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Chayei Sarah 5771—October 25, 2010

B”H

Discovering Your Hidden Agendas

And Not Despairing

By Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson

~~~

Dedicated by David and Eda Schottenstein

in the loving memory of
Rabbi Gavriel Noach and Rivki Holtzberg
and all of the Mumbai Kedoshim

And in the loving memory of a young soul

Alta Shula Swerdlov
Daughter of Rabbi Yossi and Hindel Swerdlov
in honor of her first yartzeit
~~~
To make a contribution or sponsor a class
please visit www.TheYeshiva.Net/Donate

Curriculum:
1. Class Summary
2. Sources
3. Bibliography
4. Questions and Exercises

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1. Class Summary:
We learned last week about the ambivalence and deep psychological conflict expressed by the
cantorial shalsheles note. There is a shalsheles in Vayeira, and now there is another one in
Chayei Sarah. In Vayeira, the torn character, the owner of the shalsheles, was Lot, in Chayei
Sarah it is Eliezer, the servant of Abraham.
Eliezer was sent by Abraham to Charan (modern day north-Syria) to bring back a wife for his
only son Isaac. In this monumental marriage, the first Jewish shidduch, the entire Jewish future
lay. Eliezer is given only one requirement: The girl must be a relative of Abraham. It is here that
Eliezer is torn, because he too has a daughter, and as Abraham’s faithful and devoted servant,
he can dream of nothing greater than Isaac becoming his son-in-law. But Eliezer is not a relative
of Abraham; on the contrary he is a descendant of Canaan, the son that Noah who was cursed.
However hope is not lost. Abraham tells Eliezer that if the girl in Charan refuses to return to
Israel, the condition is off, he is not responsible to fulfill his oath and bring a girl from Charan.
It is therefore with mixed emotions that Eliezer embarks on his mission. His selfless devotion to
Abraham wants him to succeed, but his own selfish hopes for his daughter seek his own failure.
Yet, unlike Lot, Eliezer overcomes his inner inhibitions and succeeds in the mission placed upon
him. Whereas Lot became paralyzed and had to be dragged out of Sodom, Eliezer smoothly and
confidently succeeds remarkably well. It is clear that unlike Lot, Eliezer has resolved his own
ambivalence and overcame his inner inhibitions. How?
A powerful Chassidic insight teaches us the key to this type of self-transcendence. It also allows
us to discover the patterns of psychoanalysis so prevalent in the book of Genesis.

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2. Sources:
1. Genesis ‫ חיי שרה‬.1
24:5 ‫ ה‬,‫כד‬
5. And the servant said to him, "Perhaps the woman will ,‫תֹאבֶ ה הָ ִא ָשה‬-‫ אּולַי ֹלא‬,‫ הָ עֶ בֶ ד‬,‫וַ יֹאמֶ ר אֵ לָיו‬
not wish to go after me to this land. Shall I return your
son to the land from which you came?"
‫ָארץ הַ זֹאת; הֶ הָ ֵשב אָ ִשיב‬
ֶ ָ‫ה‬-‫ָללֶכֶ ת ַאחֲ ַרי אֶ ל‬
.‫יָצָ אתָ ִמ ָשם‬-‫ָארץ אֲ ֶשר‬
ֶ ָ‫ה‬-‫ אֶ ל‬,‫בִ נְָך‬-‫אֶ ת‬
2. Genesis ‫ חיי שרה‬.2
24:39 ‫ לט‬,‫כד‬
39. And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will .‫ ַאחֲ ָרי‬,‫תֵ לְֵך הָ ִא ָשה‬-‫ אֺ לַי ֹלא‬:‫אֲ ֹדנִי‬-‫ אֶ ל‬,‫וָ אֹמַ ר‬
not follow me?'

3. Rashi ‫ רש"י‬.3
Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak, France, 1040-1105 ‫ד'תתס"ה‬-‫ ד'ת"ת‬,‫ צרפת‬,‫רבי שלמה בן יצחק‬

Genesis 24:39 – ‫אלי לא תלך האשה‬

“Perhaps the woman will not follow me”: ,‫אלי כתיב‬
The word ‫‘ אֺ לַי‬perhaps’ is written without a “vav” and ‫בת הייתה לו לאליעזר והיה מחזר למצוא‬
may be read ‫‘ אֵ לַי‬to me’. Eliezer had a daughter, and he ‫עילה שיאמר לו אברהם לפנות אליו להשיאו‬
was hoping that Abraham would turn to him, to marry .‫בתו‬
Isaac off to his daughter. [But] Abraham said to him,
‫ ואין‬,‫אמר לו אברהם בני ברוך ואתה ארור‬
“My son is blessed, and you are cursed [Eliezer was a
:‫ארור מדבק בברוך‬
descendant of Canaan who had been cursed by Noah],
and an accursed one cannot unite with a blessed one.”

