GEN1172 Procreation is essential to the continuity of life. In the animal world the perpetuation of the species is generally achieved without the benefit of a familial relationship resembling matrimony. The character and behavior of animal herds are mostly predetermined by fixed laws of nature, with the role of parents limited to the physical preservation of their offspring. A young animal does not need a “home” in the moral sense which this term is assumed in human society. Man, endowed with a free will, does not develop his character by a predetermined pattern of evolution. The influences of the home are essential to the transmission of moral values and perceptions. The spiritual dimension of a human being, and to a large extent of society as a whole, is based on parental guidance and instruction provided in the home. Hence the Judaic stress on the importance of background as determining factor in an individual’s qualification as a good mate. The importance of background is emphasized in the Biblical account of the choice of Rebecca as a wife for Isaac. Abraham entrusted his loyal servant Eliezer with the task of finding a proper wife for his son. He ruled out any choice of a local Canaanite girl because of the immoral environment of Canaanite homes. Abraham was convinced of the lingering effects of the undesirable influences of one’s youth.   He therefore instructed Eliezer to go to his native land to find a suitable girl of a Semitic family. Genesis 24:3-4.   Eliezer’s choice of a bride is highly illuminating.   The decisive consideration was not her wealth or the prominence of her family but her character. Standing at the well, he prayed: “So let it come to pass that the damsel to whom I shall say: ‘Let down thy pitcher, I beg of thee, that I may drink,’ and she shall say: ‘Drink and I will give thy camels drink also,’ let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac” [This verse]. Such a response, he felt, would qualify her to marry Isaac and would also be a token of G–d’s approval. BLOCH 213-4 (Continued at [[EXOD540]] Exodus 21:10 withhold BLOCH 214-5)