By Faith Rebekah…

In synagogues all over the world, a predetermined section of Scripture from the Torah and a related series of verses from the Haftarah (selected verses from the Tanakh) are read each week. These portions, known as parshot, have been read in a cycle since approximately the fifth century and are traditionally thought to have been established by Ezra the Scribe. Because Messianic Jews also accept the Brit Chadasha, we read a chosen and related passage from the Apostolic Writings as well. However, sometimes when people read the selected passages from the Brit Chadasha, they don't immediately see the connection or relationship between those verses and the parsha from the Tanakh.

One example of this is the passage from the Brit Chadasha connected to Parsha Chayei Sarah. A large part of this parsha covers Abraham's servant's journey to find a wife for Isaac. A seemingly central focal point in the story is when the servant goes to the well, prays, and waits for G-D to bring the right woman to be the bride of his master's son. Many people read this passage and, having noticed the recurring theme of wells throughout Scripture, immediately connect this event with Yeshua's dialogue with the Samaritan woman at the well, found in John chapter 4.

However, the passage we read from the Brit Chadasha that was chosen for this parsha comes from Matthew 8:18–22:

18 Now when Yeshua saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to go to the other side of the sea. 19 Then a Torah scholar came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 Yeshua tells him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 Then another of the disciples said, “Master, first let me go and bury my father.” 22 But Yeshua tells him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

As we read these words from Matthew, we immediately notice that there is no mention of a well, no mention of a son, and no mention of a bride. So, where is the connection between these verses and the Torah parsha?

Let's look at a theme within the text that seems to be overshadowed by the well, the bride, and the camels, but that I believe is more important to the greater narrative than all three. In Genesis 24, we read:

58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will go.”

This single sentence in the text is so important, yet it is often overlooked and overshadowed by the surrounding narrative. Think about it: If Rebekah had not spoken those three words, there would have been no bride for Isaac, and there would have been no children of Israel. Those three words were Rebekah's Lech Lecha moment.

Just as Abraham's faith was established when he got up and left his home to go to the place G-D would show him, Rebekah's faith was established through these words as she committed to making the exact same journey from her home to the place where she would be shown.

With this one statement, G-D established the important role of women within His people. Through Abraham's Lech Lecha moment, He established Abraham's value and importance in the greater plan for His covenant people. Through Rebekah's Lech Lecha moment, G-D also established the vital role of women in His covenant people. Just as Abraham made the choice to follow G-D, so did Rebekah.

Now, let's look again at the words from Matthew 8, focusing on verses 19 and 22:

19 Then a Torah scholar came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”

22 But Yeshua tells him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

With these words, Yeshua offers them their own Lech Lecha moment. He invites them to follow Him. First, the Torah scholar and then the disciple. Both were invited to follow Him.

The truth is that just as Abraham, Rebekah, the Torah scholar, and the disciple each had their Lech Lecha moment, each of us has either already experienced one or will experience one. It is a moment when we must step out in faith, making the decision to get up and go. It means choosing to follow G-D's path for us without knowing where we will end up, but knowing that wherever we end up will be the place G-D has led us.