I say, ‘Please, lower your jar that I may drink,’ and who replies, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels’— let her be the one whom You have decreed for Your servant Isaac.” No sooner had Eliezer spoken these words in his heart than Rebekah came out with a vessel on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel, Abraham’s nephew. Eliezer asked her for a drink and she replied, “Certainly, my lord and when you are done drinking, I shall draw water for your camels also.” These were the words Eliezer had been waiting for. God was certainly full of mercy to let him know so quickly that this was the girl meant for Isaac. Abraham’s servant gave her two golden bracelets and one golden earring and asked if her family had room for him to spend the night. She said, “Yes, of course you can stay.” When Eliezer found out that she was actually related to Abraham, he was even more certain Rebekah was the wife for his master’s son. Then, on behalf of Isaac, he asked for Rebekah’s hand in marriage . Her family asked if she could stay with them a few more days before leaving. After all, they would probably not see her ever again. But Eliezer wanted to make haste. He requested that she come with him right away. Her mother and brother asked her if she wanted to go so soon and she said, “I will.” Eliezer brought Rebekah home to his master. Isaac took her into the tent that had belonged to his mother, Sarah, and he loved her. He felt comforted by her after the death of his mother. 19 Chapter 3 Rebekah Commentary “G’maltehu tov v’lo ra kol yamei hayeiha (She is good to him, never bad, all the days of her life).” What is the good that...