Monday, November 5, 2012
Parashat Chayei
Sarah
25 Cheshvan 5773 / Nov. 9 – 10, 2012
Bereishit 23:1 – 25:18
25 Cheshvan 5773 / Nov. 9 – 10, 2012
Bereishit 23:1 – 25:18
“I Saw the
Sign!”
by Zvi Bellin, MHHQ
http://moishestorah.blogspot.com/
by Zvi Bellin, MHHQ
http://moishestorah.blogspot.com/
Eliezer,
Avraham’s servant, is sent back to Avraham’s home town to find a wife for
Isaac. Avraham wants this bride to be from his very own family. Eliezer arrives
at the town’s well and thinks,
“Gee! How am I
going to find a woman from Avraham’s family? This is tough! I know, I will ask
for a sign.”
Which he indeed
does. The woman who will be for Isaac will be one who draws water for Eliezer
and for all his camels. This lady with exceptional kindness will be perfect for
Isaac (who often represents restriction). Just as Eliezer finishes asking for
this sign, Rebecca comes down to draw water. Eliezer runs to her and asks for
water. Rebecca quickly gives him to drink and then says the magic words, “I
will even get water for your camels to drink.” SCORE!
And what did
Eliezer do – he waited and watched with astonishment as Rebecca finished
quenching the camels’ thirst. (Chapter 24, verse 21). He did not jump into
action immediately after she made the offer; rather he paused and took in the
complete fulfillment of his requested prophecy.
The mentioning
of Eliezer’s pause caught my attention this week. It reminded me of the
countless times that I receive a sign from the universe that things will work
out the way I want them to. I get very excited and then when things turn sour,
I experience disappointment or hopelessness. Maybe we can learn from Eliezer
that when we are witnessing a sign we can pause and consider alternatives as to
what it might mean. We can give a little time to pass to see if the sign is
actually hinting at what we think, or perhaps not at all. Said simply, I can
learn not to rush into narrow interpretations of events.
And also, like
Eliezer, after pausing and witnessing, it is okay to make decisions based on a
carefully interpreted sign. After the camels completed to drink, he presented
Rebecca with gifts and discovered that he indeed found Avraham’s kin and the
perfect wife for Isaac.
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