Parasha Guide » Chayei Sarah

The Text:

Gen. 24:15-20 it came to pass, before he had finished speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her water jar upon her shoulder. And the girl was very pretty to look upon, a virgin, and no man had known her; and she went down to the well, and filled her water jar, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I beg you, drink a little water from your water jar. And she said, Drink, my lord; and she hurried, and let down her water jar upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had finished giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking. And she hurried, and emptied her water jar into the trough, and ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.

The Context:

Sarah dies at the beginning of this Torah portion and Abraham purchases land to bury her. As Abraham is getting older, he sends his servant to find a bride for Isaac.

What it Means for Advocates:

There is no question that much of the Land of Israel is desert. One of the principle challenges facing the country in addition to security is water. According to the United Nations, Israel suffers from a severe water shortage. The population of Israel continues to grow and for the past several years a severe drought has plagued the area. The Jewish National Fund, once committed to planting trees in Israel now focuses its energies on providing water resources for the forests. To find out more, go here.