Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher on her shoulder. The young lady was very beautiful to look at, a virgin. No man had known her. She went down to the spring, filled her pitcher, and came up. The servant ran to meet her, and said, “Please give me a drink, a little water from your pitcher.” She said, “Drink, my lord.” She hurried, and let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him a drink. When she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they have finished drinking.” She hurried, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels. The man looked steadfastly at her, remaining silent, to know whether Yahweh had made his journey prosperous or not.”
(Genesis 24:15-21)

Abraham had been out of this land for over a hundred years. But when the servant came there, he immediately found Abraham’s relatives. When we pray, coincidences happen. When we don’t, they don’t. This was a move of God to confirm Abraham’s decision to seek a wife here being God’s will. And it was a direct answer to this servant to bring to him exactly the person God had in mind for Isaac.

She was beautiful. She had morals. She was kind and hospitable. She was not afraid of hard work. She didn’t make offers she didn’t mean to follow through with and she followed through immediately, not dragging her heels or moping through a convention of politeness. She did what she said she would do. This girl had character, not just youthful looks. She went beyond the simple request that had been asked of her. She was giving.

The servant didn’t let the cat out of the bag. He didn’t jump the gun. He waited until she was done because anyone can start a big task (and camel watering by bucket was a HUGE task: 30-50 gallons at a time and 10 camels in total), but he had asked for a girl who completed it. He waited until he got his sign, not just the shadow of it.

The Torah: A Women’s Commentary writes: ‘going forth. As soon as Rebekah is introduced, she is an active character. Rebekah possesses three virtues that neither Abraham nor the servant had stipulated. marriageable age. The word b’tulah is often translated as “virgin” but has a broader meaning than a biological one. In the ancient world, women often married shortly after puberty; therefore, one can assume that Rebekah is very young. Isaac, her future husband, is forty years old (25:20). whom no man had yet known. To “know” in the Bible often refers to sexual relationships. This phrase indicates that Rebekah is a virgin (see at 4:1). 18–19. Once the servant asks Rebekah for “a little water” from her jar (v. 17), she assumes the role of primary actor. Rebekah’s response portrays her as an energetic and resourceful woman, one ready to engage in conversation with a total stranger rather than retreat from such an encounter. Nothing suggests that Rebekah, or other women, were expected to be in seclusion, away from men’s gaze or contact, as would become customary later in the Middle East (see also 29:1–10). “Drink, sir!” Rebekah instructs him gently. “I will draw some for your camels, too.” Given the amount of water a camel drinks, this is no easy task.’

The sage Steinsaltz writes: ‘It was before he concluded to speak, while he was still praying; behold, Rebecca, who was mentioned earlier (22:23), was coming out. Either she arrived first, before the other girls, or she stood out in some manner. The verse proceeds to restate her lineage: It was Rebecca who was born to Betuel, son of Milka, the primary wife, rather than a concubine, of Nahor, brother of Abraham. This is Abraham’s closest family (see 22:24). And her jug was on her shoulder as she came. And the girl was good-looking, a virgin, and a man had not been intimate with her, which indicates that she was modest. Naturally, the servant became aware of these facts only later. She descended to the spring, she filled her jug, and ascended from the spring, which was slightly lower than the area surrounding it. The girl, whose dress likely indicated that she was unmarried, and who appeared to him to be the appropriate age for Isaac, impressed Abraham’s servant. Therefore, the servant ran toward her, and he said: Please allow me to sip a little water from your jug. She said: Drink, my lord, and she hurried and lowered her jug on her hand, and gave him to drink. Instead of tilting the jug while it was still on her shoulder, Rebecca took the extra effort of removing the heavy container from her shoulder, so that it would be easier for the servant to drink. She concluded giving him to drink, and after he had drunk his fill she said: It is not enough for you alone to drink; I will draw for your camels and give them to drink as well, until they conclude to drink and their thirst is satiated. She hurried, emptied the water that remained in her jug into the trough, ran again to the well to draw, and drew for all his camels. It is no simple matter to give ten camels all the water they require; even a single camel that has traveled a long distance will consume a tremendous amount of water. Therefore, the man stared at her as she ran back and forth from the well to the trough and was astonished at her. He was still silent, waiting to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not. In light of her actions, he was certainly wondering about her identity and her family background, and thinking how he could learn more about her.’

The sage Rav Hirsch writes: ‘V. 15. Abraham’s wish could hardly have been granted more fully. Bethuel was doubly related to him. Bethuel’s father was Abraham’s brother, his mother was Abraham’s niece and also a sister of Sarah. In this report it is really Milcah who is stressed, as also in Rebecca’s reply, Rebecca’s mother is not mentioned. She, the mother seems not to have come from Abraham’s family at all nor to have become imbibed with any of the Abrahamitic spirit. It seems that Rebecca took after her grandmother, while her brother followed the footsteps of his mother. The continuation of the story shows us that the two, mother and son, ran the household, but that Bethuel — more on the Abrahamitic side — probably looked on as an old good-hearted “Jew”, not keen enough on his own interests and money, was pushed in a corner. V. 17.—20. וירץ העבד, not Eliezer, “the servant,” in the demeanour of a slave he hurried to meet her. He begs for just “a little water” to “gulp down”. She answers: “Drink”, and adds “my lord”, although he stands as a slave before her. And then, promptly step by step disclosed the woman who was worthy, with her Abrahamitic feelings, to take the place of Sarah. At first, not a word about the camels, as Eliezer had hoped. Only when she had completely quenched his thirst did she say: “For your camels, too, will I drew water until they will have completely drunk their fill”: Had Rebecca said this at once, a certain trait which characterises the true גומל חסד, and the true Jewish Woman, would have been missing. She would have been a conceited gossip who likes to make a big talk about her good deeds. And then she does not offer merely to give the camels also “a drink”. That, by itself, would already be quite a tiresome task, just to give each camel a jug-full would entail ten journeys down to the well and ten drawings up of the bucket. But no, she will draw and draw and fill the whole trough up until all the camels have drunk their fill! A camel drinks enough at a time to enable it to go for 3 days without water, perhaps it gets its name גמל from that fact. (A camel’s stomach is provided with pouches in which fluid is retained I.L.) And with it all, how nimble and quick she is, ותרץ ,ותמהר, she does not think long about it, and is not slow or dilatory when it is a matter of doing humane work. What Eliezer had left in the pitcher, she carefully empties into the trough. She could have left it in or thrown it out. But the Jewish nature is as economical with its forces and means as it is extravagant with them. Just because to it, even the tiniest means for doing a מצוה is fulfilling a duty, everything is holy to it. It will not waste uselessly the smallest expenditure of energy nor the tiniest drop of water. But, on the other hand, for a good purpose it knows no limit to what it will spend of its forces and means.’