Do you have faith like Eleazar?
In Parashat Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1-25:18), we learn that Abraham’s wife Sarah passes away and Abraham purchases land to bury his wife. After Abraham buries his wife, he asks his servant to go and find a wife for his son Isaac. Avraham made Eleazar swear never to take his son Isaac back to the land he had come from, and not to take a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites (וְאַשְׁבִּיעֲךָ בַּיהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וֵאלֹהֵי הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לֹא-תִקַּח אִשָּׁה לִבְנִי מִבְּנוֹת הַכְּנַעֲנִי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי יוֹשֵׁב בְּקִרְבּוֹ). When Eleazar arrives at the spring (Bereshit 24:13-14) he speaks to the Lord in prayer setting up a test for how he will be able to recognize the woman that God has chosen for Isaac. Eleazar says in Bereshit 24:14 וְהָיָה הַנַּעֲרָ אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיהָ הַטִּי-נָא כַדֵּךְ וְאֶשְׁתֶּה וְאָמְרָה שְׁתֵה וְגַם-גְּמַלֶּיךָ אַשְׁקֶה אֹתָהּ הֹכַחְתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לְיִצְחָק וּבָהּ אֵדַע כִּי-עָשִֹיתָ חֶסֶד עִם-אֲדֹנִי “now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’ may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.’ (NASB) Eleazar throughout his journey and the task that was set before him trusted in the Lord God. In the retelling of the story on how Eleazar come to know that Rebecca is the one God has chosen, he says מ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָי יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר-הִתְהַלַּכְתִּי לְפָנָיו יִשְׁלַח מַלְאָכוֹ אִתָּךְ וְהִצְלִיחַ דַּרְכֶּךָ וְלָקַחְתָּ אִשָּׁה לִבְנִי מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתִּי וּמִבֵּית אָבִי: מא אָז תִּנָּקֶה מֵאָלָתִי כִּי תָבוֹא אֶל-מִשְׁפַּחְתִּי וְאִם-לֹא יִתְּנוּ לָךְ וְהָיִיתָ נָקִי מֵאָלָתִי: מב וָאָבֹא הַיּוֹם אֶל-הָעָיִן וָאֹמַר יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם אִם-יֶשְׁךָ-נָּא מַצְלִיחַ דַּרְכִּי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הֹלֵךְ עָלֶיהָ: מג הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל-עֵין הַמָּיִם וְהָיָה הָעַלְמָה הַיֹּצֵאת לִשְׁאֹב וְאָמַרְתִּי אֵלֶיהָ הַשְׁקִינִי-נָא מְעַט-מַיִם מִכַּדֵּךְ: Bereshit 24:40 ‘He said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you to make your journey successful, and you will take a wife for my son from my relatives and from my father’s house; 24:41 then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my relatives; and if they do not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’ 24:42 ‘So I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go successful; 24:43 behold, I am standing by the spring, and may it be that the maiden who comes out to draw, and to whom I say, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar’; (NASB)
Eleazar believed the Lord God Almighty would go before him and prepare the way and the woman that he was to find for Isaac. He retells the story how God worked to bring him to this place before the people and before Bethuel and Laban saying the following.
| ספר בראשית פרק כדמז וָאֶשְׁאַל אֹתָהּ וָאֹמַר בַּת-מִי אַתְּ וַתֹּאמֶר בַּת-בְּתוּאֵל בֶּן-נָחוֹר אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה-לּוֹ מִלְכָּה וָאָשִֹם הַנֶּזֶם עַל-אַפָּהּ וְהַצְּמִידִים עַל-יָדֶיהָ: מח וָאֶקֹּד וָאֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לַיהוָֹה וָאֲבָרֵךְ אֶת-יְהוָֹה אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר הִנְחַנִי בְּדֶרֶךְ אֱמֶת לָקַחַת אֶת-בַּת-אֲחִי אֲדֹנִי לִבְנוֹ: מט וְעַתָּה אִם-יֶשְׁכֶם עֹשִֹים חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת אֶת-אֲדֹנִי הַגִּידוּ לִי וְאִם-לֹא הַגִּידוּ לִי וְאֶפְנֶה עַל-יָמִין אוֹ עַל-שְֹמֹאל: נ וַיַּעַן לָבָן וּבְתוּאֵל וַיֹּאמְרוּ מֵיהוָֹה יָצָא הַדָּבָר לֹא נוּכַל דַּבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ רַע אוֹ-טוֹב: נא הִנֵּה-רִבְקָה לְפָנֶיךָ קַח וָלֵךְ וּתְהִי אִשָּׁה לְבֶן-אֲדֹנֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהוָֹה: נב וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע עֶבֶד אַבְרָהָם אֶת-דִּבְרֵיהֶם וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַרְצָה לַיהוָֹה: | Bereshit / Genesis 2424:47 ‘Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him’; and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 ‘And I bowed low and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. 24:49 ‘So now if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, let me know, that I may turn to the right hand or the left.’ 24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, ‘The matter comes from the Lord; so we cannot speak to you bad or good. 24:51 ‘Here is Rebekah before you, take her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has spoken.’ 24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground before the Lord. (NASB) |
It is interesting to read in the Scriptures the kind of faith that Eleazar had. Eleazar come from Abraham who was a model of faith. Abraham begot Isaac in the power of God and so it is by the power of God that Eleazar had come into this land (Haran) to find a wife for his master. Eleazar believed in the God of Abraham and his journey was successful. Eleazar was not ashamed to tell others about the God of Abraham and Isaac, he bowed down and worshiped the Lord God Almighty. Are you ashamed of Lord who saves you from your sins? Are you ashamed of the Lord God almighty, the one who sent His Messiah to live and to die for you? Be like Eleazar, when hearing something that is praise worthy, give praise to the Lord no matter where you are or who you are with. —
Have a Blessed Shabbat!
— MATSATI —
