Intro to Rivka

This week in class we learned that Rivka is one very abnormally kind, selfless, modest, and outgoing girl. When we first meet here, she is rushing to give Eliezer (who is a stranger to her) and all of his camels water. Assuming that her pitcher which she carries on her shoulder can hold 2 gallons of water, we calculated that it would take 200 trips to the well and back to fully satiate the camels. After making discovery, I realized how truly, incredibly crazy what Rivka did was. Even the most selfless, kind women I can think of would never even consider doing what Rivka did. She ran to the well and back 200 times to get water for a man she did not know and his camels. All he asked for was a little water from her pitcher. Of course, we know that Yitzchak's wife must be special and unique...but this seems a bit extreme.

When I was younger and I learned this story I thought that giving the camels water was very kind, but not too incredible. Other people might see a thirsty man with camels holding gold, silver, and clothing and think that by giving them water might get them a reward (from the riches) in return. I also thought that the hardest decision and the most incredible thing she did was when she decided to leave her family and go with Eliezer. She acted on blind faith, like Avraham had done when he followed G-d to Canaan many years earlier. Now, I see it differently. Of course, choosing to leave her family behind in order to go with Eliezer and begin a life guided by G-d seems like an unimaginable decision for the average person; however, we have just seen how kind and selfless she was when she gave Eliezer and his camels the water, so clearly she is not in the slightest similar to her family. It seems like she has already seen the faults her family has and knows the way she must act. She might not have believed in ethical monotheism, but she has morals and knows how to act as an ethical, kind human being.

By accepting the fact that Rivka knows how she is supposed to act, we can assume that she knows somewhere inside of her that her family does not act the way they are supposed to. She must know that their tricks and games are not right. When Eliezer told her of a place in which everyone believed in one G-d and acted BTzelem Elokim and with Tzedeck Oomishpat, she was probably fascinated by the idea. Finally she could live in a place that was based on moral and with ethical people who dedicated their lives to becoming better people, serving G-d, and helping others learn to do the same. After thinking about all of this, Rivka's decision to leave her family is a lot less baffling.

I still find the fact that she was willing to run to the well and back 200 times just to bring water to a stranger and his camels completely insane. There must be more to the story. It's hard to believe anyone would do that. Maybe she sensed that he was a man who followed G-d. Maybe Eliezer did something or wore something that hinted to her who he was/where he was from. Maybe she saw the gold and silver on the camels and realized that he was an important person and therefore should be treated extra specially. Or maybe she was really was just an extraordinary person.