Making sense of the sedra: Chayei Sara
Minor character, major legacy
Sometimes, the Torah includes ‘minor’ figures who apparently play a simple role, but on closer inspection have a greater impact behind the scenes. One such figure in this week’s parsha, Chayei Sara, is Eliezer.
We know Eliezer is Abraham’s faithful servant who travelled to Haran, met Rivka at the well and fetched her back to be Yitzhak’s wife. Right?
Not so fast. For starters, throughout this episode Eliezer is nameless – he is “Abraham’s servant”, or even just “the man”. Our Rabbis identify him based on the one place where he is named – in parshat Lech Lecha (Bereishit 15:1-4). There, Abraham challenges God that, as he still has no children, his steward “Dammesek Eliezer” will be his heir.
Our rabbis hold Eliezer in high esteem – a midrash even states that he was one of the few tzadikim (righteous people) to enter Gan Eden alive. The Gemara (Yoma 28b) places him alongside the Avot as an Elder in the House of Study. Here, Dammesek is translated as doleh and mashke – drawing and giving drink to others from his master’s Torah. Eliezer was not merely a servant, but a key disciple in Avraham’s mission.
This makes Eliezer’s first ‘appearance’ all the more poignant. God promises Abraham his own child. This is good news for Abraham, but surely a blow for the offstage Eliezer. As heir to both Abraham’s material wealth and spiritual leadership, he has much to lose.
In time Abraham fathers Yishmael, then Yitzhak. Each son pushes Eliezer further away from the line of succession. Then we reach Abraham’s final challenge – marrying off Yitzhak. Again, history hangs in the balance. If Yitzhak cannot find a suitable match, there will be no third generation to carry on Abraham’s mission. Enter Eliezer – now anonymous, yet given centre stage by the Torah.
What can we learn from Eliezer? Firstly, values. Abraham’s instructions only covered geography and family. Don’t choose a Canaanite. Go to my hometown. Make sure Yitzhak doesn’t leave Eretz Yisrael. Nothing was spelt out about the woman’s character.
Eliezer’s test at the well was of his own making. Even before knowing Rivka’s identity, he declared she has passed that test. For Eliezer, the key trait for joining Avraham’s mission was not ancestry but showing kindness to strangers, through the doleh and mashke of water.
Secondly, meeting setbacks with integrity. Eliezer might have assumed his position as Abraham’s heir was secure. Not only was this upended, but he was then tasked with mapping a different future regardless of any personal hopes (some traditions say that he wanted to marry off his own daughter to Yitzhak!).
Lastly, hope. None of us can choose the hand dealt to us. Yet, when given the chance to influence the future and act according to the values that he held dear, Eliezer made the most of this. Despite his own family vanishing into obscurity, Eliezer’s legacy is the mark he left on others’ lives – and is all the more powerful for that.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
