Biography | Publications | Methodology
Introduction to Gilyonot | Weekly Gilayonot Archives

Weekly Gilayon for the Study of the Weekly Torah Portion

Gilayon
Pedagogic Guide
Answers to the Gilayon
Archives

Parashat Haye Sara (5728/1967)
Chapter 24:
Rivka

1. Compare:
   1. Gen.24:13: Behold, I nitzav (stand) here by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water. Gen.24:30: … he came to the man, and, behold, omed (he stood) by the camels at the well.
      
      1. Explain the difference in the verbs in the two verses (nitzav – omed). Compare: Gen.18:2: Three men nitzavim (stood) Ex.2:4: And his sister vatetatzav (stood) afar off Num.16:27: And Datan and Aviram went out nitzavim (and stood) in the door of their tents – see Rashi ad loc. Deut.29:9: You nitzavim (stand) this day all of you before the Lord your G-d.
      2. Why the different expressions in the two locatives?
      
      
   2. Rivka's words to Avraham's servant, Gen.24:24: … I am the daughter of Betuel, the son of Milka, whom she bore to Nahor. The servant's words in Betuel's house, Gen.24:47: And she said, The daughter of Betuel, Nahor's son, whom Milka bore to him…
   1. Why did Rivka mention also her father's mother and not only her father's father as was the custom?
   2. Why did the servant change Rivka's order, mentioning her father's father's name before her father's mother's name?

2. Gen.24:20: … and ran again to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. The author of Ma'ase Hashem (R.Eliezer Ashkenazi) asks: Since the servant did not say (in his sprayer), "the girl will give the camels to drink" but, "the girl who will say that she will water the camels, he need not have put her to all the trouble of giving all the camels to drink. Answer his question.

3. Gen.24:25: …There is also plenty of straw and food, and also room to spend the night: Ma'ase Hashem asks further: He asked for room for the men to spend the night,and she answered concerning the camels, "There is plenty of straw and food"? The answer is that she spoke like a pious woman…
   1. Whence do we know that he asked for the men?
   2. What shows that she answered like a pious woman?

4. Questions on Rashi:
   1. Rashi Gen.24:8: Then you shall be clear from this my oath etc.: And take for him a wife from the daughters of Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Divre David asks: Later (v.49) Rashi comments on "so that I may turn to the right or to the left", From the daughters of Yishmael or Lot? Moreover, whence does Rashi take, the daughters of Aner, Eshkol or Mamre? Answer his two questions.

   2. Rashi Gen.24:20: Vat'ar means "pouring out". It occurs in this sense many times in the Mishna, e.g., "He who pours from one vessel into another", and we find it in a similar sense in Scripture: "O pour not out my soul" (Ps.141:8); "Because he poured forth his soul unto death" (Is.53:12). Rashi's Supercommentator R.Ya'acov Knizel (Spain 1486 ?) asks: Why does Rashi adduce his proofs first from the Mishna and then from Scripture? Furthermore, he says that it occurs many times in the Mishna, but that we find it in a similar sense in Scripture? xx Answer his two questions

   3. Rashi Gen.24:44: Gam (both) drink you: Gam implies also the men that were with him. Compare with: Gen15:14: Vegam (and also) that nation; Gen.42:22: Vegam (also) his blood is required.
      1. What exegetic method does Rashi follow in these three verses?
      2. xx Why did Rashi not in the same way ("to include") also in the following verses which seem very similar to our verse? 24:25: There is also (gam) plenty of straw and food; 43:8 : Both (gam) we and (gam) you and (gam) also our children; 44:16: Gam (both) we and also (gam) with whom the cup is found; Ex.12:32: Also (gam) take your flocks and (gam) your herds.

   4. Rashi Gen.24:52: He prostrated himself to the earth: Hence we learn that one must thank for good news (Bereshit Rabba). R.Yisrael Isserlein (author of the Responsa Terumat Hadeshen, Regensburg 1390-1460 ?) asks in his commentary on Rashi: Why did Rashi not make this comment in v.26 above? Imre Shefer adds that in Bereshit Rabba our Sages commented this (that one has to thank) on v.26. Why then did Rashi transfer it to v.54? (Rashi's Supercommentators give various answers!)

5. Gen.24:61: And Rivka and her maids arose, and they rode upon the camels… Hakorem: And her maids. It is very odd that they sent Rivka to draw water from the well outside the city whereas she had maids to serve her. She may have gone providentially to draw water only on that day in order to meet Eliezer outside the city and to find favor in his eyes… Or it may be that they only gave her the maids when she became betrothed, but before that she supervised the household.
   1. The commentator strengthens his first explanation with the words of the text. What is it?
   2. The Commentator supports his second explanation with another scriptural source What is it?

6. Gen.24:67: And Yitzhak brought her into his mother Sara's' tent, and took Rivka, and she became his wife, and he loved her. And Yitzhak was comforted after his mother's death.

   Ramban Gen.24:67: And Yitzhak brought her into his mother Sara's' tent: The construct state (connecting "tent" and "Sara") is lacking (in the Hebrew text), and we find many like this. The Torah thus tells us of the respect Yitzhak showed for his mother, for since her death her tent was not pitched since they would not allow any other woman to live in the venerated mistress's tent. But when he saw Rivka he honored her by bringing her into that tent where he took her for his wife. The Torah states that Yitzhak "loved her and was comforted after his mother's death" to hint that he grieved greatly for his mother and would not be consoled, until he was comforted by is wife through her love. Otherwise why would the Torah mention a man's love for his wife?

   Onkelos: Yitzhak brought her into the tent, and she was his mother Sara. Love is mentioned for this reason – owing to her piety and worthy deeds he loved her and was comforted…

   1. What linguistic fact prompted Ramban to decide that the construct case was lacking here?
   2. R.Shlomo Dubna compares our verse to Psalm 45:7: Your throne, G-d,olam vaed (is for ever and ever). Wherein lies the similarity between the two verses?
   3. Wherein do Ramban and Onkelos differ in the syntactic concept of our verse.
   4. Apart from the syntactic problem Ramban answers also another question. What is it?
   5. Several Commentators oppose Ramban's solution of this problem (from "The Torah states that Yitzhak" on…) and offer another solution. How?

      Questions concerning Onkelos's Translation: Gen.24:5: … the woman will not be willing to follow me (lit. to go) – to come Gen.24:39: Perhaps the woman will not follow me (lit. go) - perhaps the woman will not come Gen.24:38: But you shall go to my father's house – go Gen.24:55: Let the girl… after that she shall go – after that she shall go Gen.24:65: Who is this man that walks (lit.goes) in the field – goes in the field. Explain the reason for the different translations of to go. 3. Gen.24:19: And when she had done giving him to drink, she said: I will draw water for your camels also, until they have done drinking.

      Onkelos: Gen.24:19: She finished to give them to drink, and she said: I will draw water for your camels also, until they have done drinking.

      Compare: Gen.21:15: And the water was spent in the bottle – ushlimu maya Gen.47:15: And the money was exhausted – ushlim kaspa Ex.39:32: All the work of the Tabernacle was finished – ushlemat kol avidat mishkena Gen.43:2: When they had finished eating – vahava kad shetziu (this, and not as it is printed in our editions, is the correct version) lemekhal yat ivura. Explain the three different translations of the verb "kalo" (especially the two Aramaic verbs for the same verb in one verse).

      The questions marked x are difficult, those marked xx are particularly difficult. Every person should answer according to his/her ability.

      next >