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.
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