Difference between revisions of "Wanted: A Wife for Yitzchak/2/en"
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<p>The most important criterion in the search for a wife for Yitzchak was that she be from Avraham's family.</p> | <p>The most important criterion in the search for a wife for Yitzchak was that she be from Avraham's family.</p> | ||
<mekorot> | <mekorot> | ||
− | <multilink><a href="Josephus1-16-1" data-aht="source">Josephus</a><a href="Josephus1-16-1" data-aht="source">Antiquities 1:16:1-3</a><a href="Josephus" data-aht="parshan">About Josephus</a></multilink>,<fn>According to Josephus and Radak, the servant was sent specifically for Rivka. The basis for their approach is that Avraham receives the report of Rivka's birth very shortly before this story, in Bereshit 22:23.</fn> <multilink><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">R. Saadia Gaon</a><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 24:4</a><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 24:22</a><a href="RasagTafsirBereshit24-23" data-aht="source">Tafsir Bereshit 24:23</a><a href="R. Saadia Gaon" data-aht="parshan">About R. Saadia Gaon</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RashiBereshit24-21" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-7" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:7</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-8" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:8</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-21" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:21</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-23" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:23</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-37" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:37</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-39" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:39</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-47" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:47</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-49" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:49</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki</a></multilink>,<fn>From Rashi on 24:21 and 24:23 it appears that the wife being from Avraham's family was critical for the success of the mission. Additionally, Rashi on 24:8 views the Canaanites (Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre) as a backup option (see also Rashi on 24:37). On the other hand, Rashi on 24:39 cites Bereshit Rabbah which rules out the servant's (Eliezer) daughter because of her Canaanite lineage. These latter two comments would appear to be contradictory, and see Ramban 24:8 who points out that Rashi there contradicts Bereshit Rabbah.</fn> <multilink><a href="RashbamBereshit24-1" data-aht="source">Rashbam</a><a href="RashbamBereshit24-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:1</a><a href="RashbamBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:4</a><a href="RashbamBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:22</a><a href="RashbamBereshit24-42" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:42</a><a href="R. Shemuel b. Meir (Rashbam)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel b. Meir</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="IbnEzraBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:4</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshit24-14" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:14</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RYBSBereshit24-3" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYBSBereshit24-3" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:3</a><a href="RYBSBereshit24- | + | <multilink><a href="Josephus1-16-1" data-aht="source">Josephus</a><a href="Josephus1-16-1" data-aht="source">Antiquities 1:16:1-3</a><a href="Josephus" data-aht="parshan">About Josephus</a></multilink>,<fn>According to Josephus and Radak, the servant was sent specifically for Rivka. The basis for their approach is that Avraham receives the report of Rivka's birth very shortly before this story, in Bereshit 22:23.</fn> <multilink><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">R. Saadia Gaon</a><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 24:4</a><a href="RasagCommentaryBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Commentary Bereshit 24:22</a><a href="RasagTafsirBereshit24-23" data-aht="source">Tafsir Bereshit 24:23</a><a href="R. Saadia Gaon" data-aht="parshan">About R. Saadia