November 11, Parshat Chayei Sarah
The sermon began with the reading of this prayer in Hebrew and in English. It was lightly adjusted to include those who "served" as well as those who are serving now.
https://www.ou.org/judaism-101/prayers/prayer-safety-american-military-forces/
We are honored to be observing Veterans Day today, בו ביום, and to give tribute – as well as to the Veterans of the United States of America – specifically to the members of our shul who served in the Armed Forces of the United States.
United States citizens always owe a debt of gratitude to those who served in the US military, because it is the military and all of its branches who put themselves at the front lines to protect all of us from invading powers. Keeping all military confrontations off shore – I believe since the Civil War is one of the greatest gifts given to the United States by its military.
To be a military person, one must not only be giving, and ready to sacrifice. But one must believe in the cause for which we stand and for which we fight. One must be ready to take orders when given. And one must be able to follow orders, so that any mission may succeed.
The true heroes are the ones who don’t think of themselves as heroes. Who humbly go about their business, and their job, serving for the sake of God and country, and, as we say in our tribute to the military, The valiant soldiers, who risk their lives to protect the welfare of all Your creation.
In thinking about this, it occurred to me that we have a model of the first real military man in our parsha. He is a Veteran who turned his life into one of service. Who dedicated his life to following orders. And who always lived a life of integrity and honor.
One of the more mysterious characters in the Torah is Avraham’s anonymous servant. While Avraham’s servant Eliezer is named only once in the Torah, in chapter 15, that name is given by the Midrash to every servant we see attached to Avraham. Whether it is the person who joins Avraham in fighting against the 4 kings, or the person who prepares the meat for the 3 guests at the beginning of last week’s parsha, or the one who accompanies him to the Binding of Yitzchak. So universal is this view, that I am unaware of anyone who even questions whether the fellow Avraham sends to find a wife for Yitzchak could possibly be anyone other than Eliezer.
In the scheme of his story being presented in the Torah, he gets more press time than Yitzchak gets in the Torah. We almost, in a sense, know more about him than we know about our second patriarch. And in many ways, he’s viewed as a success story of Avraham’s and Sarah’s from their efforts in Charan. He is called “Damesek Eliezer” – implying he was from Damascus – which is somewhere near Charan. Two weeks ago I suggested he was the main success story of the Nefesh Asher Asu B’Charan.
In the Midrash, there is a view that he did not want to be successful in his mission to bring back a wife for Yitzchak, because he had a daughter whom he hoped Yitzchak would marry. Beyond that perspective, the credit given to him for his fealty to Avraham is beyond anything most people experience – beyond, I suppose, in the military.
He too has his own story, his own journey, in the teachings of the rabbis.
The first time he is introduced to us is in Chapter 14, when the Torah recounts the tale of the battle with the 4 kings. The Talmud in Nedarim 32a talks about how Avraham’s 318 men were in fact Eliezer, with numerical value of 318 – an idea confirmed by Midrash Tanchuma, who says Avraham told his servants who were sinful to go home. All left, so God made Eliezer as strong as 318 men.
Targum Yonatan (14:13) says he was Nimrod’s son, which is what made him a great warrior. No matter how we splice it, he was on the battle field alongside Avraham, present only because he was following orders.
There is no question that he earns his stripes in the battles against the 4 kings. Avraham’s concern that Eliezer would be the only one to inherit him was legitimate! After all, Eliezer had been willing to sacrifice everything for Avraham!
And when the destruction of Sodom ended Lot’s narrative in the Torah, things may have been looking up for Eliezer. But in the meantime, Yishmael had been born. Yitzchak’s sun was rising. But at the end of last week’s parsha, Yishmael had been rejected, or at least ejected, and Yitzchak’s relationsh wip with Avraham may have become an estranged one, owing to one view of how Yitzchak understood his role in the Akedah.
Translation – perhaps Eliezer is seeing the dawn of a new day for himself. And then, after the death of Sarah, and no new possibility for Avraham to have another child, Eliezer may have thought it’s a done deal. Until Avraham asks him to find a wife for Yitzchak.
Strike one – Yitzchak will inherit. Strike two - the wife will not be from Eliezer’s line. What does he do now?
Supposing the assumption is true, that he was banking on failing, in hopes of becoming Avraham’s Mechutan, the fact that he goes through with his mission anyway shows how he is able to detach his personal view from the plans of his superior officer. Why did Avraham not want Eliezer’s daughter? The information we have is sketchy at best.
The simplest answer is that Avraham’s main objection was because Eliezer was from the descendants of Cham, who had been cursed.
And while the Midrash Rabba (60) tells us Eliezer was able to get his way out of being cursed, that objective was only achieved due to his success in this mission – finding a wife for Yitzchak.
One midrash in Pirkei D’Rabi Eliezer says that he was a servant of Nimrod’s that Nimrod gave to Avraham after the fiery furnace incident. He earned his own freedom due to his service to Yitzchak, and merited to become Og king of Bashan.
Even if that Midrash is accurate, I don’t suppose any Og that exists at this time is the same Og as the one Moshe confronts 400 years later. Og, like Pharaoh, was a title given to each king of Bashan.
In either case, Eliezer is rewarded due to his success in finding Rivkah.
How did Avraham know Eliezer could be trusted in such a fashion?
I believe it hinges down to one simple verse which describes everything we need to know about Eliezer. (ב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַבְרָהָ֗ם אֶל־עַבְדּוֹ֙ זְקַ֣ן בֵּית֔וֹ הַמֹּשֵׁ֖ל בְּכָל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֑וֹ
Zkan beyso means he is the elder of Avraham’s household. But what does הַמֹּשֵׁ֖ל בְּכָל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֑וֹ mean? The Pesikta explains שהיה שליט ביצרו כמותו: That he was in control of his yetzer/inclination, just as he was.
The Kli Yakar fills in the blanks of what this means. Eliezer was above suspicion! He would not take bribes! Some commentaries suggest that Eliezer might find the right girl for Yitzchak and keep her for himself! Avraham knew Eliezer would never do this. Because he was מֹּשֵׁ֖ל בְּכָל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֑וֹ – he knew what was his own. And he therefore knew what was not his own.
Kli Yakar explains how those who have a desire for money actually has the coveted money control them. Koheles 6 speaks of this, how a person who is not שמח בחלקו is always expecting something from God, and is always suspect of personally justifying taking things that don’t belong to him. He who is שמח בחלקו on the other hand, is מֹּשֵׁ֖ל בְּכָל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֑ו . He would NEVER take what doesn’t belong to him. He rules over his belongings, and his belongings don’t rule over him.
Those who served in the armed forces know what it means to live this existence – being selfless, doing what’s right because it’s right, following orders, getting the job done, etc. even when personal interests might be in conflict with the greater mission.
We all know life isn’t roses. And even the military, with all its order and rules, is not roses. But there is an ideal which is aimed for, and a product which emerges, which we proudly look to as people who served with honor and distinction. Sometimes at great sacrifice.
That was Eliezer. And that is the people we honor on this day.
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