FROM THE RABBI’S DESK · TORAH THOUGHT

Chayei Sarah: Listening to Rivkah’s Answer

A close reading of Genesis 24 and a practical reflection on asking and listening.

Published November 1, 2026

Listening to Rivkah’s Answer, a sourced Torah University lesson

וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ נִקְרָ֣א לַֽנַּעֲרָ֑ וְנִשְׁאֲלָ֖ה אֶת־פִּֽיהָ׃ (Genesis 24:57)

And they said: ‘We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth.’ (Genesis 24:57; JPS 1917)

וַיִּקְרְא֤וּ לְרִבְקָה֙ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יהָ הֲתֵלְכִ֖י עִם־הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֑ה וַתֹּ֖אמֶר אֵלֵֽךְ׃ (Genesis 24:58)

And they called Rebekah, and said unto her: ‘Wilt thou go with this man?’ And she said: ‘I will go.’ (Genesis 24:58; JPS 1917)

וַיֹּאכְל֣וּ וַיִּשְׁתּ֗וּ ה֛וּא וְהָאֲנָשִׁ֥ים אֲשֶׁר־עִמּ֖וֹ וַיָּלִ֑ינוּ וַיָּק֣וּמוּ בַבֹּ֔קֶר וַיֹּ֖אמֶר שַׁלְּחֻ֥נִי לַֽאדֹנִֽי׃ (Genesis 24:54)

And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said: ‘Send me away unto my master.’ (Genesis 24:54; JPS 1917)

In Parshat Chayei Sarah, Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac. The journey leads to a well, a family conversation, and finally a question addressed to Rivkah. After her family discusses when she should leave, they ask whether she will go with the servant; she answers that she will (Genesis 24:54 to 58). Why does the narrative pause for this question, and what can its sequence teach us about attending to another person’s answer? We will distinguish what the verses say from a reflection we can carry into our own conversations.

וַיַּ֨עַן לָבָ֤ן וּבְתוּאֵל֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ מֵיְהֹוָ֖ה יָצָ֣א הַדָּבָ֑ר לֹ֥א נוּכַ֛ל דַּבֵּ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יךָ רַ֥ע אוֹ־טֽוֹב׃ (Genesis 24:50)

Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said: ‘The thing proceedeth from the LORD; we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. (Genesis 24:50; JPS 1917)

(ויישם) [וַיּוּשַׂ֤ם] לְפָנָיו֙ לֶאֱכֹ֔ל וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א אֹכַ֔ל עַ֥ד אִם־דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי דְּבָרָ֑י וַיֹּ֖אמֶר דַּבֵּֽר׃ (Genesis 24:33)

And there was set food before him to eat; but he said: ‘I will not eat, until I have told mine errand.’ And he said: ‘Speak on.’ (Genesis 24:33; JPS 1917)

(Genesis 24:33)

Peshat means the plain sense of a text. The servant recounts his mission and his experience at the well; Laban and Bethuel respond that the matter is from God (Genesis 24:33 to 53). Only after the servant asks to depart the next morning and the family proposes a delay does the family decide to ask Rivkah herself (Genesis 24:54 to 57). The immediate question concerns her departure with the servant.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ אַל־תְּאַחֲר֣וּ אֹתִ֔י וַֽיהֹוָ֖ה הִצְלִ֣יחַ דַּרְכִּ֑י שַׁלְּח֕וּנִי וְאֵלְכָ֖ה לַֽאדֹנִֽי׃ (Genesis 24:56)

And he said unto them: ‘Delay me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master.’ (Genesis 24:56; JPS 1917)

The family calls Rivkah and asks whether she will go with the man. She answers, “I will go” (Genesis 24:58). The verse records her response without describing all her thoughts or telling us everything she knew. We should respect that limit while noticing the place the narrative gives to her answer.

Rivkah answers with a single Hebrew verb (Genesis 24:58). Brevity alone does not tell us how she arrived at her decision. As a reflection, her answer can prompt us to notice the difference between making assumptions for someone and asking a question that gives them space to respond.

As a present day reflection, consider how often a conversation moves forward before the people affected have been heard. Asking a clear question, making room for an answer, and listening carefully are practical habits we can bring to our own relationships. This is an application of the story, not a claim about Rivkah’s unrecorded thoughts.

The question in the story concerns Rivkah’s departure with the servant. We should not stretch it into a complete account of her thoughts or a ruling about every marriage. The account has its own setting, and a modern application should be offered with humility. What the text plainly gives us is a sequence: a request, a proposed delay, a question put to Rivkah, and her answer. Attending to that sequence helps us ask better questions before drawing larger conclusions (Genesis 24:54 to 58).