Gaon</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RashiBereshit24-21" data-aht="source">Rashi</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-7" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:7</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-8" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:8</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-21" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:21</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-23" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:23</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-37" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:37</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-39" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:39</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-47" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:47</a><a href="RashiBereshit24-49" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:49</a><a href="R. Shelomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki</a></multilink>,<fn>From Rashi on 24:21 and 24:23 it appears that the wife being from Avraham's family was critical for the success of the mission. Additionally, Rashi on 24:8 views the Canaanites (Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre) as a backup option (see also Rashi on 24:37). On the other hand, Rashi on 24:39 cites Bereshit Rabbah which rules out the servant's (Eliezer) daughter because of her Canaanite lineage. These latter two comments would appear to be contradictory, and see Ramban 24:8 who points out that Rashi there contradicts Bereshit Rabbah.</fn> <multilink><a href="RashbamBereshit24-1" data-aht="source">Rashbam</a><a href="RashbamBereshit24-1" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:1</a><a href="RashbamBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:4</a><a href="RashbamBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:22</a><a href="RashbamBereshit24-42" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:42</a><a href="R. Shemuel b. Meir (Rashbam)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Shemuel b. Meir</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="IbnEzraBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:4</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshit24-14" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:14</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RYBSBereshit24-3" data-aht="source">R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a><a href="RYBSBereshit24-3" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:3</a><a href="RYBSBereshit24-14" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:14</a><a href="RYBSBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:22-23</a><a href="RYBSBereshit24-37" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:37</a><a href="R. Yosef Bekhor Shor" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RadakBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakBereshit24-4" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:4</a><a href="RadakBereshit24-6" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:6</a><a href="RadakBereshit24-10" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:10</a><a href="RadakBereshit24-12" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:12</a><a href="RadakBereshit24-14" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:14</a><a href="RadakBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:22</a><a href="RadakBereshit24-39" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:39</a><a href="RadakBereshit24-49" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:49</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink><fn>See note on Josephus above.</fn> |
</mekorot> | </mekorot> | ||
<point><b>Why specifically from Avraham's family?</b><ul> | <point><b>Why specifically from Avraham's family?</b><ul> | ||
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<li><b>Birthplace</b> – R. Saadia, Ibn Ezra, and Radak render "מוֹלַדְתִּי" as birthplace.<fn>Ibn Ezra and Radak identify Avraham's birthplace ("מוֹלַדְתִּי") as Ur Kasdim, but they differ as to its relationship to "אַרְצִי". It appears that Ibn Ezra thinks that the servant would have proceeded to search for a wife from Ur if he had not succeeded in Charan, while Radak (24:10) seems to believe that Rivka's family lived in Ur rather than Charan (and that "אַרְצִי" and "מוֹלַדְתִּי" refer to the same place). [See Geography for other cases where medieval commentators were hamstrung by the limited geographical information they possessed.] Our verse is one of the central prooftexts in the debate between Ibn Ezra and Ramban on Bereshit 11:28 regarding the identity of Avraham's birthplace (see <a href="$">Avraham's Migrations</a> and see <a href="$">"מוֹלֶדֶת"</a>), and see Ramban below.</fn> However, R. Saadia and Radak add that it was understood that this was where Avraham's family was to be found.<fn>Ibn Ezra, on the other hand, appears to maintain that Avraham did not give instructions that the woman should be from his family, and this was only the servant's initiative.</fn></li> | <li><b>Birthplace</b> – R. Saadia, Ibn Ezra, and Radak render "מוֹלַדְתִּי" as birthplace.