Rivka, Mother of Twins

ב"ה

Rivka (Rebecca) was raised by a man who was a liar and a cheater but she was kind enough to bring water for Eliezer and his donkey. Eliezer, Avraham's (Abraham's) servant, was sent to find a bride for son Yitzhak (Isaac). When Eliezer got close, he asked G-d for a sign -- he said that he would know he had found the right life-partner for Yitzhak when he found a young woman who would offer him water and also offer water to his camel.

Rivka, Mother of Twins

Each Twin Represented a Nation

When Avraham (Abraham) decided it was time for his son Yitzhak (Isaac) to marry, Avraham sent his servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for Yitzhak. Avraham sent Eliezer to his family in Ur. Rivka (Rebecca) offered to give water to Eliezer and his camel. Eliezer decided this was the right woman for his master's son. Rivka and Yitzhak married and Rivka prayed for children. She became pregnant with twins. The twins fought with each other in the womb. When they were born, the first son came out, he was hairy and everyone called him Esav (Esau), which meant hairy. When the second son came out, he was holding the heel of the older son. His father,Yitzhak, called him Yaakov (Jacob) which came from the Hebrew word for heel. As they got older, Esav was a hunter and a killer and Yaakov was a learner. Yaakov wanted to get his father's blessing. But Yitzhak was fooled by Esav. Esav brought his father, who had gone blind, meat from animals he had hunted and treated him well. But Rivka saw that Yaakov was the good son and told him how to fool his father. Because Yitzhak had grown up in the house of Avraham and Sara, he only knew honesty. But Rivka was the daughter of Betuel, who was dishonest in business and so she knew how to counteract Esav's deceptions. Rivka saw to it that Yitzhak's blessing went to the appropriate son, Yaakov.