137 Torah Book & Portion, Book of Genesis, Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1-25:18), Source Book Keys, OXFORD GENESIS | 24:44 camels — GEN1189 [T]hat compassion for animals is a qualit... GEN1189 [T]hat compassion for animals is a quality inherent in the righteous person, is articulated most famously in the book of Proverbs: “The righteous person knows the needs [nefesh, literally [“soul”] of his animal” Proverbs 12:10. The same conception seems to be operative in [this verse], where Abraham’s servant Eliezer determines that Rebecca—a paradigm of the good wife—is a suitable spouse for Isaac when she provided water not only for him, but also, without prompting, for his camels. We also find it in rabbinic texts, such as Midrash Tanhuma (Noah 5), where both Noah and Joseph are deeded righteous man “because they nourished creatures.” Perhaps most strikingly, Exodus Rabbah 2:2 relates that both Moses and David--the paradigmatic male leadership of Israel—were tested by God through how they functioned as shepherds. (By Aaron S. Gross, "Jewish Animal Ethics") OXFORD 423 Share Print Source KeyOXFORDVerse24:44Keyword(s)camelsSource Page(s)423 Switch article GENESIS | 24:36 everything — GEN1188 See [[EXOD540]] Exodus 21:10 withhold BLO... Previous Article GENESIS | 24:58 go — GEN1190 People appeal to us all the time to trust... Next Article