<fn>Ibn Ezra and Radak identify Avraham's birthplace ("מוֹלַדְתִּי") as Ur Kasdim, but they differ as to its relationship to "אַרְצִי". It appears that Ibn Ezra thinks that the servant would have proceeded to search for a wife from Ur if he had not succeeded in Charan, while Radak (24:10) seems to believe that Rivka's family lived in Ur rather than Charan (and that "אַרְצִי" and "מוֹלַדְתִּי" refer to the same place). [See Geography for other cases where medieval commentators were hamstrung by the limited geographical information they possessed.] Our verse is one of the central prooftexts in the debate between Ibn Ezra and Ramban on Bereshit 11:28 regarding the identity of Avraham's birthplace (see <a href="$">Avraham's Migrations</a> and see <a href="$">"מוֹלֶדֶת"</a>), and see Ramban below.</fn> However, R. Saadia and Radak add that it was understood that this was where Avraham's family was to be found.<fn>Ibn Ezra, on the other hand, appears to maintain that Avraham did not give instructions that the woman should be from his family, and this was only the servant's initiative.</fn></li> | ||
</ul></point> | </ul></point> | ||
− | <point><b>Were the Canaanites a backup option?</b> Rashi<fn>See Rashi on 24:8 and 24:37, and see also Rashi's comments on Kiddushin 61b which imply the same (as noted by Tosafot there).</fn> says that if the servant did not succeed in finding a wife from Avraham's family, he was to take a wife from the Canaanite daughters of Aner, Eshkol and Mamre.<fn>See below that Ramban 24:8 notes that Rashi (on 24:8) contradicts Bereshit Rabbah, and for Ri and Ramban's alternate interpretation of 24:8. See also Rashi on 24:49 that the servant would have found a wife from the families of Lot or Yishmael. On the issue of Patriarchal observance of the mitzvot, see <a href="Avot and Mitzvot – Was Avraham the First Jew" data-aht="page">Avot and Mitzvot</a>.</fn> This is a viable possibility only because this approach views the focus as being on Avraham's | + | <point><b>Were the Canaanites a backup option?</b> Rashi<fn>See Rashi on 24:8 and 24:37, and see also Rashi's comments on Kiddushin 61b which imply the same (as noted by Tosafot there).</fn> says that if the servant did not succeed in finding a wife from Avraham's family, he was to take a wife from the Canaanite daughters of Aner, Eshkol and Mamre.<fn>See below that Ramban 24:8 notes that Rashi (on 24:8) contradicts Bereshit Rabbah, and for Ri and Ramban's alternate interpretation of 24:8. See also Rashi on 24:49 that the servant would have found a wife from the families of Lot or Yishmael. On the issue of Patriarchal observance of the mitzvot, see <a href="Avot and Mitzvot – Was Avraham the First Jew" data-aht="page">Avot and Mitzvot</a>.</fn> This is a viable possibility only because this approach views the focus as being on Avraham's preference for family, rather than the demerits of the Canaanites.<fn>See also R"Y Bekhor Shor who interprets 24:3 as Avraham merely saying that there was no need for Yitzchak to marry a local Canaanite woman in order to inherit the land, rather than his having any objection to Yitzchak marrying a Canaanite woman. [R"Y Bekhor Shor apparently differentiates between our story and the parallel instructions given to Yaakov in Bereshit 28. In the latter case, the text is explicit that Canaanite wives were viewed negatively.]</fn></point> |
<point><b>The test at the well</b> – This position must grapple with the question of why, upon his arrival in Charan, the servant did not simply ask for Avraham's family,<fn>This is especially difficult for Josephus and Radak who assume that the servant was sent specifically for Rivka.</fn> as does Yaakov in Bereshit 29.<fn>See Shadal who raises this as an objection to this approach. Cf. Josephus and Ibn Ezra who appear to understand the test as a way for the servant to identify a woman from Avraham's family (who were known to be generous and kind-hearted). It is not clear, though, why he did not simply ask for the family.</fn> <br/> | <point><b>The test at the well</b> – This position must grapple with the question of why, upon his arrival in Charan, the servant did not simply ask for Avraham's family,<fn>This is especially difficult for Josephus and Radak who assume that the servant was sent specifically for Rivka.</fn> as does Yaakov in Bereshit 29.<fn>See Shadal who raises this as an objection to this approach. Cf. Josephus and Ibn Ezra who appear to understand the test as a way for the servant to identify a woman from Avraham's family (who were known to be generous and kind-hearted). It is not clear, though, why he did not simply ask for the family.</fn> <br/> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
