15. Rebekah
The tale of Rebekah is one of kindness and charity. She comes to be the wife of Isaac, son of Abraham, who survived his binding and attempted sacrifice at the hands of his father, only after passing a test of great kindness. Abraham told a servant to find a spouse for his son, and commands that he only accepts a woman who gives both him and his camels water, thereby showing a generous nature. Rebekah comes out immediately when she sees Abraham’s servant enter her village, and continues to refill a water trough by hand until all of his camels have quenched their thirst. She thus passes his test of kindness.
As Isaac’s wife, Rebekah became the mother of Jacob and Esau. She suffered greatly during her pregnancy, with Jacob thrashing and attempting to leave her womb whenever she passed a house of worship. Esau, on the other hand, would similarly flail and fight whenever she went by a den of idolatry to false gods. She was later given a prophecy that the twins who competed in her womb would continue to fight all of their lives. After their birth, she dearly loved Jacob who was a virtuous and faithful man.