The story begins with Abraham, who, concerned about finding the right wife for his son Isaac, sends his trusted servant Eliezer on a mission to Haran. Eliezer is laden with gifts and accompanied, according to tradition, by not one, but two angels – one to guard him, and another to watch over the destined bride, Rebekah! According to Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, the journey, which would normally take days, was miraculously shortened to mere hours because "the earth hastened to meet him in a wonderful way."
Upon arriving at the well in Haran, Eliezer devises a test. He prays to God that the woman destined to be Isaac's wife will be the one who, unlike the other maidens, offers him water (Genesis 24:12-14). Now, some might say this wish was "unseemly," as Ginzberg puts it. What if a simple servant girl had offered him water? But God, as always, had a plan.
Enter Rebekah. She arrives at the well, and not only readily offers Eliezer water, but also rebukes the other maidens for their lack of courtesy. Eliezer also notices something miraculous: the water rises up to meet her, saving her the effort of drawing it herself. He's convinced – this is the one. He presents her with a nose ring, set with a precious stone, foreshadowing the half-shekel that her descendants would later contribute to the sanctuary, and two bracelets, symbolizing the two tablets of stone and the Ten Commandments.
Rebekah, adorned with these gifts, returns home, and her brother Laban, seeing the wealth, rushes out to meet Eliezer. Laban initially intended to harm Eliezer and take his goods! But seeing Eliezer, Laban is reminded of Abraham and is intimidated. He greets him with feigned hospitality, saying, "Come in, thou blessed of the Lord! It is not becoming that thou shouldst stand without, I have cleansed my house of idols."
But the deceit doesn't end there. According to Legends of the Jews, when Eliezer arrives at Bethuel's house, they attempt to poison him! Luckily, Eliezer refuses to eat until he has explained his mission. While he recounts his story, the poisoned dish miraculously ends up in front of Bethuel, who eats it and dies!
Eliezer then presents the document in which Abraham deeds all his possessions to Isaac. At first, Rebekah's family agrees to let her go. But with Bethuel's death, they hesitate, wanting her to stay at least through the week of mourning. But Eliezer, seeing the angel waiting, insists on immediate departure. Rebekah, when asked, declares her readiness to go. Her mother and brother reluctantly grant their blessing – a blessing, however, that "did not come from the bottom of their hearts," and which, according to tradition, contributed to Rebekah's later struggles with infertility.
The return journey is as miraculous as the first. A seventeen-day trip is compressed into just three hours! Eliezer arrives in Hebron at the time of the Minhah prayer, which Isaac himself had instituted. Rebekah sees Isaac praying and is struck by his beauty and the angelic presence accompanying him. At that moment, she learns, through divine intuition (Ruach HaKodesh), that she is destined to be the mother of the wicked Esau. Terrified, she falls from her camel and injures herself.
Isaac, after hearing Eliezer's incredible story, takes Rebekah into his mother Sarah's tent. And here's where the magic truly happens. The cloud that had hovered over Sarah's tent during her lifetime, and vanished upon her death, reappears. The light that Sarah had kindled each Sabbath, and that had burned miraculously throughout the week, shines again. The blessing that had blessed Sarah's dough returns, and the gates of the tent are once again opened wide to the needy.
For three years, Isaac had mourned his mother's death, finding solace only in the academy of Shem and Eber. But Rebekah, a counterpart of Sarah in both appearance and spirit, finally brings him comfort. It's a beautiful testament to the power of connection and the enduring legacy of faith.
And what about Eliezer? As a reward for his loyal service, Abraham sets him free. The curse resting on the descendants of Canaan, according to Legends of the Jews, is transformed into a blessing for Eliezer because of his faithfulness. And, most remarkably, God deems him worthy of entering Paradise alive – a rare honor indeed.
So, what can we take away from this story? It's a reminder that love stories, even those divinely orchestrated, are filled with human drama, tests of faith, and moments of profound connection. It shows us the importance of kindness, loyalty, and the enduring power of a good blessing – or the consequences of a bad one. And perhaps, most importantly, it reminds us that even in the face of destiny, we always have a choice.