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<li>Additionally, the test would serve to convince Rivka's family that the marriage was Divinely ordained.<fn>This is pointed out by Josephus, Rashbam, and Radak. However, they do not present this as the motivation for the test, but rather as a consequence. Cf. <a href="http://www.etzion.org.il/vbm/archive/8-parsha/05chayei.php">R. Meir Spiegelman</a> who suggests that the entire need and purpose for the test was to persuade Rivka and her family that this was Hashem's will.</fn> Since there was a good chance that the chosen woman's family would not easily acquiesce to her moving to a foreign country, it was not enough that the servant simply look for a relative of Avraham, he also needed a Divine sign that could prove to the woman's family that she was destined by God to be Yitzchak's wife. The water test accomplished this goal, highlighting how the Divine hand guided Avraham's relative, Rivka, rather than anyone else, straight to the servant.<fn>And indeed, when Lavan and Betuel hear of the test they say: "מה' יצא הדבר".</fn></li> | <li>Additionally, the test would serve to convince Rivka's family that the marriage was Divinely ordained.<fn>This is pointed out by Josephus, Rashbam, and Radak. However, they do not present this as the motivation for the test, but rather as a consequence. Cf. <a href="http://www.etzion.org.il/vbm/archive/8-parsha/05chayei.php">R. Meir Spiegelman</a> who suggests that the entire need and purpose for the test was to persuade Rivka and her family that this was Hashem's will.</fn> Since there was a good chance that the chosen woman's family would not easily acquiesce to her moving to a foreign country, it was not enough that the servant simply look for a relative of Avraham, he also needed a Divine sign that could prove to the woman's family that she was destined by God to be Yitzchak's wife. The water test accomplished this goal, highlighting how the Divine hand guided Avraham's relative, Rivka, rather than anyone else, straight to the servant.<fn>And indeed, when Lavan and Betuel hear of the test they say: "מה' יצא הדבר".</fn></li> | ||
</ul></point> | </ul></point> | ||
− | <point><b>The servant's uncertainty<fn>It is clear that the servant was uncertain as to the success of his mission from the verse's statement: "מַחֲרִישׁ לָדַעַת הַהִצְלִיחַ י״י דַּרְכּוֹ אִם לֹא". However, the verse's earlier description of the servant as being "מִשְׁתָּאֵה" is much more difficult to understand, as the word is a hapax legomenon (a word which only | + | <point><b>The servant's uncertainty<fn>It is clear that the servant was uncertain as to the success of his mission from the verse's statement: "מַחֲרִישׁ לָדַעַת הַהִצְלִיחַ י״י דַּרְכּוֹ אִם לֹא". However, the verse's earlier description of the servant as being "מִשְׁתָּאֵה" is much more difficult to understand, as the word is a <i>hapax legomenon</i> (a word which appears only once in all of Tanakh) whose meaning is debated by commentators.  See, for example, the discussion brought by <multilink><a href="RDZHoffmannBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">R. D"Z Hoffmann</a><a href="RDZHoffmannBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:21-22</a><a href="R. David Zvi Hoffmann" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Zvi Hoffmann</a></multilink>.</fn> in <a href="Bereshit24-10" data-aht="source">verse 21</a></b> – Rashi<fn>See also <multilink><a href="AggadahBereshit24-21" data-aht="source">Midrash Aggadah (Buber)</a><a href="AggadahBereshit24-21" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:21</a><a href="Midrash Aggadah (Buber)" data-aht="parshan">About Midrash Aggadah (Buber)</a></multilink>.</fn> and Radak explain that even though Rivka had passed the water test, the servant needed to know whether she was from Avraham's family before he could be certain of the success of his mission.</point> |
<point><b>When was the jewelry given?</b> Almost all of these exegetes assert that the servant gave Rivka the jewelry only after finding out that she was indeed from Avraham's family.<fn>See Ibn Ezra who explicitly says that had he found out that the woman was not from Avraham's family, the servant would not have given her the jewelry.</fn> R"Y Bekhor Shor explains that the "וַיִּקַּח הָאִישׁ נֶזֶם זָהָב", which appears before his asking about her family, merely means that he prepared the jewelry but did not yet give it to her.<fn>Radak explains similarly. In contrast, R. Saadia, Rashbam, and Ibn Ezra posit that the text is simply not in chronological order, with Rashbam suggesting that the Torah did this so as not to interrupt the transcript of the dialogue.</fn> Rashi is the lone exception,<fn>See also <multilink><a href="AggadahBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Midrash Aggadah (Buber)</a><a href="AggadahBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:22</a><a href="Midrash Aggadah (Buber)" data-aht="parshan">About Midrash Aggadah (Buber)</a></multilink>.</fn> and he explains that the servant was so confident of Divine providence enabling the success of his mission that he gave the jewelry first.