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)

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)

Earlier, the servant asks God for a sign involving a young woman who offers water both to him and to his camels (Genesis 24:12 to 14). Rivkah offers him water and then draws for the camels (Genesis 24:15 to 20). Her actions correspond to the sign he requested; the passage lets us notice her generosity without inventing a further test.

וְיִצְחָק֙ בָּ֣א מִבּ֔וֹא בְּאֵ֥ר לַחַ֖י רֹאִ֑י וְה֥וּא יוֹשֵׁ֖ב בְּאֶ֥רֶץ הַנֶּֽגֶב׃ (Genesis 24:62)

And Isaac came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi; for he dwelt in the land of the South. (Genesis 24:62; JPS 1917)

Later, Rivkah sees Isaac, asks the servant who he is, and covers herself with a veil (Genesis 24:62 to 65). The story closes by describing Isaac bringing Rivkah into Sarah’s tent and finding comfort after his mother’s death (Genesis 24:67). These details invite a careful reading of the journey’s conclusion without assigning unrecorded motives to either person.

Recognizing the Hidden Hand

Earlier in the chapter, the servant arrives at a well outside the city of Nahor and asks God for help. He describes a sign involving a young woman who will offer water to him and to his camels (Genesis 24:12 to 14). The request is specific: it is connected to an action at the well, where both the traveler’s thirst and the animals’ needs matter. Reading this scene first gives context for the family discussion that follows; the later question to Rivkah belongs to a longer journey rather than appearing on its own.

Rivkah responds to the traveler’s request and offers to draw water for his camels as well (Genesis 24:15 to 20). The Hebrew word chesed is often translated as kindness or generous care. It can help us discuss why a reader might notice her practical attention to another’s needs. At the same time, the verses do not supply a complete portrait of her inner character. We can appreciate the actions the story describes without claiming to know everything behind them.

The servant’s prayer and Rivkah’s actions offer two distinct points for reflection. One person articulates a hope; another performs a concrete act of care. Neither detail requires us to predict how every event in our own lives will unfold. A modest practice might be to pause before a demanding task, name what help we need, and notice an opportunity to help someone else. This is a present day application of the story, offered as reflection rather than as a rule derived from the verse (Genesis 24:12 to 20).

Witnessing the Unspoken Transition

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)

After Rivkah draws water, the servant watches her in silence, seeking to know whether his journey has succeeded (Genesis 24:21). The sentence does not tell us every thought or feeling behind his silence. It does make room for a moment of observation before the account moves to his questions and response. That small pause is worth noticing: in a story full of movement, a reader is invited to slow down long enough to see what the text actually says.

The order of events matters. After the camels have finished drinking, the servant gives gifts and asks whose daughter Rivkah is and whether there is room to lodge with her family (Genesis 24:22 to 23). Rivkah answers the question about her family and says there is room (Genesis 24:24 to 25). The conversation develops through questions and answers. We can follow that exchange without asserting that the servant has already resolved every uncertainty or treating the narrative as a transcript of his private thoughts.

As a reflection, the servant’s pause suggests a useful discipline for us: do not rush past the person in front of you. Observe what has happened, ask what you still need to know, and leave room for an answer. Silence can have many meanings, so it would be a mistake to assume that every quiet moment represents the same intention. Here, the verse itself links the servant’s silence to his desire to know how his journey is unfolding (Genesis 24:21).

Agreement and Departure

When the servant later recounts his mission, Laban and Bethuel say that the matter has come from God (Genesis 24:50 to 51). The text presents their words in the context of his report; it does not ask us to treat every apparent sign in ordinary life as a command to stop asking questions. Their statement is one stage in the narrative. The next morning brings a practical disagreement about departure, and the family’s question to Rivkah follows that discussion (Genesis 24:54 to 58).

The difference between agreement and departure deserves attention. The family’s response to the proposed match appears in one part of the conversation; the request to delay Rivkah’s departure appears later (Genesis 24:50 to 55). Keeping the two moments distinct prevents us from flattening the story into a single decision. When her family asks Rivkah whether she will go, the wording concerns the immediate journey. Her concise response resolves the question the narrative has just placed before her (Genesis 24:57 to 58).

For our own conversations, the story can invite a question: have we assumed agreement because some people have already spoken? A patient response might be to identify who is affected, ask a clear question, and listen without supplying the answer for them. This reflection need not claim that Rivkah’s situation is identical to ours. Its value lies in letting the text sharpen our attention while respecting the distance between its setting and a decision someone faces today (Genesis 24:54 to 58).

Rivkah’s answer is brief, but the narrative that surrounds it is not. We have followed the servant’s prayer, the meeting at the well, the family’s discussion and the question of departure. Each stage deserves to be read in its own place. A practical invitation emerges from that careful reading: ask, listen and make space for an answer. As you study this week’s parshah, return to Genesis 24 and notice how a question changes the next step in the story.

Sources and further reading

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