The Secret of Eliezer's Questions and the Transition from Cursed to Blessed

Lesson No. 314 | Thursday night, the eve of 18 Tishrei, the second day of Chol HaMoed Sukkos 5762 - the yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of our holy Rebbe (Rebbe Nachman)

A teaching by Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a on the mission of Eliezer, the servant of Avraham, to find a shidduch (marriage match) for Yitzchak. The article reveals Eliezer's mental struggle, the doubts that accompanied him at every stage, and how he overcame them to merit entering the Garden of Eden during his lifetime.

Sarah Imeinu (our Matriarch) laughed, and Hashem knew the meaning of her laughter. She wondered, "Why are You giving me a son who will pass away after 37 years?" (As hinted in the words "the lamb for a burnt offering, my son" - ha'seh l'olah beni, the acronym of which spells hevel, meaning vanity or a fleeting breath). The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to her, "I know that you laughed because you saw with Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) that Yitzchak's life would be cut short at a young age, at 37. But is anything hidden from Hashem? Can I not prolong his life so that he will live to be one hundred and eighty? He will live even longer than Avraham and Yaakov."

Finding a Pearl in a Mountain of Garbage

When Avraham sent Eliezer to bring Rivka, it is said:

"The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; lightning flashes illuminated the world; the earth trembled and quaked" (Tehillim 77:19).

The initial letters of the words "Your thunder was in the whirlwind; lightning flashes illuminated" (ra'amcha bagalgal he'iru) form the acronym Rivka. Rivka was entirely light, like precious rubies. When she went out to draw water, the entire place lit up like the midday sun, just as Sarah Imeinu illuminated her surroundings. The tzaddik is the sun that shines from one end of the world to the other, illuminating all the darkness with intellect and wondrous wisdom.

However, Eliezer, Avraham's servant, was plagued by immense doubts. He tore the hair from his head, certain that his master was making a mistake. How could it be that Avraham was sending him to his family, to Nachor? Nachor was a murderer, a man whose sons were all named after slaughter and killing: Tevach, Gacham, and Ma'acha. These are names that testify to a lust for murder—to slaughter (litvoach), to sever (liktom), and to crush (lim'och) people.

Eliezer was sent to the city of Nachor, to Besuel, a place filled with every abomination in the world. And specifically there, inside this mountain of garbage, he was required to find a pearl, a radiant gem.

The Test of the Intelligent Woman

The road miraculously shortened for him (kefitzas haderech), and he arrived at the water spring. There, he established signs: "Please tip your pitcher... and she will say, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels.'" Why these specific signs? Eliezer was looking for an intelligent woman. A woman who lacks intellect will not be able to educate the children, and they might stray into a bad culture. The woman is the home; she is the primary educator of the children while the husband is engaged in Torah study.

When Rivka said, "I will draw water," she proved her wisdom. She immediately noticed that the camels were refreshed and not currently thirsty, so she drew only the exact amount needed. She was endowed with a good heart, but also with intellect and fine discernment.

The Secret of Esav's Shell

Despite all the miracles and the great light he saw, Eliezer continued to struggle with questions. When a person lacks complete emunah (faith) in the tzaddik, a new question pops up every minute.

Suddenly, he saw a terrible hint: "And her pitcher was on her shoulder" (v'chadah al shichmah)—the initial letters of which spell Esav. He saw with Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) that the wicked Esav was destined to emerge from Rivka. He immediately felt sick to his heart and wanted to run away. "What, Avraham will have a grandson like Esav? I am going to bring him a wife from whom Esav will be born?"

But the Torah testifies: "And the man was astonished at her, remaining silent" (macharish). Our holy Rebbe, Rebbe Nachman, teaches (Likutey Moharan II, Torah 46) that when a person is faced with a question, he must cry out to Hashem: "Master of the Universe, enlighten my eyes! Take me out of this question!" The moment a person cries out to Hashem, the answer immediately comes.

Eliezer remained silent and overcame the question, and then a tremendous secret was revealed to him. The word macharish (remaining silent) has the same gematria (numerical value) as Yaakov and Esav (macharish = 558, Yaakov = 182, Esav = 376). He understood that Esav is merely the kelipah (spiritual shell or husk) of Yaakov.

Avraham Avinu (our Patriarch) paved a new path in the world when he jumped into the fiery furnace. Yitzchak was an unblemished offering. What was left for Yaakov to do? After all, he was already the grandson of tzaddikim. Therefore, Hashem gave Yaakov the struggle against Esav, so that he could pave his own new path in serving Hashem. Esav was meant to give Yaakov the challenge and the intellect to reach the highest spiritual levels.

The Final Test: From Cursed to Blessed

Eliezer continued to look with Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) and saw the Egyptian exile, the Giving of the Torah, and then—the sin of the Golden Calf and the breaking of the Tablets. Once again, a question popped into his mind: "Master of the Universe, a Golden Calf will come from Rivka? Who needs this shidduch (marriage match)?"

Again he cried out to Hashem, and again he overcame [his doubts]. As a tikkun (rectification) for this, he gave Rivka two bracelets weighing ten gold shekels – corresponding to the two Tablets and the Ten Commandments, in order to awaken mercy so that the second Tablets would be given to Israel on Yom Kippur.

Toward the end of his mission, the strongest question of all arose. Lavan came out to meet him and declared: "Come in, blessed of Hashem." The Midrash says that through this, Eliezer left the category of "cursed" (being from the seed of Canaan) and entered the category of "blessed."

The Chiddushei HaRim says: At that moment, Eliezer thought – "If I am already 'blessed,' why should I take the daughter of the wicked Besuel for Yitzchak? It is better that I give him my own daughter, since I am already a tzaddik and blessed!" But he overcame this question as well and understood: "You went from cursed to blessed in the merit of the struggles and confusions you went through. Rivka also needs to go through this process in order to go from cursed to blessed."

In the merit of withstanding all the tests and questions, Eliezer merited that his body became sanctified. He completed his mission, brought Rivka, and merited to enter Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden) alive, with his actual physical body.

Part 2 of 3 — Lesson No. 314

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