</point> | <point><b>When was the jewelry given?</b> Almost all of these exegetes assert that the servant gave Rivka the jewelry only after finding out that she was indeed from Avraham's family.<fn>See Ibn Ezra who explicitly says that had he found out that the woman was not from Avraham's family, the servant would not have given her the jewelry.</fn> R"Y Bekhor Shor explains that the "וַיִּקַּח הָאִישׁ נֶזֶם זָהָב", which appears before his asking about her family, merely means that he prepared the jewelry but did not yet give it to her.<fn>Radak explains similarly. In contrast, R. Saadia, Rashbam, and Ibn Ezra posit that the text is simply not in chronological order, with Rashbam suggesting that the Torah did this so as not to interrupt the transcript of the dialogue.</fn> Rashi is the lone exception,<fn>See also <multilink><a href="AggadahBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Midrash Aggadah (Buber)</a><a href="AggadahBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:22</a><a href="Midrash Aggadah (Buber)" data-aht="parshan">About Midrash Aggadah (Buber)</a></multilink>.</fn> and he explains that the servant was so confident of Divine providence enabling the success of his mission that he gave the jewelry first.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>Variations in the servant's retelling</b> – The approach of the majority of these commentators eliminates any fundamental differences between the | + | <point><b>Variations in the servant's retelling</b> – The approach of the majority of these commentators eliminates any fundamental differences between the initial account (in the narrative voice) and the servant's report.<fn>See Radak who adds that the minor differences are due to the way of Scripture to vary its language.</fn> Both accounts are consistent in saying that Avraham charged the servant with finding a wife from his family, and the servant gave Rivka the jewelry only after learning that she was, indeed, from Avraham's family. According to Rashi, however, the servant's account did change the timing of the giving of the jewelry, in order that Rivka's family would not find it strange that he gave it before being sure of Rivka's identity.<fn>Rashi may mean that the servant did not want Rivka's family to scoff at his trust that Hashem would perform a miracle and make sure that the woman would be from Avraham's family. See also <multilink><a href="AggadahBereshit24-47" data-aht="source">Midrash Aggadah (Buber)</a><a href="AggadahBereshit24-47" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:47</a><a href="Midrash Aggadah (Buber)" data-aht="parshan">About Midrash Aggadah (Buber)</a></multilink>.</fn></point> |
<point><b>Crux of the position</b> – This approach interprets Avraham's instructions (and their implementation) in light of the news of Rivka's birth which precedes the story as well as the servant's account at the end of the story. It maintains that the servant is not taking liberties with the truth merely in order to flatter. It also assumes that the most logical reason for the servant to go directly to the city of Avraham's relatives was in order to find a wife from Avraham's family.</point> | <point><b>Crux of the position</b> – This approach interprets Avraham's instructions (and their implementation) in light of the news of Rivka's birth which precedes the story as well as the servant's account at the end of the story. It maintains that the servant is not taking liberties with the truth merely in order to flatter. It also assumes that the most logical reason for the servant to go directly to the city of Avraham's relatives was in order to find a wife from Avraham's family.</point> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
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<point><b>Were the Canaanites a backup option?</b> This approach rules out any possibility whatsoever of a Canaanite wife.<fn>This is the position taken by Ri in Tosafot Kiddushin, and adopted by Ramban. Ri asserts that Avraham made the servant take two different oaths: one that he would not take a wife for Yitzchak from the Canaanites, and the other that he would take a wife for him from Avraham's family. According to Ri, the extra word "זֹאת" in "וְנִקִּיתָ מִשְּׁבֻעָתִי זֹאת" teaches that in a case where the servant could not find a wife from Mesopotamia, Avraham absolved him only from the second oath, but that the first oath would always remain in effect.</fn> Thus, Jubilees and Ramban maintain that, not only Yitzchak, but all of the ancestors of the Children of Israel (including the twelve sons of Yaakov) were prohibited from marrying Canaanite women.<fn>See <a href="Did Yaakov's Sons Marry Canaanites" data-aht="page">Did Yaakov's Sons Marry Canaanites?