In the story of Eliezer who was sent to get a bride for Isaac, we see where Rebekah was tested in two areas. First, he would determine if she were a person who performed kind deeds. She would demonstrate this in the fact that she would give a drink of water to a stranger. What was also a test, was the fact that Eliezer did not have a cup to drink out of. He would have to drink directly out of her pitcher. Who knows being a stranger what disease he may have had, then she had to be drinking after him. Would she still offer him water? The one test we seem to overlook was, what would she do with the leftover water. Would she pour it out on the ground after he had drank from it, thereby embarrassing the stranger? Would she take the pitcher home and offer the leftover water to her family, taking a chance on making them ill if he had any sicknesses? We see that Rebekah passed “both” tests with flying colors.

She did offer him a drink of water, thereby showing her kindness. She also showed common sense (seichal) when she poured out the rest of the water for the camels, thereby not wasting the valuable leftover water. This is an important trait we often seem to miss. Having good character traits and doing good works are great and essential for progressing in spiritual maturity. But they go hand in hand with seichal, common sense. One who doesn’t have any common sense will accomplish much less in life with only his acts of chesed (kindness) to rely on. Sooner or later he will do something foolish, or hurt someone he is trying to help. In not throwing the good water away, or giving it to her family when it might be unfit, she thought of a good common sense way to use the remainder of water. So Rebekah passed the test of having kindness and having common sense. Don’t go to the well without both in life.