Chayaei Sara Answers

Chaye Sara 5731
Alef.

1. 1) In order to impress Rivka’s family that Avraham is very rich and therefore worthwhile to have as a father-in-law, Eliezer spells out Avraham’s possessions.

2) Since Rivka’s family are not monotheists, Eliezer omits theological comments about Avraham’s belief in HaShem.

3) Eliezer wants to emphasize how Avraham still considers Charan his homeland and therefore stresses that Canaan is the land of the Canaanites.

4) Avraham gave general instructions that did not necessarily imply that Eliezer had to find a woman from his family, as long as she came from the land of his birth. Because Eliezer wants to stress how this is all God’s Will, he attributes to Avraham the requirement that Yitzchak’s wife come from his family.

5) Rivka’s family will not be as interested in Yitzchak as they will be in the wealth of Avraham. So Yitzchak is deemphasized.

6) Eliezer suggests that as long as Rivka’s family is in favor of her going to Canaan, it really doesn’t matter what she thinks personally, thereby attempting to heighten the possibility that she will go, since her desires are not relevant.

7) Eliezer omits details concerning Avraham’s leaving Charan, since he does not wish to alienate Rivka’s family who are still living there.

8) Eliezer does not wish to depict Avraham’s leaving Charan as a fulfillment of some sort of Divine Order, since this again would impugn their living in Charan.

9) See 4).

10) Eliezer omitted anything that could be interpreted as criticism of Charan.

11) Whereas in the original account, Eliezer saw himself completely subservient to Avraham, in his recounting the story, he puts himself more front and center to emphasize his importance so that Rivka’s family will be more likely to accede to his proposal.

12) The emphasis that Eliezer places in his account to the family is not that having found Rivka is a kindness to Avraham, but rather that she is the one for Avraham’s son. In other words, it's BaShert!

13) In order to emphasize how miraculous all this is, Eliezer emphasizes that he only thought about the test and did not say anything out loud. Had he spoken this aloud, it might have been possible for someone to have overheard him and then attempted to meet the criteria he had set.

14) In order for him not to appear too crude and self-absorbed, Eliezer did not mention that he had asked Rivka to give him something to drink, but rather to pour some water for him.

15) If Eliezer had quoted Rivka as first saying “Drink” before lowering her pitcher and pouring, then it would be clear that that was what Eliezer had originally asked for (see 14) ). Consequently he describes her as pouring first and then inviting him to drink.

16) It appears more virtuous that Rivka wishes the camels to drink along with Eliezer, rather than as an afterthought once Eliezer has already quenched his thirst. Therefore Eliezer describes the manner in which Rivka passed his test as reflecting complete Chesed for man and animal on her part.

17) If she had to refill her pitcher, once again it would appear that giving the camels water was an afterthought, following her taking care of Eliezer (see 16) ). Therefore Eliezer describes her actions as giving water to him and the camels simultaneously.

18) + 19) If in fact Eliezer wishes to claim that part of Avraham’s instructions included his determining that the woman come from his family, it would be logical that he would ask about this prior to presenting her with gifts. Therefore in his account, he first asks her about the identity of her family before presenting her with jewelry.

20) In Eliezer’s account to the family, the Divine Chesed with Avraham is deemphasized in favor of simply saying that Eliezer was thankful that HaShem Enabled him to successfully complete his mission.

2.  Eliezer consciously made the changes that he thought would be most efficacious in convincing Rivka’s family to allow her to travel back to Canaan in order to marry Yitzchak.

3.  The four aspects/versions of the story are:

     a) 24:1-9 The discussion that Eliezer has with Avraham and his acceptance of the mission;

     b) 10-14 Eliezer’s prayer to God and description of the test to which he intends to subject the candidates; 

     c) 15-32 The test as well as Eliezer’s being invited to meet Rivka’s family;

     d) 33-49 Eliezer’s recounting of the events that had transpired to date.

4.  a) Concerning the Egyptian plagues, there is a view that  while in each case there were interchanges between Moshe and Pharoah, for some of the plagues these meetings are not mentioned because it is typical of the text that in some places it is “impoverished” (missing detail) and in other places “wealthy” (flowing with detail).

'דברי תורה עניים במקום זה ועשירים במקום אחר' (ירושלמי ראש השנה ג, ה)

      b) With regard to the genealogy of Moshe in Shemot 6, the tribes leading up to Levi are dealt with perfunctorily so that focus can be placed on Levi and the generations leading directly to Moshe.

      c)  The discussion of Shemita in VaYikra is extremely detailed in contrast to most other Halachic discussions in the Tora. The lesson that RaShI states is that just as all of the details of Shemita were revealed on Sinai, so too the details of the other Mitzvot of the Tora.

רש"י ויקרא פרק כה

(א) בהר סיני - מה ענין שמיטה אצל הר סיני, והלא כל המצות נאמרו מסיני, אלא מה שמיטה נאמרו כללותיה ופרטותיה ודקדוקיה מסיני, אף כולן נאמרו כללותיהן ודקדוקיהן מסיני, כך שנויה בתורת כהנים. ונראה לי שכך פירושה לפי שלא מצינו שמיטת קרקעות שנשנית בערבות מואב במשנה תורה, למדנו שכללותיה ופרטותיה כולן נאמרו מסיני, ובא הכתוב ולמד כאן על כל דבור שנדבר למשה שמסיני היו כולם כללותיהן ודקדוקיהן, וחזרו ונשנו בערבות מואב:

5.  When Eliezer gives a report to Yitzchak, there is no intention of trying to influence him to decide to do things one way or another, as opposed to Rivka’s family, where Eliezer was clearly engaged in selling an idea and therefore had to spin his presentation carefully.

Beit.

