AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT BEFORE HE HAD DONE SPEAKING, BEHOLD, REBEKAH WENT OUT. Instead of “went out” (yozeth) we should have expected “came” (baah). The implication is that God brought her away from the people of the town, and made her an exception to them. AND SHE WENT DOWN TO THE FOUNTAIN. This fountain was none other than the well of Miriam; hence the word “to” here is expressed by the letter he (ha-‘aynah).
According to another explanation, the term “went out”, like the similar term in the passage, “young maidens going out to draw water” (I Sam. 9, 11), implies modesty, that is, that they kept at home and only went out at a certain hour to draw water. This was the sign by which Abraham’s servant recognised her.
For when he reached Haran and met Rebekah “at the time of evening” it was the time of the afternoon prayer (minhah). Thus the moment when Isaac began the afternoon prayer coincided with the moment when the servant encountered Rebekah. So, too, it was at the very moment of his afternoon prayer that Rebekah came to Isaac himself. Thus all was fitly disposed through the working of the Divine Wisdom. It was as part of the same scheme that the servant came to the well of water, the inner significance of which is to be found in the passage, “Thou art a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and flowing streams from Lebanon” (S.S. 4, 15).
תָּא חֲזֵי, וַיְהִי הוּא טֶרֶם כִּלָּה לְדַבֵּר וְהִנֵּה רִבְקָה יוֹצֵאת. יוֹצֵאת, בָּאָה מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַאי יוֹצֵאת. דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַפִּיק לָהּ מִכָּל אִינוּן בְּנֵי מָתָא דְּכֻלְּהוּ חַיָּיבִין, וְהִיא יוֹצֵאת מִכְּלָלָא דִּלְהוֹן. וַתֵּרֶד הָעַיְנָה כְּתִיב בְּה"א, רָזָא אִיהוּ דְּאִעָרְעַת תַּמָּן בֵּירָא דְּמִרְיָם, וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב הָעַיְנָה בְּה"א וּסְלִיקוּ לָהּ מַיָא.
AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT BEFORE HE HAD DONE SPEAKING, BEHOLD, REBEKAH WENT OUT. Instead of “went out” (yozeth) we should have expected “came” (baah). The implication is that God brought her away from the people of the town, and made her an exception to them. AND SHE WENT DOWN TO THE FOUNTAIN. This fountain was none other than the well of Miriam; hence the word “to” here is expressed by the letter he (ha-‘aynah).
דָּבָר אַחֵר וְהִנֵּה רִבְקָה יוֹצֵאת כְּמָה דִכְתִיב יוֹצְאוֹת לִשְׁאוֹב מַיִם, אַמַּאי יוֹצְאוֹת וְלא הוֹלְכוֹת וְלֹא בָאוֹת. אֶלָּא בְּגִין דִּטְמִירִין הֲווּ כָּל יוֹמָא וּבְהַהִיא שַׁעְתָּא נָפְקִין לְשָׁאֲבָא מַיָא, וְסִימָנָא נָקִיט בִּידֵיהּ.
According to another explanation, the term “went out”, like the similar term in the passage, “young maidens going out to draw water” (I Sam. 9, 11), implies modesty, that is, that they kept at home and only went out at a certain hour to draw water. This was the sign by which Abraham’s servant recognised her.
תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד מָטָא עַבְדָא לְחָרָן וְאַשְׁכַּח לָהּ לְרִבְקָה לְעֵת עֶרֶב הֲוָה עִידָן צְלוֹתָא דְמִנְחָה. בְּהַהִיא שַׁעְתָּא דְּמָטָא יִצְחָק לְצַלָּאָה צְלוֹתָא דְמִנְחָה, בְּהַהִיא שַׁעְתָּא מָטָא עַבְדָא לְגַבָּהּ דְּרִבְקָה. וּבְהַהִיא שַׁעְתָּא דְּמָטָא יִצְחָק לִצְלוֹתָא דְמִנְחָה כְּמִלְקַדְּמִין מָטַאת רִבְקָה לְגַבֵּיהּ. לְאִשְׁתַּכָּחָא כֹּלָּא בְּאַתְרֵיהּ דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת, וְכֹלָּא מָטָא בְּרָזָא דְחָכְמְתָא, וְעַל דָּא אֲתָא הַהוּא עַבְדָא לִבְאֵר הַמַּיִם רָזָא דִכְתִיב (שיר השירים ד׳:ט״ו) מַעְיַן גַּנִּים בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים וְנוֹזְלִים מִן לְבָנוֹן, וְאוֹקִימְנָא, וְכֹלָּא רָזָא אִיהוּ.
For when he reached Haran and met Rebekah “at the time of evening” it was the time of the afternoon prayer (minhah). Thus the moment when Isaac began the afternoon prayer coincided with the moment when the servant encountered Rebekah. So, too, it was at the very moment of his afternoon prayer that Rebekah came to Isaac himself. Thus all was fitly disposed through the working of the Divine Wisdom. It was as part of the same scheme that the servant came to the well of water, the inner significance of which is to be found in the passage, “Thou art a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and flowing streams from Lebanon” (S.S. 4, 15).