(יד) וְהָיָ֣ה הַֽנַּעֲרָ֗ אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֹמַ֤ר אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ הַטִּי־נָ֤א כַדֵּךְ֙ וְאֶשְׁתֶּ֔ה וְאָמְרָ֣ה שְׁתֵ֔ה וְגַם־גְּמַלֶּ֖יךָ אַשְׁקֶ֑ה אֹתָ֤הּ הֹכַ֙חְתָּ֙ לְעַבְדְּךָ֣ לְיִצְחָ֔ק וּבָ֣הּ אֵדַ֔ע כִּי־עָשִׂ֥יתָ חֶ֖סֶד עִם־אֲדֹנִֽי׃ (טו) וַֽיְהִי־ה֗וּא טֶרֶם֮ כִּלָּ֣ה לְדַבֵּר֒ וְהִנֵּ֧ה רִבְקָ֣ה יֹצֵ֗את אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֻלְּדָה֙ לִבְתוּאֵ֣ל בֶּן־מִלְכָּ֔ה אֵ֥שֶׁת נָח֖וֹר אֲחִ֣י אַבְרָהָ֑ם וְכַדָּ֖הּ עַל־שִׁכְמָֽהּ׃ (טז) וְהַֽנַּעֲרָ֗ טֹבַ֤ת מַרְאֶה֙ מְאֹ֔ד בְּתוּלָ֕ה וְאִ֖ישׁ לֹ֣א יְדָעָ֑הּ וַתֵּ֣רֶד הָעַ֔יְנָה וַתְּמַלֵּ֥א כַדָּ֖הּ וַתָּֽעַל׃ (יז) וַיָּ֥רָץ הָעֶ֖בֶד לִקְרָאתָ֑הּ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר הַגְמִיאִ֥ינִי נָ֛א מְעַט־מַ֖יִם מִכַּדֵּֽךְ׃ (יח) וַתֹּ֖אמֶר שְׁתֵ֣ה אֲדֹנִ֑י וַתְּמַהֵ֗ר וַתֹּ֧רֶד כַּדָּ֛הּ עַל־יָדָ֖הּ וַתַּשְׁקֵֽהוּ׃ (יט) וַתְּכַ֖ל לְהַשְׁקֹת֑וֹ וַתֹּ֗אמֶר גַּ֤ם לִגְמַלֶּ֙יךָ֙ אֶשְׁאָ֔ב עַ֥ד אִם־כִּלּ֖וּ לִשְׁתֹּֽת׃ (כ) וַתְּמַהֵ֗ר וַתְּעַ֤ר כַּדָּהּ֙ אֶל־הַשֹּׁ֔קֶת וַתָּ֥רָץ ע֛וֹד אֶֽל־הַבְּאֵ֖ר לִשְׁאֹ֑ב וַתִּשְׁאַ֖ב לְכָל־גְּמַלָּֽיו׃
(14) 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. Thereby shall I know that You have dealt graciously with my master.” (15) He had scarcely finished speaking, when Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, came out with her jar on her shoulder. (16) The maiden was very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. (17) The servant ran toward her and said, “Please, let me sip a little water from your jar.” (18) “Drink, my lord,” she said, and she quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and let him drink. (19) When she had let him drink his fill, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking.” (20) Quickly emptying her jar into the trough, she ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.
What is Eliezer looking for?
- A wife for Isaac
- A woman who will be hospitable, have a big heart, have a great character
- A woman who will go above and beyond -- offer water to his camels even though he just asks for water for himself
What are the ways that Rebecca is helpful?
Eliezer:
1) Rebecca lowered the jar to Eliezer so that he wouldn't have to work too hard to drink. She also ran to help his animals so he wouldn't feel that he needed to help her. (Or HaChaim, written by Rabbi Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar (1696-1743))
2) "...Rebecca was sensitive about equating [Eliezer] with his animals, so she said, 'Drink, my lord.' Later on, after he had enjoyed his fill of water, she offered to give some to his animals." (Jacob Tsvi Meklenberg, 1785-1865)
3) "She stopped the servant from drinking too much because one must be careful not to have too much cold water after being in the heat and sun. But, in order to prevent him from thinking that she did not want him to have enough water to drink, she told him, 'I will draw water for your camels until they finish drinking.' In that way the servant knew that she was not selfishly holding back water from either him or his animals." (Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Judah Berlin, Ha-Emek Davar)
Camels:
1) "Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, a renowned halachic scholar (scholar of Jewish law), explained that Rebecca was so kind that it was second nature for her to take care of other's needs. It was obvious to her that the camels needed water and she saw no need to discuss it."
2) "The Kedushat Levi suggests that Rebecca consciously chose not to give water to the camels one by one, for she would not want to choose which one to give first and cause the others to wait. Rather, Rebecca chose to keep running to the well, drawing water, and pouring the water into the trough, so that all the camels could drink at once. Physically, this was a much more demanding way to provide water for the camels."
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/valuing-kindness/
1) Rebecca lowered the jar to Eliezer so that he wouldn't have to work too hard to drink. She also ran to help his animals so he wouldn't feel that he needed to help her. (Or HaChaim, written by Rabbi Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar (1696-1743))
2) "...Rebecca was sensitive about equating [Eliezer] with his animals, so she said, 'Drink, my lord.' Later on, after he had enjoyed his fill of water, she offered to give some to his animals." (Jacob Tsvi Meklenberg, 1785-1865)
3) "She stopped the servant from drinking too much because one must be careful not to have too much cold water after being in the heat and sun. But, in order to prevent him from thinking that she did not want him to have enough water to drink, she told him, 'I will draw water for your camels until they finish drinking.' In that way the servant knew that she was not selfishly holding back water from either him or his animals." (Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Judah Berlin, Ha-Emek Davar)
Camels:
1) "Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, a renowned halachic scholar (scholar of Jewish law), explained that Rebecca was so kind that it was second nature for her to take care of other's needs. It was obvious to her that the camels needed water and she saw no need to discuss it."
2) "The Kedushat Levi suggests that Rebecca consciously chose not to give water to the camels one by one, for she would not want to choose which one to give first and cause the others to wait. Rather, Rebecca chose to keep running to the well, drawing water, and pouring the water into the trough, so that all the camels could drink at once. Physically, this was a much more demanding way to provide water for the camels."
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/valuing-kindness/
What does the text explicitly say about Rebecca? What do we learn from this?
It says she is beautiful, tovat mareh, which many times means good looks. However, the text doesn't go into more detail about her looks, which makes us question if that is really what it means.
We learn that it is more about what we do and who we are than what we look like. This Shabbat, may we focus on thinking about others and making the world a better place.