1.  “מולדתי”

a) Ibn Ezra: Ur Kasdim (nothing to do with Avraham’s family.)

b) RaShBaM: My relatives in my land.

c) RaMBaN: Not simply someone from my land, but rather specifically from my family in my land.

d) Akeidat Yitzchak: While Avraham might have not insisted on someone from his family, this was Eliezer’s innovation, because he thought it would be more appropriate.

2. 

בראשית פרק כד

(יב) וַיֹּאמַר יְקֹוָק אֱלֹקי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם הַקְרֵה־נָא לְפָנַי הַיּוֹם וַעֲשֵׂה־חֶסֶד עִם אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם:

(יג) הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל־עֵין הַמָּיִם וּבְנוֹת אַנְשֵׁי הָעִיר יֹצְאֹת לִשְׁאֹב מָיִם:

(יד) וְהָיָה הַנַּעֲרָ אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיהָ הַטִּי־נָא כַדֵּךְ וְאֶשְׁתֶּה וְאָמְרָה שְׁתֵה וְגַם־גְּמַלֶּיךָ אַשְׁקֶה אֹתָהּ הֹכַחְתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לְיִצְחָק וּבָהּ אֵדַע כִּי־עָשִׂיתָ חֶסֶד עִם־אֲדֹנִי:

(טו) וַיְהִי־הוּא טֶרֶם כִּלָּה לְדַבֵּר וְהִנֵּה רִבְקָה יֹצֵאת אֲשֶׁר יֻלְּדָה לִבְתוּאֵל בֶּן־מִלְכָּה אֵשֶׁת נָחוֹר אֲחִי אַבְרָהָם וְכַדָּהּ עַל־שִׁכְמָהּ:

(טז) וְהַנַּעֲרָ טֹבַת מַרְאֶה מְאֹד בְּתוּלָה וְאִישׁ לֹא יְדָעָהּ וַתֵּרֶד הָעַיְנָה וַתְּמַלֵּא כַדָּהּ וַתָּעַל:

(יז) וַיָּרָץ הָעֶבֶד לִקְרָאתָהּ וַיֹּאמֶר הַגְמִיאִינִי נָא מְעַט־מַיִם מִכַּדֵּךְ:

(יח) וַתֹּאמֶר שְׁתֵה אֲדֹנִי וַתְּמַהֵר וַתֹּרֶד כַּדָּהּ עַל־יָדָהּ וַתַּשְׁקֵהוּ:

(יט) וַתְּכַל לְהַשְׁקֹתוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר גַּם לִגְמַלֶּיךָ אֶשְׁאָב עַד אִם־כִּלּוּ לִשְׁתֹּת:

(כ) וַתְּמַהֵר וַתְּעַר כַּדָּהּ אֶל־הַשֹּׁקֶת וַתָּרָץ עוֹד אֶל־הַבְּאֵר לִשְׁאֹב וַתִּשְׁאַב לְכָל־גְּמַלָּיו:

(כא) וְהָאִישׁ מִשְׁתָּאֵה לָהּ מַחֲרִישׁ לָדַעַת הַהִצְלִיחַ יְקֹוָק דַּרְכּוֹ אִם־לֹא:

(כב) וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר כִּלּוּ הַגְּמַלִּים לִשְׁתּוֹת וַיִּקַּח הָאִישׁ נֶזֶם זָהָב בֶּקַע מִשְׁקָלוֹ וּשְׁנֵי צְמִידִים עַל־יָדֶיהָ עֲשָׂרָה זָהָב מִשְׁקָלָם:

(כג) וַיֹּאמֶר בַּת־מִי אַתְּ הַגִּידִי נָא לִי הֲיֵשׁ בֵּית־אָבִיךְ מָקוֹם לָנוּ לָלִין:

(כד) וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו בַּת־בְּתוּאֵל אָנֹכִי בֶּן־מִלְכָּה אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לְנָחוֹר:

(כה) וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו גַּם־תֶּבֶן גַּם־מִסְפּוֹא רַב עִמָּנוּ גַּם־מָקוֹם לָלוּן:

(כו) וַיִּקֹּד הָאִישׁ וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ לַיקֹוָק:

(כז) וַיֹּאמֶר בָּרוּךְ יְקֹוָק אֱלֹקי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָזַב חַסְדּוֹ וַאֲמִתּוֹ מֵעִם אֲדֹנִי אָנֹכִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ נָחַנִי יְקֹוָק בֵּית אֲחֵי אֲדֹנִי:

a) RaMBaN: While Eliezer was very excited to see that Rivka had fulfilled all of the conditions of his test, the fact that he asks who her father is, demonstrates that he believed that Avraham wanted someone from his family. He gives thanks that it has all worked out in accordance with his master’s wishes.

b) Akeidat Yitzchak: The fact that Rivka was from Avraham’s family was an afterthought, indicated by Eliezer giving Rivka the jewelry before he knew her identity. Once Eliezer knew this piece of information, he “ran” with it, believing that actually it improves upon Avraham’s original mandate. He gives thanks not so much for having found someone form Avraham’s family, since this wasn’t Avraham’s original request, but rather because the manner in which HaShem Allowed things to work out, it is even better than Eliezer could have originally hoped.

3) It seems to me that the sense of the Perek as a whole is that Avraham was interested in Yitzchak not marrying a Canaanite, and therefore he sent Eliezer to the land from which he came, but not to his family per se. (Obviously Avraham would not have an objection to someone from his family, since they too lived in the land from which he originally came!) If Avraham truly wanted to make someone from his family a limiting factor, there were clearer ways for him to spell this out than simply to say “מולדתי”. Therefore I am in greater agreement with Akeidat Yitzchak.