First meeting
Last time, we spoke of this amazing young girl being able to make, so quickly and so boldly, the incredible life-changing decision of faith: to leave her home and her family for good, and to follow Abraham’s servant to Canaan. All of this happens in Genesis 24 – and at the very end of this long and eventful chapter we witness a fascinating scene. When Rebekah sees Isaac for the first time, coming up out of the desert, just at that moment, she literally falls off her camel. In English, it is usually translated as “alighted” or “dismounted” – however, the English expression, she dismounted from her camel,[1]does not correctly portray the original Hebrew, ותפל מעל הגמל –and she fell down, fell off the camel. Although we don’t see this particular verb, “to fall down,” in this verse in English, the Jewish commentaries discuss precisely this verb, ליפול juxtaposing it, for example, with the words of Psalm 37:24: “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.”
Why did Rebekah fall? In order to understand that, let us recall the events of Genesis 22, Aqedat Itzhaq. Some of my readers might know that Aqedat Yitzhaq, the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, contains – among its many other enigmas – one more mystery that our sages have long pointed out. After everything that happened on Mount Moriah—after the raised knife was stopped by the voice from heaven—Genesis 22:19 states: So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. Isaac is not mentioned there at all. Where did he disappear to? What happened to him after the Aqedah? Historically, this circumstance has triggered numerous discourses and speculations, which are laid out in a wide variety of works by our sages and rabbis. Where did Isaac go? Wouldn’t it be right for us to expect, after the trauma the son had experienced, for Abraham to have remained obsessively close to him, showing him even greater love and concern? Especially since ultimately, Abraham himself (though not by his own will, but by God’s) had caused his son such trauma? Wouldn’t it be right for us to expect a story about how the father and son, after undergoing their joint testing, would have returned home together to the worried sick Sarah? (Remember: back in those days, there were no phones, and Sarah would not have had the slightest idea what had transpired on Mount Moriah.) But we find nothing of the sort here: no expressions of the family’s emotions on the occasion; no description of a cheery unity between the jointly tested father and son. The Scriptures inform us only about Abraham’s return. In the next chapter, Sarah dies (out of worry for Isaac, Jewish tradition says). However, Isaac is nowhere to be seen, he has vanished, and he next appears in God’s Word only at the end of Genesis 24, in the scene that we are witnessing now, right before the first meeting with Rebekah, his future wife. Where had Isaac been?
This is a wonderful example of the things that can only be understood in Hebrew. Genesis 24:62 tells us that Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi. If we don’t know Hebrew, this name means nothing, but one who understands Hebrew will be astounded by its profound meaning: The Well of The One Who Sees Me Lives – that is how I would translate it. This profound name occurs for the first time in Genesis 16: Hagar gives this name to the well where the Angel of the Lord met her. Since the name is connected to Hagar, Midrash Genesis Rabbah suggests that Isaac had gone there to bring Hagar to Abraham his father, that he should marry her.[2] However, I think this name means much more than that in Isaac’s story: it tells us that, even after the Aqedah, after what he had experienced on Mount Moriah, when Isaac disappears from both his family, as well as our field of vision – when no one could see Isaac or knew where he was – the Lord still saw him; that while Isaac disappeared from everyone else’s sight, he did not disappear from God’s sight. God had His Own reason and plan for Isaac’s temporary absence: this was surely a time of very close relationship between Isaac and the Lord—a time when not his earthly father, but his Heavenly Father Himself, restored him after the terrible shock he had gone through—The One Who Sees Me Lives.
Now, back to our original question: Why did Rebekah fall? I believe that, after the experience of Mount Moriah, and after the time he had spent with God, when God was the only One who saw him, Isaac must have been resplendent with God’s light and shining with God’s glory. Rashi writes about Rebecca and this initial meeting: “She saw his majestic appearance, and she was astounded by him.” When the heart humbles itself before God in the fire of testing, it is cleansed and filled with God’s glory. Isaac is coming up out of the desert, radiating God’s light.
And maybe this is an additional reason why, in Genesis 24:65, we read: “So she took her veil and covered herself.” Of course, we all know that she covered herself both out of modesty, and as a token of subjection to her future husband: according to Oriental custom, the bride has to be brought veiled into the presence of the bridegroom. However, the very fact that she fell down from the camel hints that there was even more to it than that. Isaac was dazzling Rebekah as she laid eyes on him for the first time – and both her falling down from the camel, and covering herself begin to make more sense as we think of Isaac radiating God’s glory as he approached her.
[1] Gen. 24: 64
[2] Gen. Rabbah, 60:14
El mensaje es muy importante, conduce con sencillez a la convicción inquebrantable de buscar siempre el Rostro del Señor, gracias Julia por tus enseñanzas
It must have been a most AMAZING moment!
Blessings,
Jane M
In the Torah, there are many typologies of Christ. Abraham was a type of the Father offering his Son, the Son is resurrected after his offering of Himself. Thus we have the appearance of the resurrected Son by the well of The One Who Sees Me Lives.
