Rebecca captures our attention early on in the biblical narrative. The text tells us that she was beautiful in her looks, (Genesis 24:16) and that she had good values.

While her looks were described, her value system was demonstrated.

When servants came to meet Rebecca on a matchmaking mission and introduce her to Isaac, Rebecca draws water for the matchmakers and she draws water for their camels too.

Water is a common theme throughout the Bible. Watering wells are central meeting places for families and cisterns were always the hub at the town square where people would gather and kibbetz. In some ways, it was the ancient form of what is in modernity, the water-cooler. 

Water symbolizes prosperity, health and family. In the case of Rebecca though , it includes hospitality and love for all living things. While water springs up in many instances in the Bible, offering water to animals is uncommon. Why include it in this story?

I posit that Rebecca in offering water to the animals as well as the messengers, was demonstrating that love for humans without a love for living things - the camels in this case - is tantamount to worshipping God in ritual but not in deed. While humans might trump animals on the creation chain, our responsibility to all of God's creations - animals, trees and environment - are core to our Jewish being in prayer and practice. We cannot love one without the other, or else our religion might be dead in the water.

Shabbat Shalom,

Scholar in Residence

Temple Emanu-El is honored to announce that Rabbi Naomi Levy will be Scholar in Residence on Shabbat, November 19 - 21. The program will include a talk during Friday evening service - To Begin Again; Saturday, during Shabbat service Talking to God; and Sunday morning at 9:30 am Study Session and Healing Program geared for survivors of cancer. Open to all. For a full program and Rabbi Naomi Levy's bio click here.