Rebbe Nachman: The Secret of Simplicity and Following the Tzaddik with Closed Eyes
Lesson No. 330 | Part 2 Wednesday Parshas Tzav, Eve of 8 Nissan 5762
Why did Aner and Eshkol oppose the mitzvah of Bris Milah (circumcision), and what was the mistake of Eliezer, the servant of Avraham, in searching for a shidduch (marriage match) for Yitzchak? Through the commentaries of the...
Hashem said to Avraham Avinu, "Go forth from your land." The Midrash Rabbah relates that initially, Avraham wanted to take a wife for his son Yitzchak from the daughters of Aner, Eshkol, and Mamre. After all, these were tremendous tzaddikim, men who went to war with him against the four kings, facing armies of millions of soldiers, and followed him with closed eyes. Avraham thought to himself: Are there any tzaddikim greater than these? Why should I have to search for a shidduch (marriage match) specifically from the family of Nachor and Terach in Charan?
The Opposition of Aner and Eshkol to the Mitzvah of Circumcision
The "Sifsei Chachamim" reveals to us what really happened with Aner and Eshkol, and why, in the end, Avraham did not take from their daughters. When Hashem commanded Avraham regarding the Bris Milah (circumcision), Aner and Eshkol opposed it.
They said to him: "If you circumcise people, they will stop coming to you!" They argued that people would say, "Why are you starting to cut people? You always spoke about how 'Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.' You explained that it is worthwhile to convert, that here it is pleasant and good, there is food and drink, and people do not steal or murder." Aner and Eshkol argued that if Avraham were to set such a strange condition of cutting the flesh, no one would ever agree to convert again.
The Danger of Circumcision and the Difference Between Intellect and Faith
Beyond the social argument, there was also a physical concern here. It is medically known today that the blood-clotting agent is produced in the body and reaches its peak exactly on the eighth day after birth, after which it decreases and only returns at a later stage. A circumcision not performed at its proper time can be a literal life-threatening danger, as the blood might not clot.
Therefore, Aner and Eshkol were genuinely frightened. They said to Avraham, "Have you lost your mind? Perhaps you dreamed a dream? Are you sure this is a prophecy? Hashem would not say such a thing! Hashem is good and merciful; He only wants people to eat and drink and be happy. He would not tell you to cut people." They were certain that they were right, and that Avraham was wrong.
Ultimately, the Midrash relates that Aner and Eshkol circumcised themselves only out of social pressure, so as not to be different, and not out of true nullification to Avraham Avinu—and therefore, they died immediately afterward. Only Mamre, who gave Avraham good advice regarding the circumcision, remained alive.
Eliezer's Doubts and Personal Ulterior Motives
From here, the "Chiddushei HaRim" moves on to ask about the verse in which Eliezer, the servant of Avraham, tells the family of Rivka about his mission:
"And I said to my master, perhaps the woman will not follow me."
Why is the word "ulai" (perhaps) written in the Torah defectively, without the letter Vav (so that it can be read as "elai" - to me)? The Chiddushei HaRim explains an awesome foundation: When a person has a question against his Rav, he is certain that he is right. Eliezer was sure that Avraham was wrong. He was sent to Charan to search for a wife for Yitzchak, but in his heart, he had a personal "negiah" (ulterior motive)—he wanted Yitzchak to marry his own daughter.
Eliezer thought to himself: "I will go to Charan, I will return and say that I did not find anyone there, and then Avraham will have to take my daughter." He did not know that Avraham saw with Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration). Only after Eliezer arrived at the well and saw the tremendous miracles—how the water rose to meet Rivka and the pitcher jumped on its own—did he understand that "the matter has come from Hashem." Only then, when he confesses his mistake before her family, does he reveal his initial thought, and therefore the word is written defectively, to hint at the doubt he harbored.
The Moral Lesson: Following the Tzaddik with Simplicity
The Rebbe of Kotzk learns from here a tremendous moral lesson for all generations. A person comes to the tzaddik while full of personal "negios" (ulterior motives). He has questions, and he is certain that his question is correct and that the Rav is wrong. He asks himself: "Why is the Rav doing this? Why did he give me such a shidduch (marriage match)? Why did things turn out this way?"
A person always thinks that his question is a valid question. But the truth is that one must follow the tzaddik with temimus (simplicity). The moment a person has true emunas chachamim (faith in the Sages), and he follows his Rav with simplicity despite all the questions—he will merit to see the truth. If he casts aside his own intellect and nullifies his opinion before the tzaddik, he will ultimately merit to understand that everything the tzaddik did was exact and perfect.
Part 1 of 4 — Lesson No. 330
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