Chaye Sara
Then Lavan and Bethuel answered, “The
matter was decreed by the Lord; we cannot speak to you bad or good. Here is Rebecca before you; take her and go
and let her be a wife to your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.
24:50-51
What was such an expression of
faith in God doing on the ips of such idolaters and
heathens as Bethuel and Lavan? Surely they were heathens and believers in
good and evil omens! The servant did not
want to stress that a character test was involved and that the bride to be for
Abraham’s son, one of the matriarchs of the chosen people was required to
possess that quality of hospitableness and consideration for others that
distinguished its progenitor. But for
her idolatrous, superstitious family it was sufficient to refer to the
fulfillment of the omens that the servant was looking for.
Mayan Ganim
(12th Century)
Rebecca is the only one of the
matriarchs who is explicitly chosen by test and on the basis of character. As such, her selection reminds us more of the
emergence of Abraham than of Sarah, whom we come to know as already married to
a patriarch. This parallel to Abraham is
reinforced later in our story when Rebecca stands up to another test, that of
her family’s resistance….When called by God, she. Like Abraham, stands the test
by choosing to follow the calling, and she ends up retracing the steps of his
journey from Aram-naharayim to
Joseph Reimer (Contemporary)
Rebecca’s eagerness to be kind and
helpful to a passing stranger is what convinces Eliezer that she will be the
best wife for Isaac; enabling the troubled son to become a patriarch, enabling
the new couple to build the first home in which the ideals and lifestyle of
Abraham and Sarah will be practiced and bequeathed to future generations.
Pinchas Peli (Contemporary)
Why did Bethuel
say “we cannot say good or bad, since the matter originated with God?” Since when has heavenly intervention
prevented repentance, or robbed anyone of his free choice? …the term good and evil in relation to man
are only used when equal opportunities in either direction exist…This is why
Eliezer had stated if you will do the kindness to my master, tell me. He refers to “lovingkindness”
and “truth.”…Whenever the opportunities which confront one are not equal, the
use of the term “truth,” for doing what is right is more appropriate than the
word “good.”…
Akedat Yitzchak (15th
Century)
Deep inside each of us is
something that, in Paul Tillich’s words, is an “ultimate concern.”
Discovering and identifying it satisfies the basic human need for a
coherence that binds everything we do, something that links every day to the
previous one and the next, a common denominator of our existence. From this essential point flows
all those things in our world: love,
compassion, frustration, desire, commitment, anger. In a world where the number of options grows
exponentially every day, this core belief gives us the strength and ability to
choose between right and wrong. From it
emanates the integrity ever so elusive in society.
Shlomo Riskin (Contemporary)