The Hebrew word for ācamelā is gamal (×××), which also means āto be independent.ā It holds significant historical, cultural, and symbolic importance in Jewish tradition. The name itself is deeply meaningful, reflecting both the animal’s characteristics and its role in the lives of the Patriarchs.
Camels are mammals with fatty deposits on their backs known as humps. They live in desert climates and are often used for transporting people and goods. There have been camels in the Land of Israel since the time of the Patriarchs, as evidenced in the above verse when Abrahamās servant takes āten of his masterās camelsā (Genesis 24:10) when he sets out in search of a wife for Isaac.
Jacob offers Esau ā30 milch camels with their coltsā (Genesis 32:16) when they meet up again following Jacobās return from Haran, and before the brothers sell Joseph down to Egypt āthey saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilad, their camels bearing gum, balm, and ladanum to be taken to Egyptā (Genesis 37:25).
However, the camel became popular in Israel during the period of the Judges, and the Bible records that at the end of Jobās life he owned six thousand camels (Job 42:12)!
We find the usage of this word in a variety of contexts: āThe child grew up, and was āweanedā (vayigamal)ā (Genesis 21:8); āand borne almondsā (vayigmol ā i.e. ābecame independent of the stalkā; Numbers 17:23).
According to Rabbi Natan Slifkin, popularly known as the āZoo Rabbi,ā the Hebrew name for camel refers to the animalās ability to survive without water for up to seven months. This makes them especially suited for their desert habitat.
It is fitting that the independent camel was the method of transportation used by Abrahamās servant to bring back a wife for Isaac, as described in the above verse, since Rebecca made the independent choice to leave her family in order to join Isaac in the Land of Israel.