Attended by ten men, mounted upon ten camels laden with jewels and trinkets, Eliezer betook himself to Haran under the convoy of two angels, the one appointed to keep guard over Eliezer, the other over Rebekah. The journey to Haran took but a few hours, at evening of the same day he reached there, because the earth hastened to meet him in a wonderful way. He made a halt at the well of water, and he prayed to God to permit him to distinguish the wife appointed for Isaac among the damsels that came to draw water, by this token, that she alone, and not the others, would give him drink. Strictly speaking, this wish of his was unseemly, for suppose a bondwoman had given him water to drink! But God granted his request. All the damsels said they could not give him of their water, because they had to take it home. Then appeared Rebekah, coming to the well contrary to her wont, for she was the daughter of a king, Bethuel her father being king of Haran. When Eliezer addressed his request for water to drink to this young innocent child, not only was she ready to do his bidding, but she rebuked the other maidens on account of their discourtesy to a stranger. Eliezer noticed, too, how the water rose up to her of its own accord from the bottom of the well, so that she needed not to exert herself to draw it. Having scrutinized her carefully, he felt certain that she was the wife chosen for Isaac. He gave her a nose ring, wherein was set a precious stone, half a shekel in weight, foreshadowing the half-shekel which her descendants would once bring to the sanctuary year by year. He gave her also two bracelets for her hands, of ten shekels weight in gold, in token of the two tables of stone and the Ten Commandments upon them. When Rebekah, bearing the jewels, came to her mother and to her brother Laban, this one hastened to Eliezer in order to slay him and take possession of his goods. Laban soon learnt that he would not be able to do much harm to a giant like Eliezer. He met him at the moment when Eliezer seized two camels and bore them across the stream. Besides, on account of Eliezer's close resemblance to Abraham, Laban thought he saw Abraham before him, and he said: "Come in, thou blessed of the Lord! It is not becoming that thou shouldst stand without, I have cleansed my house of idols." But when Eliezer arrived at the house of Bethuel, they tried to kill him with cunning. They set poisoned food before him. Luckily, he refused to eat before he had discharged himself of his errand. While he was telling his story, it was ordained by God that the dish intended for him should come to stand in front of Bethuel, who ate of it and died. Eliezer showed the document he had in which Abraham deeded all his possessions to Isaac, and he made it known to the kindred of Abraham, how deeply attached to them his master was, in spite of the long years of separation. Yet he let them know at the same time that Abraham was not dependent wholly upon them. He might seek a wife for his son among the daughters of Ishmael or Lot. At first the kindred of Abraham consented to let Rebekah go with Eliezer, but as Bethuel had died in the meantime, they did not want to give Rebekah in marriage without consulting her. Besides, they deemed it proper that she should remain at home at least during the week of mourning for her father. But Eliezer, seeing the angel wait for him, would brook no delay, and he said, "The man who came with me and prospered my way, waits for me without," and as Rebekah professed herself ready to go at once with Eliezer, her mother and brother granted her wish and dismissed her with their blessings. But their blessings did not come from the bottom of their hearts. Indeed, as a rule, the blessing of the impious is a curse, wherefore Rebekah remained barren for years. Eliezer's return to Canaan was as wonderful as his going to Haran had been. A seventeen days' journey he accomplished in three hours. He left Haran at noon, and he arrived at Hebron at three o'clock in the afternoon, the time for the Minhah Prayer, which had been introduced by Isaac. He was in the posture of praying when Rebekah first laid eyes upon him, wherefore she asked Eliezer what man this was. She saw he was not an ordinary individual. She noticed the unusual beauty of Isaac, and also that an angel accompanied him. Thus her question was not dictated by mere curiosity. At this moment she learnt through the holy spirit, that she was destined to be the mother of the godless Esau. Terror seized her at the knowledge, and, trembling, she fell from the camel and inflicted an injury upon herself. After Isaac had heard the wonderful adventures of Eliezer, he took Rebekah to the tent of his mother Sarah, and she showed herself worthy to be her successor. The cloud appeared again that had been visible over the tent during the life of Sarah, and had vanished at her death; the light shone again in the tent of Rebekah that Sarah had kindled at the coming in of the Sabbath, and that had burnt miraculously throughout the week; the blessing returned with Rebekah that had hovered over the dough kneaded by Sarah; and the gates of the tent were opened for the needy, wide and spacious, as they had been during the lifetime of Sarah. For three years Isaac had mourned for his mother, and he could find no consolation in the academy of Shem and Eber, his abiding-place during that period. But Rebekah comforted him after his mother's death, for she was the counterpart of Sarah in person and in spirit. As a reward for having executed to his full satisfaction the mission with which he had charged him, Abraham set his bondman free. The curse resting upon Eliezer, as upon all the descendants of Canaan, was transformed into a blessing, because he ministered unto Abraham loyally. Greatest reward of all, God found him worthy of entering Paradise alive, a distinction that fell to the lot of very few.