</a> Jubilees expands the prohibition even further, claiming that Avraham forbade all of his offspring from taking Canaanite wives. On the issue of Patriarchal observance of the mitzvot, see <a href="Avot and Mitzvot – Was Avraham the First Jew" data-aht="page">Avot and Mitzvot</a>. Regarding Avraham's own marriages and the identity of Keturah, see <a href="Avraham's Many Wives" data-aht="page">Avraham's Many Wives</a>.</fn></point> | <point><b>Were the Canaanites a backup option?</b> This approach rules out any possibility whatsoever of a Canaanite wife.<fn>This is the position taken by Ri in Tosafot Kiddushin, and adopted by Ramban. Ri asserts that Avraham made the servant take two different oaths: one that he would not take a wife for Yitzchak from the Canaanites, and the other that he would take a wife for him from Avraham's family. According to Ri, the extra word "זֹאת" in "וְנִקִּיתָ מִשְּׁבֻעָתִי זֹאת" teaches that in a case where the servant could not find a wife from Mesopotamia, Avraham absolved him only from the second oath, but that the first oath would always remain in effect.</fn> Thus, Jubilees and Ramban maintain that, not only Yitzchak, but all of the ancestors of the Children of Israel (including the twelve sons of Yaakov) were prohibited from marrying Canaanite women.<fn>See <a href="Did Yaakov's Sons Marry Canaanites" data-aht="page">Did Yaakov's Sons Marry Canaanites?</a> Jubilees expands the prohibition even further, claiming that Avraham forbade all of his offspring from taking Canaanite wives. On the issue of Patriarchal observance of the mitzvot, see <a href="Avot and Mitzvot – Was Avraham the First Jew" data-aht="page">Avot and Mitzvot</a>. Regarding Avraham's own marriages and the identity of Keturah, see <a href="Avraham's Many Wives" data-aht="page">Avraham's Many Wives</a>.</fn></point> | ||
<point><b>The test at the well</b> – This approach would likely suggest that, despite the silence in the text, after expressing how abominable he found the Canaanites, Avraham proceeded to tell his servant that he should instead find a wife of upright morals and character.  This led the servant to devise his water test. As such, Avraham's specification to avoid the Canaanites and the servant's character test are flip-sides of the same coin.  Malbim further points outs that the test was designed to identify a kindhearted woman from a poor family, who would presumably be more willing to emigrate to a foreign land. The servant assumed that the wealthy inhabitants of the city would send their servants to draw water, rather than their daughters, and thus never even thought of the possibility that a relative of Avraham would be the one to pass the test.</point> | <point><b>The test at the well</b> – This approach would likely suggest that, despite the silence in the text, after expressing how abominable he found the Canaanites, Avraham proceeded to tell his servant that he should instead find a wife of upright morals and character.  This led the servant to devise his water test. As such, Avraham's specification to avoid the Canaanites and the servant's character test are flip-sides of the same coin.  Malbim further points outs that the test was designed to identify a kindhearted woman from a poor family, who would presumably be more willing to emigrate to a foreign land. The servant assumed that the wealthy inhabitants of the city would send their servants to draw water, rather than their daughters, and thus never even thought of the possibility that a relative of Avraham would be the one to pass the test.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>The servant's uncertainty in <a href="Bereshit24-10" data-aht="source">verse 21</a></b> – According to Malbim, the uncertainty did not relate to Rivka's as-of-yet unknown lineage (which was unimportant to the servant) but rather to the concern that Rivka might still ask for remuneration for her efforts, thereby diminishing her good deed.<fn>Cf. | + | <point><b>The servant's uncertainty in <a href="Bereshit24-10" data-aht="source">verse 21</a></b> – According to Malbim, the uncertainty did not relate to Rivka's as-of-yet unknown lineage (which was unimportant to the servant) but rather to the concern that Rivka might still ask for remuneration for her efforts, thereby diminishing her good deed.<fn>Cf. Sforno.</fn> Alternatively, it is possible that the servant was concerned that the woman's family might not consent to the marriage.<fn>According to this, this uncertainty continued until the family agreed, and it is only in 24:52-56 ("וַה' הִצְלִיחַ דַּרְכִּי") that the servant is finally confident that his mission was successful.</fn></point> |
