Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/192

 The Book of Genesis

174

Lesson XIII

THE WOOING OF REBEKAH XXIV)

(Genesis

And Isaac brought her into And Isaac was comforted

her.

A woman For her

price

is

for his mother.

who can

of valor

mother Sarah's

liis

— and

tent

(Genesis

he loved

XXIV,

67).

find?

far above rubies.

Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praiseth her 'Many daughters have done valianth-,

But thou excellest them

(Proverbs

all'.

Read Proverbs XXXI,

10-31

XXXI,

10

and 28f.)

(selected verses).

The story which we consider today is the first real romance which we have found in our study of the Bible, and one of the oldest and most beautiful of the many love idyls of the world's literature. art,

of

comparable

Eden and

in

every

happy

faithful,

devoted,

virtuous,

tender-hearted,

in

his

delineation

efficient,

of love to leave

is

a classic of narrative

the stories of the

old

of

Garden

The author was the characters

servant,

of

parthe

and of the young,

high-minded maiden, ready at the kindred, and to journey forth

home and

into the strange world, to

for her, and

too,

of the sacrifice of Isaac.

ticularly

call

It,

way with

who was

meet the husband who had sent

also her

own

choice.

We

are face to

whose l)eauty, charm, and nobility command our admiration and love. She seems more real, human and sympathetic tlian Sarah, and eminently fit to be the wife of Isaac and the successor of Sarah as the second great mother in Israel. As the Bible face with a real heroine,