Rebekah: Our Matriarch of Strength

The second Matriarch in the history of the Jewish people was Rebekah, wife of Isaac and mother to Esau and Jacob. When we first encounter Rebekah, we learn that she was from the family of Abraham (Genesis 24:15), that she was beautiful (v. 16), and that she was kind, as evidenced by her enthusiasm in providing water for Abraham’s servant as well as his camels (v. 19). Through our study, we will discover that she was also strong in character, action, and faith.

Every Sabbath eve, Jewish families sing the words of Proverbs 31 to the woman of the home. We begin with the words: “Eishet chayil mi yimtza?” “A woman of valour who can find?” (Proverbs 31:10, Jewish Masoretic Text).

The word chayil, generally translated as “valour” or “noble,” is nearly identical to the Hebrew word chayal, meaning “soldier.”