− | <point><b>When was the jewelry given?</b> Ibn Kaspi and Malbim assert that, as it would appear from the | + | <point><b>When was the jewelry given?</b> Ibn Kaspi and Malbim assert that, as it would appear from the initial account, the servant gave Rivka the jewelry before finding out her lineage. They point out that this is consistent with their position that the woman's family background was irrelevant to the servant's mission.<fn>Ramban, who raises both possibilities as to whether it was a desideratum that the woman be from Avraham's family, interprets like R"Y Bekhor Shor and Radak above, that the servant merely prepared the jewelry before asking of Rivka's lineage, but did not give it until after.</fn> Malbim adds that the servant's asking for the identity of Rivka's family was merely the lead-up to his inquiry as to whether they could find lodging in her home.<fn>Cf. Radak and Shadal who maintain the exact opposite that asking about lodging was merely an excuse and a means for obtaining information about Rivka's family.</fn></point> |
− | <point><b>Variations in the servant's retelling</b> – | + | <point><b>Variations in the servant's retelling</b> – Ibn Kaspi, and Malbim<fn>See also <multilink><a href="Akeidat22" data-aht="source">Akeidat Yitzchak</a><a href="Akeidat22" data-aht="source">Bereshit #22</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Arama (Akeidat Yitzchak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yitzchak Arama</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="AbarbanelBereshit24" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a><a href="AbarbanelBereshit24" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Abarbanel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel</a></multilink>, and <multilink><a href="RDZHoffmannBereshit24-47" data-aht="source">R. D"Z Hoffmann</a><a href="RDZHoffmannBereshit24-22" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:22</a><a href="RDZHoffmannBereshit24-47" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24:47</a><a href="R. David Zvi Hoffmann" data-aht="parshan">About R. D"Z Hoffmann</a></multilink>.</fn> develop the possibility that the servant altered the truth in order to achieve his goals.<fn>The Hoil Moshe takes the reverse approach, suggesting that "מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתִּי וּמִבֵּית אָבִי" in the servant's account could refer to almost the entire city, as there were many other families in Avraham's hometown who were all Avraham's relatives.</fn> Thus, they contend that the servant only pretended that his marching orders were to find a woman from Avraham's family<fn>Ramban makes this point as well, but differs in his understanding of the giving of gifts.</fn> and that he gave Rivka the jewelry only after learning of her pedigree, all in order to flatter Rivka's family and ensure their approval of the marriage.<fn>See <multilink><a href="AbarbanelBereshit24" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a><a href="AbarbanelBereshit24" data-aht="source">Bereshit 24</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Abarbanel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel</a></multilink> for a full list and analysis of the discrepancies between the original account and that of the servant.</fn></point> |
<point><b>Crux of the position</b> – This approach underscores the opening part of Avraham's admonition, the prohibition of taking a Canaanite wife, reading into it the importance of finding a spouse of upright character. It concludes, in light of the Torah's earlier curse of Canaan<fn>See Bereshit 9:25-27.</fn> and later revulsion from Canaanite behavior,<fn>See Vayikra 18.</fn> that Canaanite society was unique in the depth of its depravity.</point> | <point><b>Crux of the position</b> – This approach underscores the opening part of Avraham's admonition, the prohibition of taking a Canaanite wife, reading into it the importance of finding a spouse of upright character. It concludes, in light of the Torah's earlier curse of Canaan<fn>See Bereshit 9:25-27.</fn> and later revulsion from Canaanite behavior,<fn>See Vayikra 18.</fn> that Canaanite society was unique in the depth of its depravity.</point> | ||
</category> | </category> |
Latest revision as of 13:15, 19 June 2024
Wanted: A Wife for Yitzchak
Exegetical Approaches
Overview
Commentators offer a variety of interpretations as to why Avraham sends his servant all the way to Mesopotamia rather than finding a suitable wife for Yitzchak from among his neighbors. Josephus and a number of the early medieval exegetes propose that Avraham wants to find a wife from his family. In contrast, the Keli Yekar and R. Hirsch focus on the potential negative influences from marrying a local woman whose idolatrous family is always nearby. Finally, Jubilees and many others stress the moral bankruptcy of the Canaanite people and the desire that Yitzchak's wife, in contrast, be of noble character. These different perspectives have important ramifications for understanding Avraham's portrait of the ideal wife for Yitzchak, how the servant's plan of action fit with Avraham's instructions, and how contradictions between the original story and the servant's retelling can be resolved.
