FROM THE RABBI’S DESK · TORAH THOUGHT

Prayer and Effort at the Well

A close reading of Genesis 24, with a reflection on prayer, preparation and attention.

Published November 1, 2026

Prayer and Effort at the Well, a sourced Torah University lesson

וַיֹּאמַ֓ר ׀ יְהֹוָ֗ה אֱלֹהֵי֙ אֲדֹנִ֣י אַבְרָהָ֔ם הַקְרֵה־נָ֥א לְפָנַ֖י הַיּ֑וֹם וַעֲשֵׂה־חֶ֕סֶד עִ֖ם אֲדֹנִ֥י אַבְרָהָֽם׃ (Genesis 24:12)

And he said: ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray Thee, good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. (Genesis 24:12; JPS 1917)

וְהָאִ֥ישׁ מִשְׁתָּאֵ֖ה לָ֑הּ מַחֲרִ֕ישׁ לָדַ֗עַת הַֽהִצְלִ֧יחַ יְהֹוָ֛ה דַּרְכּ֖וֹ אִם־לֹֽא׃ (Genesis 24:21)

And the man looked stedfastly on her; holding his peace, to know whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. (Genesis 24:21; JPS 1917)

In Chayei Sarah, Abraham’s servant travels to find a wife for Isaac. At a well he prays, makes a specific request, and watches events unfold. Yet after Rivkah gives water to him and his camels, the Torah still describes him watching silently to know whether his journey has succeeded (Genesis 24:12 to 21). That moment gives us a question for study: how can a person act purposefully, pray with hope, and still leave room to observe before reaching a conclusion? The passage calls him Abraham’s servant; we will follow that wording in our close reading.

וַיִּקַּ֣ח הָ֠עֶ֠בֶד עֲשָׂרָ֨ה גְמַלִּ֜ים מִגְּמַלֵּ֤י אֲדֹנָיו֙ וַיֵּ֔לֶךְ וְכׇל־ט֥וּב אֲדֹנָ֖יו בְּיָד֑וֹ וַיָּ֗קׇם וַיֵּ֛לֶךְ אֶל־אֲרַ֥ם נַֽהֲרַ֖יִם אֶל־עִ֥יר נָחֽוֹר׃ (Genesis 24:10)

And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed; having all goodly things of his master’s in his hand; and he arose, and went to Aram-naharaim, unto the city of Nahor. (Genesis 24:10; JPS 1917)

וַיַּבְרֵ֧ךְ הַגְּמַלִּ֛ים מִח֥וּץ לָעִ֖יר אֶל־בְּאֵ֣ר הַמָּ֑יִם לְעֵ֣ת עֶ֔רֶב לְעֵ֖ת צֵ֥את הַשֹּׁאֲבֹֽת׃ (Genesis 24:11)

And he made the camels to kneel down without the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time that women go out to draw water. (Genesis 24:11; JPS 1917)

Peshat means the plain sense of a passage. Genesis first describes a journey: the servant takes ten camels and travels to the city of Nahor. He brings the camels to a well in the evening, when women go out to draw water (Genesis 24:10 to 11). The narrative gives physical details before it records his prayer. The well is not an abstract setting: it is a place where a traveler, animals and local residents meet. Keeping those details in view lets us follow what he does as well as what he asks.

וַתְּכַ֖ל לְהַשְׁקֹת֑וֹ וַתֹּ֗אמֶר גַּ֤ם לִגְמַלֶּ֙יךָ֙ אֶשְׁאָ֔ב עַ֥ד אִם־כִּלּ֖וּ לִשְׁתֹּֽת׃ (Genesis 24:19)

And when she had done giving him drink, she said: ‘I will draw for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.’ (Genesis 24:19; JPS 1917)

וָאָבֹ֥א הַיּ֖וֹם אֶל־הָעָ֑יִן וָאֹמַ֗ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵי֙ אֲדֹנִ֣י אַבְרָהָ֔ם אִם־יֶשְׁךָ־נָּא֙ מַצְלִ֣יחַ דַּרְכִּ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י הֹלֵ֥ךְ עָלֶֽיהָ׃ (Genesis 24:42)

And I came this day unto the fountain, and said: O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now Thou do prosper my way which I go: (Genesis 24:42; JPS 1917)

אֲנִי֩ טֶ֨רֶם אֲכַלֶּ֜ה לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֶל־לִבִּ֗י וְהִנֵּ֨ה רִבְקָ֤ה יֹצֵאת֙ וְכַדָּ֣הּ עַל־שִׁכְמָ֔הּ וַתֵּ֥רֶד הָעַ֖יְנָה וַתִּשְׁאָ֑ב וָאֹמַ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יהָ הַשְׁקִ֥ינִי נָֽא׃ (Genesis 24:45)

And before I had done speaking to my heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the fountain, and drew. And I said unto her: Let me drink, I pray thee. (Genesis 24:45; JPS 1917)

Later the servant recounts the encounter to Rivkah’s family. He recalls arriving at the spring and praying, and says that Rivkah appeared before he had finished speaking in his heart (Genesis 24:42 to 45). The retelling gives us another view of the same sequence, including his account of his inward prayer. Comparing the two descriptions is useful: the first narrates the events; the second tells us how the servant presents them to the family. We do not need to invent additional thoughts to notice that he remembers both the prayer and what happened next.

וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֔יו בַּת־בְּתוּאֵ֖ל אָנֹ֑כִי בֶּן־מִלְכָּ֕ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָלְדָ֖ה לְנָחֽוֹר׃ (Genesis 24:24)

And she said unto him: ‘I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she bore unto Nahor.’ (Genesis 24:24; JPS 1917)

After Rivkah offers water and draws for the camels, the servant watches her in silence to know whether his journey has been successful (Genesis 24:19 to 21). The verse states his purpose in watching but does not explain every reason for his uncertainty. He subsequently asks whose daughter she is and whether there is room to stay; Rivkah answers both questions (Genesis 24:22 to 25). One possible reflection is that attentive observation can accompany hope. It would go beyond the text to insist that we know every thought behind his pause.

Preparation and Human Endeavor

The journey begins with preparation. The servant takes ten camels and travels with goods belonging to his master (Genesis 24:10). We are not told to reconstruct every decision involved in arranging the journey, but the details show that this is an undertaking in the physical world. Animals, supplies and distance all matter to the story. Before discussing an application to our lives, we can notice the simple sequence: he travels, brings the camels to water, and then offers his prayer.

The Torah places the scene at evening, when women go out to draw water (Genesis 24:11). The detail makes the well a meeting place rather than merely a backdrop. It also gives the servant’s request its setting: he asks for water in a place where drawing water is the work people have come to do. The text names the time and activity; it does not reveal every calculation that went into his arrival. Careful reading lets the ordinary details carry weight without requiring us to embellish them.

As a practical reflection, preparation and prayer need not be treated as rivals. Someone planning a difficult conversation, for example, might think through the facts, prepare what is needed, and also ask God for wisdom. That analogy is not a promise that a particular outcome will follow. The servant’s story can invite thoughtful effort and humility at the same time. We can plan responsibly while recognizing that other people, circumstances and outcomes are not under our complete control (Genesis 24:10 to 14).

The Spontaneous Petition at the Spring

At the well the servant addresses God as the God of his master Abraham and asks for success and kindness toward Abraham (Genesis 24:12). He then describes a specific encounter involving an offer of water to him and to his camels (Genesis 24:13 to 14). His words give the reader a way to notice what happens next. The specificity is part of this narrative; it is not presented here as a general instruction for designing tests or as a guarantee that events will unfold according to our plans.

The requested sign concerns observable actions. Rivkah lowers her jar, gives the servant a drink and offers to draw water for the camels until they have finished (Genesis 24:17 to 20). Drawing for a group of animals is practical work, and the account describes her going back to the well to do it. Readers can recognize generosity in the actions without claiming that a single action proves everything about a person. The distinction between what we see and what we cannot know will matter when the servant pauses in the next verse.

For someone who prays, the story may encourage honest specificity: naming a hope or a need rather than speaking only in generalities. It also invites restraint. Another person is not an instrument for confirming our expectations, and an answer to prayer should not be claimed on someone else’s behalf. As a study question, consider how the servant’s words at the spring relate to the questions he later asks Rivkah about her family and a place to stay (Genesis 24:12 to 14, 22 to 25).

The Immediate Divine Response

וַֽיְהִי־ה֗וּא טֶ֘רֶם֮ כִּלָּ֣ה לְדַבֵּר֒ וְהִנֵּ֧ה רִבְקָ֣ה יֹצֵ֗את אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֻלְּדָה֙ לִבְתוּאֵ֣ל בֶּן־מִלְכָּ֔ה אֵ֥שֶׁת נָח֖וֹר אֲחִ֣י אַבְרָהָ֑ם וְכַדָּ֖הּ עַל־שִׁכְמָֽהּ׃ (Genesis 24:15)

And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. (Genesis 24:15; JPS 1917)

The text says Rivkah appeared before the servant finished speaking (Genesis 24:15). In his later account he describes speaking in his heart before she came to the spring (Genesis 24:45). The closeness of prayer and arrival is striking within the story, but the sequence should not be turned into a formula for predicting timing in our own lives. The narrative asks us to pay attention to what each verse says: a prayer, an arrival, a request for water and a response.

Rivkah’s response is concrete. She gives the traveler water and goes on to draw for the camels (Genesis 24:18 to 20). The passage describes what she says and does; it does not provide a complete account of her motives or a ranking of her spiritual qualities. Its attention to a jar, a well and thirsty animals is itself instructive for readers. A large story about a family’s future moves forward through a small encounter in which a need is noticed and met.

The pace of these verses can lead to a useful question: what is the difference between recognizing an encouraging development and assuming the entire story is settled? Genesis places the servant’s silent observation after Rivkah’s actions and before the account of his questions (Genesis 24:21 to 23). A cautious reflection would be to remain attentive, ask what we still need to know, and avoid forcing a conclusion onto another person. That lesson is our application; the verse itself gives the scene rather than a complete modern decision making method.

Prayer and effort at the well are held together by attention. The servant travels and prays; Rivkah acts; he watches and asks questions. The account does not promise that every hope will be answered quickly, and it leaves room for uncertainty within the scene itself. For this week’s study, read Genesis 24:10 to 27 and compare it with the servant’s retelling in Genesis 24:42 to 48. Which details does he repeat, and what do they help his listeners understand? Bring one observation and one question to your next Torah study session.

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