(יד) וְהָיָה הַֽנַּעֲרָ אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶ֙יהָ הַטִּי־נָא כַדֵּךְ וְאֶשְׁתֶּה וְאָמְרָה שְׁתֵה וְגַם־גְּמַלֶּיךָ אַשְׁקֶה אֹתָהּ הֹכַחְתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לְיִצְחָק וּבָהּ אֵדַע כִּי־עָשִׂיתָ חֶסֶד עִם־אֲדֹנִי׃
(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.”
ומכאן למד אליעזר שלא בדק את רבקה כי אם במדה זו אם יש לה עין טובה וגומלת חסדים, לכך אמר אני לא אתבע ממנה כ״א שתתן לי לשתות, והיה אם תשיב לי שתה וגם גמליך אשקה אז בודאי היא בעלת גמילות חסדים שתתן לי יותר ממה שאני שואל, ואם כן אותה הוכחת לעבדך ליצחק.
And from here Eliezer learned that he didn't need to check Rivkah except with this trait--if she is generous [lit. has a good eye] and does kindness, and there he said "I will not demand from her anything but that she give me to drink, and if she responds, 'drink, and I will also give your camels to drink' then certainly she is a doer of kindness, that she will give me more than what I ask, and if so she You have proven for Your servant, for Yitzchak.
(נ) וַיַּעַן לָבָן וּבְתוּאֵל וַיֹּאמְרוּ מֵיי יָצָא הַדָּבָר לֹא נוּכַל דַּבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ רַע אוֹ־טוֹב׃
(נא) הִנֵּה־רִבְקָה לְפָנֶיךָ קַח וָלֵךְ וּתְהִי אִשָּׁה לְבֶן־אֲדֹנֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יי׃
(נב) וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע עֶבֶד אַבְרָהָם אֶת־דִּבְרֵיהֶם וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַרְצָה לַיי׃
(נג) וַיּוֹצֵא הָעֶבֶד כְּלֵי־כֶסֶף וּכְלֵי זָהָב וּבְגָדִים וַיִּתֵּן לְרִבְקָה וּמִגְדָּנֹת נָתַן לְאָחִיהָ וּלְאִמָּהּ׃
(נד) וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ הוּא וְהָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־עִמּוֹ וַיָּלִינוּ וַיָּקוּמוּ בַבֹּקֶר וַיֹּאמֶר שַׁלְּחֻנִי לַאדֹנִי׃
(נה) וַיֹּאמֶר אָחִיהָ וְאִמָּהּ תֵּשֵׁב הַנַּעֲרָ אִתָּנוּ יָמִים אוֹ עָשׂוֹר אַחַר תֵּלֵךְ׃
(נו) וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם אַל־תְּאַחֲרוּ אֹתִי וַיי הִצְלִיחַ דַּרְכִּי שַׁלְּחוּנִי וְאֵלְכָה לַאדֹנִי׃
(נז) וַיֹּאמְרוּ נִקְרָא לַנַּעֲרָ וְנִשְׁאֲלָה אֶת־פִּיהָ׃
(נח) וַיִּקְרְאוּ לְרִבְקָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלֶיהָ הֲתֵלְכִי עִם־הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלֵךְ׃
(50) Then Laban and Bethuel answered, “The matter came from Adonai; we cannot say bad or good about it.
(51) Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be a wife to your master’s son, as Adonai has spoken.”
(52) When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed low to the ground before Adonai.
(53) The servant brought out objects of silver and gold, and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; and he gave presents to her brother and her mother.
(54) Then he and the others ate and drank, and they spent the night. When they arose next morning, he said, “Let me go to my master.”
(55) But [Rebekah's] brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us, say, for ten days; then you may go.”
(56) He said to them, “Don't slow me down, now that Adonai has cleared my path. Send me along, and I will go to my master.”
(57) And they said, “Let us call the young woman and ask her directly.”
(58) They called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man ?” And she said, “I will go.”
ונשאלה את פיה. מִכָּאן שֶׁאֵין מַשִּׂיאִין אֶת הָאִשָּׁה אֶלָּא מִדַּעְתָּהּ (בראשית רבה):
ותאמר אלך. מֵעַצְמִי, וְאַף אִם אֵינְכֶם רוֹצִים:
ונשאלה את פיה AND ASK HER DIRECTLY —From this we may infer that a woman should not be given in marriage except with her own consent (Genesis Rabbah 60:12).
ותאמר אלך AND SHE SAID, I WILL GO— of my own accord even though you do not consent (Genesis Rabbah 60:12).
Naomi Gurt Lind
If Rebekah lived today she’d probably have pink hair to go with the nose-ring that Eliezar gives her to mark her as Isaac’s betrothed. She comes from a family that is, in colloquial terms, effed up. Her dad Betuel is a specter who barely does anything. But hey, at least he gets a name, which is more than can be said for her mother. Her brother Laban is a greedy sneak, a petty crook who looks for every opportunity to profit off her, as he will later do to his own daughters.
When Abraham’s servant Eliezar gives Rebekah a sample case of the family jewels, she sees opportunity. Maybe she has a bit of the family greed herself. Anyway, she guesses there’s more where that came from and damned if she’s gonna share it with her slimy brother. She agrees to go off with Eliezar to join Abraham’s household. How bad can it be, with all that swag?
Little does she know her new fiancé is long in the tooth and full of troubles and griefs. Having been threatened at knifepoint by his own dear old dad, and now recently bereaved of his mother, Isaac is hollowed out.
Nonetheless, Rebekah falls for him, falls right off her camel. Maybe she was surprised at what she’d gotten herself into. The dudes that wrote down the stories want you to think she fell in love at first sight with this pathetic old creature but that’s such a dude thing, isn’t it? Maybe she was just ass-sore from riding a camel.
Anyway, she’s stuck with him now, and he’s probably better than her original family. She and Isaac have twins, Jacob and Esau, and even before they’re born, they’re fighting. Esau is born first and is Daddy’s little man, but Rebekah always favors Jacob. When it comes time for Isaac to bless his favorite kid before kicking the bucket, Rebekah manages to disguise Jacob as Esau so he can snatch the blessing right out from his big brother’s hairy nose.
Daughter of a specter, sister of one wily dude, she holds her own and makes way for her baby to get what he needs.