Thank you Troy for bringing out the typology in Torah, which makes sense of the details John and Ashley are speaking about. These details become insignificant when we see the hand of God in the writing. In this story Isaac is no longer a secondary figure to Abraham – the focus of Torah now shifts to Isaac.
The unnamed servant, whom the Father sent (Eliezer means ‘God is the helper’ – the Holy Spirit is also called “the Helper”) invites and draws the bride to Isaac – to the Son, who has not been seen or heard from since he was offered as a sacrifice by his Father. Eliezer, (the “Helper”), who has always been known as Abraham’s servant, now calls Isaac “My Master” (Gen24:65).
As Julia’s article suggests, the Son very likely appears radiating God’s glory from being in His presence, which causes his bride-to-be to fall down. What a beautiful portrayal of the Bride meeting her Groom because she left all behind to be with Him. Indeed, all the Torah speaks of Him.
Blown away. Thanks so much.
Julia, This is most unexpected type post from you. I think there it is all speculation. I have studied discourses of narrative type for many years, and it is no unusual feature that the secondary participant goes ‘out or sight’. The story is not about Isaac but centered on Abraham. All this to say, “We can safely say that Isaac is still with his father.” Furthermore, Isaac was probably a teenager when the Moriah incident happened. Intervening was the death of his mother, and he was mid-thirties when Rebecca arrived. I am I wrong?
I agree with everything John has said.
It seems to me that there is a LOT of speculation here.
Furthermore, if Isaac is NOT back with Abraham, why would Abraham have sent Eliezer to find him a wife.
And how would Abraham know whether Isaac may or may not be already married anyway. It seems to me that Isaac had returned with Abraham and continued to live with the family as John suggests. But from the time on the mountain when they caught & sacrificed the ram instead, Isaac becomes a secondary figure in the (current) story. The main lesson in that story is Abraham’s obedience & faith.
There is also the point John makes about the age difference – it would seem that some period of time passed before Rebekkah comes into the story.
That said, Julia, I do enjoy your ideas, if for no other reason than that they make us think about things that we would otherwise overlook and/or just brush over.
– Ashley
Hi Ashley, I’ve just replied to John , and since you “agree with everything John has said”, I believe my response would be relevant for you as well. I would just add that probably, Abraham heard from Isaac at some point and maybe even knew where he was, that’s why he sent Eliezer to find a wife for him. Once again, since the Torah doesn’t tell us all these details – we are left to guess. I really like what Lois wrote in his comment, “the Holy Spirit chooses a way of telling the story” – and it seems to me, that the way the story is told supports my (and many Jewish commentators’) guess that Isaac had not been with his father.
Let us sort it out , John. First of all, we can not safely say that Isaac is still with his father because the Scripture doesn’t tell us that. So we are left to guess – and your statement: ” Isaac was still with his father” – is as speculative as my suggestion that “Isaac didn’t return with his father “. In the end of Chapter 24, we see him coming from Beer LeHai Roi – why is it important for the Scripture to mention where he comes from ? It doesn’t play any role in his meeting with Rebecca and all the coming events – however, I believe, the meaning of this name in Hebrew is very significant, and the Torah makes sure we know that it is part of Isaac’s story.
As for his age, the Jewish tradition connects the death of Sarah in chapter 23 with Aqedat Itzhak, with the events of Genesis 22. If so, Isaac was 37 ( and not a teenager) when he was led to mount Moriah (Sarah was 127 when she died). The Scripture tells us explicitly that he was 40 when he married Rebecca.
This is so beautiful. I’m wondering if part of her falling off the camel was her reaction of praise to what she saw in Isacc: God’s response to her faith – her immediate recognition of Eleazar’s call to her soul. Since I’ve learned about the verb ‘nafal’ (to fall) in Biblical Hebrew, I know it’s a “weak” verb. We too are weak when we fall, but strengthened by our Lord who sees us and answers our response to His call. Thank you as always Julia for the gifts of insight that you share with us all – a blessing that I look forward to every week. Lisa
Thank you Lisa, for this profound connection between a “weak” verb, our weakness and strengthening by the Lord. It is Very beautiful indeed.
Thanks so much Julia for the wonderful insight given.
It is so enlightening and makes a lot of sense.
The sentence I like so much is “When the heart humbles itself before God in the fire of testing, it is cleansed and filled with God’s glory.”
Greetings
George
Thank you, George. Of course, it’s just filling in the gaps that the Scripture leaves : the Torah doesn’t tell us where Isaac has been . However, I do think it “makes a lot of sense”, as you wrote.
Thank you very informative!!!
I thinking Rebekah hell down from sheer awe of the sight of Isaac. He was so drop dead gorgeous that Rebekah fainted/swooned at the very sight of him
I agree: he was gorgeous because he was filled with God’s glory and was radiating God’s light.
Dear Julia
This morning I wrote this line as I waited on the Lord:
To follow Him is to have the light of Life.
I think it encapsulates all that your post is saying.
Being privileged to see that light causes me to fall on my knees and worship Him.
Blessings Henrietta