Cynthia Barnard, 11/13/98 

In reflecting on this parasha, and in particular the verses I have chanted tonight, I want to leave you with the image of Rebecca, who embodies some of our most profound Jewish values, and I want to leave you thinking about – believe it or not -- Niagara Falls.

 The images in tonight’s parasha are wonderfully vivid.  Rebecca approaches the well, and draws up water, again and again, refreshing the foolish, nameless servant and his camels.  But she doesn’t just walk – she runs, she hurries, she even interrupts.  She enters our story in the midst of the servant’s plaintive bargaining with God – before he had finished speaking.  She quickly lowers her jug for the servant to drink.  She exceeds his request to slake his own thirst and she hurries and runs to the well to draw water for his camels.   (As so often in Torah, the great soul is one who cares for the welfare of God’s other creatures, the animals.)

 Back and forth, we imagine her strong and lovely and intent on her work, quick and purposeful.  The clean, lifesaving water pours rhythmically from her jug, over and over, satisfying man and beast.

 Water is an image that dominates Torah from the very first ringing phrases of B’reishit through the end of Deuteronomy when Moses gazes across the Jordan. God pulled solid earth and rich seas apart from the rushing, formless void.  God sent the Flood harshly to cleanse a corrupted world.  Hagar is sent out with a meager skin of water to sustain herself and her son.  The infant Moses floats to his foster mother, Pharoah’s daughter, while his sister and mother lurk, agonized, on the riverbank.  The great Reed Sea parts for Moses’ ragtag band of slaves, closes its torrents over the heads of the Egyptian pursuers.  At Meribah, Moses loses control and in his anger defies God, as he strikes the rock which will yield precious water for the desert wanderers.  Water is certainly the most important natural resource in the desert and in Canaan. Water makes up seventy percent of our earth, seventy percent of our bodies.  Even today, more traditional congregations continue to include in the longer version of the Sh’ma and its blessings the section of Deuteronomy in which God promises that faithful worship and righteous behavior will be rewarded with rain in its season.

 And so Rebecca teaches us so much.  She teaches us to bring water to those who need it, and to bring it in a great hurry.  To do right, and to do it now.  To know what is needed, to listen and even  to exceed what is asked, and to do it quickly.  To bring water to those who cannot get it for themselves.  To pour out the water again and again, to slake thirst, to refresh the withered and sere, to run to the task.

 Rebecca is a one-woman Niagara Falls.  She is water, sustenance, endless tzedakah and generosity, rushing and hurrying and powerful in fulfilling God’s plan in a simple, brief encounter with a bumbling servant and his tired camels.  She is chesed, that special sort of loving-kindness imbued with spiritual luster, that is so hard to translate from Hebrew to English.

 Rebecca has probably run to the well for dozens of thirsty strangers before this very special one arrived on this very special day. Niagara Falls goes about its business day and night, in rainy season and dry season.  Our chesed must flow constantly as well, day and night, whether acknowledged or private, whether in response to loud demands or silently proferred.

Hillel reminds us, “If not now, when?” and the sages comment that he did not say, “If not today, when?” – he said now.  This moment.  There may not be another moment in this day, or tomorrow, or the day after.  We must hurry to tzedakah, to righteousness, to generosity, to chesed.  We too must be Niagara Falls.

Lauren Levrant, 11/13/98

When I first looked at this portion, there were many directions that I could have taken. First, I thought it was about a father who didn’t  want his son to marry a shicksa.  Granted, these weren't just people who worshipped a different god, these were people who performed human sacrifice for their god.  But a d’var on the evils of intermarriage,  I didn’t want to go there.

Then, I thought about Abraham’s decision to send his servant to find a wife for his son.  Yes, he was getting on in years, but if you read on, you’ll see that after Isaac is all set up with a wife, Abraham takes up with Keturah and fathers 6 more children.  Not too old, I guess.  If I continued on this track, I could speak about hiring surrogates to care for your children, versus doing the job yourself.  I sure didn’t want to go there

Another train of thought led me to ponder as to where Isaac was living since the Akedah. Was he at the Well of the Living One Who Sees with Ishmael?  Had he deserted the father who had almost sacrificed him to live with his half brother and his fathers rejected concubine?  Is it possible that the story of our revered ancestors is really just the story of a dysfunctional family, not much different from the rest of us?  I really didn’t want to go there.

So, where do I want to go with this?  I want to go in a positive direction.  To find the love Abraham felt for his son, and for his God.  The respect the servant had for his master and his masters God.  And the love God had for the family he had chosen.

Yes, Abraham chose not to go back to Aram himself.  He sent a surrogate, but there he was.  A very wealthy man.  Blessed with everything, but a daughter. The only monotheist living among idol worshiping, child sacrificers.  Arranged marriage was probably the way to go.  Where else was he to find the best matchmaker, but from his own household.  In his favor, I’d have to say he chose wisely.  He selected his eldest servant.  A man who showed respect for the God of Abraham.  A man who even felt comfortable enough with his master s God to as him for help in the task he was given.  It has even been suggested that this servant , who many believe to be Eliezar, had a daughter he hoped would marry Isaac.  And despite his disappointment, he did as he as asked.  This could have been Abraham’s best means of securing the right bride for his son.  A woman who would follow in Sarah s noble footsteps, in her righteous path.  By having her brought to them, in Canaan, instead of sending Isaac there, Abraham insured that his descendants would not be influenced by the remaining idolaters in his family, they would remain in the land that God had promised them and keep the Covenant.

The relationship between Abraham’s servant, Eliezar and God is also an interesting one, too.  While Abraham seems assured that the appropriate bride will be found, Eliezar is apprehensive.  Maybe he won t find her.  Maybe she will refuse to return with him.  But, he is comfortable enough with the God of his master to ask him for a favor.  He even hesitates before proposing his plan, to show his respect.

And God, what about him?  He answers Eliezar’s prayer.  Despite injunctions against omens and divinations, he gives exactly the sign asked for.  He makes sure that there is continuity.  Isaac will marry the right woman, one who possesses both generosity and chutzpah.  A proper matriarch for the chosen people.

Doing the best you can for your child, showing respect, following directions against your own personal desires,  as Teyve’s wife Golda would say,  If that’s not love what is?