(סג) וַיֵּצֵ֥א יִצְחָ֛ק לָשׂ֥וּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶ֖ה לִפְנ֣וֹת עָ֑רֶב וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּ֥ה גְמַלִּ֖ים בָּאִֽים׃ (סד) וַתִּשָּׂ֤א רִבְקָה֙ אֶת־עֵינֶ֔יהָ וַתֵּ֖רֶא אֶת־יִצְחָ֑ק וַתִּפֹּ֖ל מֵעַ֥ל הַגָּמָֽל׃ (סה) וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֶל־הָעֶ֗בֶד מִֽי־הָאִ֤ישׁ הַלָּזֶה֙ הַהֹלֵ֤ךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה֙ לִקְרָאתֵ֔נוּ וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הָעֶ֖בֶד ה֣וּא אֲדֹנִ֑י וַתִּקַּ֥ח הַצָּעִ֖יף וַתִּתְכָּֽס׃ (סו) וַיְסַפֵּ֥ר הָעֶ֖בֶד לְיִצְחָ֑ק אֵ֥ת כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃ (סז) וַיְבִאֶ֣הָ יִצְחָ֗ק הָאֹ֙הֱלָה֙ שָׂרָ֣ה אִמּ֔וֹ וַיִּקַּ֧ח אֶת־רִבְקָ֛ה וַתְּהִי־ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּׁ֖ה וַיֶּאֱהָבֶ֑הָ וַיִּנָּחֵ֥ם יִצְחָ֖ק אַחֲרֵ֥י אִמּֽוֹ׃
(63) And Yitzhak went out walking in the field toward evening and, looking up, he saw camels approaching. (64) Raising her eyes, Rivka saw Yitzhak. She alighted/fell from the camel (65) and said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” And the servant said, “That is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. (66) The servant told Yitzhak all the things that he had done. (67) Yitzhak then brought her into the tent of his mother Sara, and he took Rivka as his wife. Yitzhak loved her, and thus found comfort after his mother’s death.
ותרא את יצחק. רָאֲתָה אוֹתוֹ הָדוּר וְתוֹהָא מִפָּנָיו.
(1) ותרא את יצחק She Saw Yitzhak— She saw his lordly appearance and gazed at him in astonishment
(א) ותשא רבקה וגו׳ ותרא את יצחק. בעודו עומד ומתפלל והיה אז כמלאך אלקים נורא מאד.
And Rivka raised her eyes, etc. and saw Yitzhak --as he still stood and prayed, and he was then like an angel of God, awesome.
ותפל מעל הגמל. מרוב פחד ואימה.
ותקח הצעיף ותתכס. מרוב פחד ובושה כמו שמבינה שאינה ראויה להיות לו לאשה ומאז והלאה נקבע בלבה פחד. ולא היתה עם יצחק כמו שרה עם אברהם. ורחל עם יעקב. אשר בהיות להם איזה קפידא עליהם לא בושו לדבר רתת לפניהם. משא״כ רבקה.
וכ״ז הקדמה להסיפור שיבוא בפ׳ תולדות שהיו יצחק ורבקה מחולקים בדעות. ומכ״מ לא מצאה רבקה לב להעמיד את יצחק על דעתה בדברים נכוחים כי היא יודעת האמת כי עשו רק ציד בפיו. וכן בשעת הברכות.
And she fell off the camel: from fright!
She covered her face with a veil: From fear and embarrassment, as if with a realisation that she was not worthy to be his wife. From that moment on, there was always a sense of trepidation in her heart. Her relationship with Yitzchak was very different to Sara's with Avraham or Rachel and Yaakov. With them, if there was a problem, they would not be afraid or apprehensive to talk it through. This was not the case with Rivka.
This story is the prologue to the story in Parshat Toldot where Yitzhak and Rivka have very different opinions. Rivka could never bring herself to talk to Yitzhak about the truth she felt regarding Esav. The same was true about the bestowing of the blessings.
And Yitzchak brought Rivka to his mother’s tent. He took Rivka, she became his wife, and then he loved her, and then he was comforted over the loss of his mother. In modern parlance, we might say, he dated her, he married her, and then he grew to love her. This is the classic beauty of the ideal Jewish home. The more she lived as and grew into her role of being his wife, such did his love for her grow.
(כא) וַיֶּעְתַּ֨ר יִצְחָ֤ק לַֽה' לְנֹ֣כַח אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ כִּ֥י עֲקָרָ֖ה הִ֑וא וַיֵּעָ֤תֶר לוֹ֙ ה' וַתַּ֖הַר רִבְקָ֥ה אִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃
(21) Yitzhak pleaded with Hashem on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and Hashem responded to his plea, and his wife Rivka conceived.
ויעתר יצחק, הרבה בתפלה על אשתו שתלד לפי שהיה אוהב אותה אהבה יתירה כמו שפירשנו, ומאהבתה לא רצה לקחת אשה אחרת עליה ולא אחת מנערותיה, לפיכך הרבה מאד בתפלה עד שנעתר לו האל.
ויעתר, he prayed long and hard asking that his wife should bear a child, seeing that he loved her very dearly [and would not consider marrying anyone in addition to her. Ed.] He would not even consider taking any of Rivkah’s handmaids as a partner, as had his father Avraham who had married Hagar. As a result of all this prayer, Rivkah did finally become pregnant.