4. Bereishis Rabbah ‫ בראשית רבה‬.4

59:9
“And the servant said to him”
The verse states (Hoshea 12:8) “Canaan has deceitful
scales in his hand; he oppresses the beloved”.
‘Canaan’ is Eliezer, and he has ‘deceitful scales’,
because Eliezer was sitting and ‘weighing’ his daughter
to see if she was worthy or not of marrying Isaac. ‘He
oppresses the beloved’ this is Isaac, G-d’s beloved.
Eliezer said, ‘Perhaps the girl will not agree to come,
and I will give him my daughter instead.’
5. Genesis
24:12
12. And he said, "O Lord, the G-d of my master
Abraham, please cause to happen to me today, and
perform loving kindness with my master, Abraham.”
‫ ט‬,‫נט‬
‫ויאמר אליו העבד הה"ד (הושע יב) כנען בידו‬
.‫מאזני מרמה לעשוק אהב‬
‫ 'בידו מאזני מרמה' שהיה‬,‫'כנען' זה אליעזר‬
‫יושב ומשקיל את בתו ראויה היא או אינה‬
‫ראויה 'לעשוק אהב' לעשוק אהובו של עולם‬
.‫זה יצחק‬
.'‫ אולי לא תאבה ואתן לו את בתי כו‬,‫אמר‬
‫ חיי שרה‬.5
‫ יב‬,‫כד‬
‫נָא לְ פָ נַי‬-‫ הַ ְק ֵרה‬,‫ה' אֱ ֹלקי אֲ ֹדנִי ַאבְ ָרהָ ם‬-‫וַ יֹאמַ ר‬
.‫ עִ ם אֲ ֹדנִי ַאבְ ָרהָ ם‬,‫חֶ סֶ ד‬-‫הַ יוֹם; וַ ע ֲֵשה‬

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6. Rashi ‫ רש"י‬.6
Genesis, 24:12 ‫ מב‬,‫חיי שרה כד‬
Rabbi Acha said: The ordinary conversation of the ‫ יפה שיחתן של עבדי אבות‬:‫אמר רבי אחא‬
servants of the Patriarchs is more beloved before the
Omnipresent than the Torah of their sons, for the
‫ שהרי פרשה‬,‫לפני המקום מתורתן של בנים‬
section dealing with Eliezer is repeated in the Torah, ‫ והרבה גופי תורה‬,‫של אליעזר כפולה בתורה‬
whereas many fundamentals of the Torah were given .‫לא נתנו אלא ברמיזה‬
only through allusions.

7. Midrash Rabbah ‫ מדרש רבה‬.7

Genesis, 60:8
R. Acha said: The ordinary conversation of the servants
of the Patriarchs is more beloved before the
Omnipresent than the Torah of their sons. The portion
of Eliezer is two and three columns [in the Torah scroll].
Eliezer repeats himself, yet the laws of the impurity of a
rodent is an important principle in Halacha, and it is
only learned out from a superfluous letter!
R. Shimon b. Yochai says: From the extra letter ‘hei’ in
‫ הטמא‬. R. Eliezer b. Yosi says: From the extra letter ‘vav’
in ‫וזה‬.
‫ ח‬,‫ פרשה ס‬,‫בראשית‬
‫ יפה שיחתן של עבדי בתי‬:‫אמר רבי אחא‬
‫ פרשתו של אליעזר‬.‫אבות מתורתן של בנים‬
‫ ושרץ‬,‫ הוא אומרה ושונה‬.‫שנים ושלושה דפים‬
‫ אלא‬,‫מגופי תורה ואין דמו מטמא כבשרו‬
.‫מריבוי המקרא‬
.‫ טמא הטמא‬:‫ר' שמעון בן יוחאי אומר‬
.‫ זה וזה‬:‫ר' אליעזר בן יוסי אומר‬

:‫ מקורות‬.3
‫חידושי הרי"ם ושפת אמת לפרשת חיי שרה‬
)‫שיחת שבת פרשת חיי שרה ה'תשל"ו (לכ"ק אדמו"ר מליובאוויטש‬

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4. Questions and Exercises

1. Did Abraham’s servant Eliezer go on his mission to find a wife for Isaac wholeheartedly?
Why?

2. What are the two biblical hints for this? One is a missing letter, and one is a rare musical
note.

3. Was Eliezer aware of his own hidden agendas? Why?

4. How did he discover the truth about himself? And what did that accomplish?

5. Why does the Torah repeat the story of Eliezer with such great detail?

6. Are you driven by secret agendas that undermine your activities?

7. Are you aware of them? Are you honest about them?

8. Can you be considered a “Servant of Abraham” when part of you wants to undermine his
mission?

9. Can you apply this above truth to your own life?

Prepared by Rabbi Avraham Shlomo

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