This week's sedra relates how Yitzchok met Rivkoh
Imeinu, in detail. While anyone can easily retell the episode
of the well, to actually glean direction from the
pesukim can prove a formidable task.
Much like a folio of Talmud, one must be able to navigate
Torah Shebichsav — the Written Law — in
order to properly comprehend its finer points.
Rav Yissochor Ber Ginsberg, brother of the Vilna Gaon, in his
commentary Tzuf Devash, offers an original observation
of this parsha — Avrohom Ovinu's approach versus
Eliezer's actual implementation as well as novel insights
about Rivkah's signature trait, chessed; it has
timeless ramifications that merit attention and scrutiny.
Eliezer's Objective
The Tzuf Devash coins a signature phrase about
Eliezer's mission: "Kosheh lilkot shoshanah, keshoshanah
bein hachochim" — the hardest quest is to pluck a
beautiful rose from amongst the thorns. Similarly, as Avrohom
dispatched the steward of his household, Eliezer, to his kin
in his native homeland of Choron to procure a suitable match
for his son, he was keenly aware of the hurdles that had to
be overcome from the likes of Lovon and his father Besu'el.
To remedy this he blessed Eliezer that a Heavenly angel
accompany him as he reached Choron and approached the family
for their daughter.
Eliezer did things markedly differently, however. He traveled
from Canaan and reached the outskirts of the city near the
be'er, but he stopped there. He had now done a measure
of what we commonly refer to as hishtadlus —
what can be achieved from a human standpoint — and
asked Hakodosh Boruch Hu to do the rest. Here was his
strategy to determine which woman was the destined spouse:
In those days there was no piped water, and no easily
accessible drinking water from the tap in one's house. One
had to approach the well outside the city towards evening,
possibly standing in line, and fill jugs of water for the
entire family to share. Nowadays, imagine standing in line at
the pump to fill one's car with gasoline and yielding one's
place in line to another.
As the Tzuf Devash describes it, the period towards
evening was the time when all the water drawers gathered at
the well to fill their vessels to sustain an entire family
for the night with sufficient water. In his words,
"hasho'oh dechukoh" — this was obviously a tense
moment. It wasn't easy to take time out and assist someone
else as everyone was preoccupied with a hectic task of their
own. If someone would nonetheless display selflessness and
draw water for Eliezer to drink, this would be a sign of
worthiness that merited joining the ranks of Avrohom's
progeny.
Genuine Generosity
"Vatemaher" — "she hurried and filled the
vessel" — this word captures the essence of the nature
of the chessed that Rivkoh had done. Why? It is not
just what you do, but how you go about doing it. This
has implications for any mitzvah a Yid does each day.
Rav Yissochor Ber writes, "Nidvas halev hi nishmas
hama'aseh." One's heartfelt action breathes vitality and
life into the mitzvah; it is its soul. He continues,
"veha'os al zeh hazerizus," — the barometer to
measure how much nedivus, or goodwill a person
invests, is the speed, the zerizus that he puts into
it to get it done!
As she hurried to do Eliezer's request, Rivkoh's
chessed was amplified and refined tenfold. Similarly,
whether davening, studying Torah or just about any
other mitzvah, the same hold true, the manner in which they
are performed sets the tone and enhances their quality
immeasurably.
Capable and Resourceful
According to Rav Yosef Tataitzak [Constantinople, circa.
1540], Eliezer's tefilloh asked for a spouse for
Yitzchok who possessed seichel with resourcefulness.
How so?
When he davened that she offer him drink and offer
drink for the camels as well; there was a veiled intention
here. She told Eliezer, "You may drink," and offered to give
the camels water as well. In those days, drinking water was a
precious commodity, not to be wasted. As Eliezer finished
drinking, instead of spilling out the excess, if she would
put it to good use by giving it to the animals — this
showed the ability to improvise and to make the best of a
situation, a prerequisite for married life.
According to the Tzuf Devash, Hashgochoh prodded
Rivkoh away from her home to the outskirts of the city. She
randomly left her house to draw water for the household and
came back a kallah. This could only mean one thing:
"Mei'Hashem yotzoh hadovor" — this was Divine
Providence at work!
Trickery
Even so, her father and brother were not overjoyed and were
straightforward about the prospect. They told Eliezer, "Here
is Rivkoh, take her and go." The Imrei Shefer
comments, that their intention was, "We're not offering a
dowry — take the principal and that is all!"
Then the posuk subsequently says the servant took out
silver and gold vessels and distributed them. In this manner,
Eliezer made a statement, "As you can see, my master Avrohom
is really quite wealthy; we're mochel the
neduniah and agree to do the shidduch
anyway."
The next day, a sudden request was made — let her stay
here for a while. Why the abrupt change? Rav Leib Grobart,
author of the responsa Chavolim Ban'imim, explains
that the offer to bring Rivkoh immediately to Canaan
underscores her family's cunning. This was a ruse to make
Eliezer rethink the whole matter — why are they so
eager? Is there a bill of goods here I'm unaware of, some
discrepancy about the prospective bride that I overlooked?
Despite this, he agreed to return home; when Lovon realized
the charade didn't work as planned, he stated clearly that
she stay for a while. Eliezer persisted, however; why delay
me when Hashem granted me success? He asked that Rivkoh be
able to make the trek back to Canaan at once.
The Tzuf Devash comments, from here one can derive
that if a person realizes something is decreed from Above, it
should be expedited quickly while hatzlochoh is still
fresh and vibrant; also, doing things with zeal shows a
person's conscientiousness about the Dvar Hashem that
took place.
Thus, Yitzchok was destined to get his zivug. "Where
there's a Divine will, there's a way."
