Chayei Sarah Genesis 23:1-25:18 - The Jewish Home

Chayei Sarah
Genesis 23:1-25:18
Eliezer's Mission
Things now happen swiftly:
Before he had finished speaking, Rebecca came out... with her pitcher upon her
shoulder. And the girl was very fair to look upon...
The servant ran to meet her, and said: "Please, let me drink a little water from your
pitcher." And she said: "Drink, my lord"; and she hastened, and let down her pitcher
upon her hand, and gave him drink.
And when she had done giving him drink, she said: "I will draw water for your camels
also, until they have done drinking." And she hastened, and emptied her pitcher into
the trough, and ran again to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
Eliezer "looked at her wonderingly, but kept his peace, waiting to know whether G-d had
made his journey prosperous or not" for he still had to determine if she met the
criteria insisted upon by Abraham--that Isaac's wife be "from my kindred."
Still, he must have been fairly certain that she was the one, because he immediately
gave her "a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of
ten shekels weight of gold," in effect betrothing her to Isaac. Only then did he ask:
"Whose daughter are you? Tell me, I pray thee: is there room in your father's house for
us to lodge in?"
And she said to him: "I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milka, whom she bore to
Nachor."
She was Abraham's brother's granddaughter! Then she answered his second question:
"We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in."
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