Preference for Avraham's Relatives
The most important criterion in the search for a wife for Yitzchak was that she be from Avraham's family.
- Family – Rashbam defines "מוֹלַדְתִּי" as family.6 Thus, Avraham explicitly instructed his servant to find a wife from his family.
- Birthplace – R. Saadia, Ibn Ezra, and Radak render "מוֹלַדְתִּי" as birthplace.7 However, R. Saadia and Radak add that it was understood that this was where Avraham's family was to be found.8
- This position might suggest that the test was an innovation of the servant himself, who went beyond Avraham's requirements, and wanted to ensure that in addition to having family lineage,14 the future wife would also be of good character.15 Avraham might have ignored this aspect, being more concerned with the woman's religious potential than her character.16
- Additionally, the test would serve to convince Rivka's family that the marriage was Divinely ordained.17 Since there was a good chance that the chosen woman's family would not easily acquiesce to her moving to a foreign country, it was not enough that the servant simply look for a relative of Avraham, he also needed a Divine sign that could prove to the woman's family that she was destined by God to be Yitzchak's wife. The water test accomplished this goal, highlighting how the Divine hand guided Avraham's relative, Rivka, rather than anyone else, straight to the servant.18
Aversion to Having Local In-laws
Avraham wanted to ensure that Yitzchak and his family would not be influenced by his wife's family or have to contend with their possible future claims on his inheritance.
- Constant influence – According to Keli Yekar and R. Hirsch, although both the Canaanites and their Mesopotamian counterparts might have been somewhat equally deficient morally or religiously, the negative influence of local relatives is significantly greater than from those living far away.27 Keli Yekar also draws a parallel between Avraham's admonition that Yitzchak not marry a Canaanite woman and the Torah's later prohibition in Devarim 7 of marrying Canaanite women.
- Danger to inheritance – Chizkuni and Shadal focus instead on the problems caused by local in-laws with regards to Avraham's inheritance of Canaan. Chizkuni asserts that Avraham did not want anyone to say that his inheritance was due to his marriage to the Canaanites rather than being a gift from God.28 Shadal, in contrast, suggests that being related to the Canaanites would make it very difficult to later expel or eliminate them.29
- Birthplace – Chizkuni and R. Hirsch suggest that the word "מוֹלַדְתִּי" refers to Avraham's land or city.30 R. Hirsch, though, suggests that implicit in the usage of the word is Avraham's requirement that the woman also be from his family.
- Family – Shadal asserts that "מוֹלַדְתִּי" refers to Avraham's family but that Avraham set this as a preference rather than a requirement. As proof, he points to the fact that the servant devises the water test, a very inefficient way of finding a maiden from Avraham's family specifically.31
Search for a Wife of Noble Character
The most critical factor was that Yitzchak's wife have a generous and kind nature and be of upright moral character.