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“And Yitzchak was comforted for his mother.” (24:67)

The Torah implies that Rivkah filled the void which the death of his mother had created in Yitzchak’s life. Chazal explain that the blessings which were conferred upon Avraham Avinu’s home, and the pious customs which distinguished it, ceased when Sarah died. These were restored when Yitzchak brought Rivkah into his parents’ home. In this regard, we may note two things from the Torah and Chazal.  First, only Yitzchak was comforted for his mother by Rivkah’s presence. Despite the apparent return to normal functioning in his home, Avraham Avinu was still bereft of his eishes ne’urim, the wife of his…

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“And the life of Sarah… (these were) the years of the life of Sarah.” (23:1)

Every word of the Torah is replete with profound messages. The pasuk in Tehillim 37:18, “Hashem knows the days of the innocent and their inheritance shall be forever” is interpreted by the Talmud in Bava Basra 58a as referring to the lives of the righteous. Just as the righteous are perfect, so are their days perfectly complete. Sarah Imeinu’s life was the essence of perfection. How can we define a perfectly complete life? Horav Boruch Sorotzkin z.l., explains that before a person is born, his life-span has been pre-determined.  A halachic rule governs the determination. One half day is viewed…

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“And Avraham (was) old, advanced in age, and Hashem blessed Avraham in all things.” (24:1)

Surely the Torah is not apprising us of Avraham’s success in amassing material wealth. The Torah intends to teach us the true meaning of wealth. Success is not measured by quantity, but rather by quality. Everything Avraham Avinu possessed was worthy of blessing. To possess a fortune means nothing if that fortune is not blessed.  Everything that Avraham had was a source of blessing to him.  Why? Horav Moshe Swift z.l. suggests that the answer lies in the fact that Avraham controlled his possessions, rather than the possessions dominating him. He had business dealings with various people; he was even…

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“And the man took a golden ring of half a shekel (its) weight and two bracelets for her hands, of ten (shekels) of gold was their weight.” (24:22)

In the Midrash, Chazal suggest that this “jewelry” symbolizes a deeper spiritual entity. The golden ring of a half shekel alludes to the machatzis ha’shekel, the half shekel which each Jew gave for the Mishkan ; the two bracelets represent the two luchos which were joined together; and the ten-shekel weight denotes the Aseres Ha’Dibros which were engraved on the luchos.  We must endeavor to understand the underlying message of these pieces of jewelry. Horav Mordechai Rogov z.l., implies that the lessons to be gleaned from the machatzis ha’shekel and the luchos with the Aseres Ha’Dibros underscore the foundations for…

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“And they said, ‘from Hashem comes the matter.'” (24:50)

This pasuk seems to be the source for the concept that marriages are made in Heaven. Indeed, this idea is reaffirmed in Navi and Kesuvim. In the Midrash, Chazal  question, “From where did this decision come?” The Midrash offers two replies. Some say that the decision emanated from Har Ha’moriah, the scene of the akeidas Yitzchak.  It was at this place that Yitzchak demonstrated the exceptional devotion to Hashem  which merited him the Divine blessing. Others reply that the pasuk is referring to the statement in pasuk 51, “Let her be the wife of your master’s son.” Here the pasuk…

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“And Yitzchak and Yishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpeilah.” (25:9)

Rashi states that from this pasuk we derive the idea that Yishmael repented and permitted Yitzchak to precede him in their father’s funeral procession. This statement is puzzling. Why did the Torah wait until the end of Avraham’s life to confirm that Yishmael repented?  We know that thirty-eight years prior to Avraham’s demise, Yishmael was one of the “young men” who accompanied Avraham and Yitzchak to the akeidah. Why is it imperative to acknowledge Yishmael’s teshuvah once again? Horav Shimon Schwab, z.l., offers a profound insight into the teshuvah process which  applies to this situation. Perhaps Yishmael initially repented only…

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And Avraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. (23:2)

Chazal teach that the initial three days of shiva (the mourning period), are to be dedicated to be’chi, weeping. These days are followed by the remaining days, designated for hesped, eulogy. First one lets himself go by crying, dramatically demonstrating the feeling of loss he has experienced with the passing of the deceased. This is followed by an intellectual appreciation of the deceased. Therefore, it seems puzzling that Avraham transposed the sequence by first eulogizing and afterwards weeping. Rabbi A.M. Shach, Shlita, explains this change in the following manner. Situations sometimes occur in which the hesped must precede be’chi. Only…

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And I said to my master, perhaps the woman will not follow me. (24:39)

Upon meeting with Rivkah’s family, Eliezer recounted his entire discussion with Avraham. Included in the conversation, Eliezer related his anxiety that the prospective bride might refuse his offer. Rashi cites the reason behind this fear. Eliezer, himself, had a daughter for whom he sought Yitzchak as a husband. Upon approaching Avraham with the idea of this match, he encountered a negative response. Avraham’s rejection was based upon the fact that Eliezer, as a descendant of Canaan, was considered cursed, while Yitzchak was blessed. A union between one who is blessed and one who is cursed cannot endure.  The spelling of…

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And I said to my master, perhaps the woman will not follow me. (24:39)

The Midrash cites a pasuk in Hoshea  (12:8) “As for the merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand, he loves to oppress.” applying it to Eliezer. Since he did not reveal his true intentions of seeking to have Yitzchak marry his daughter, he is labeled as deceitful. This seems puzzling. Is someone considered a liar just for covering up the truth? Never did Eliezer utter an untruth, yet he is referred to as deceitful! Rabbi Tzvi H. Volk suggests the following insight into the Midrash. He cites Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe who disagreed citing the popular dictum: “Whatever comes out…

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And she took the veil and covered herself. (24:65)

When Rivkah saw Yitzchak coming towards her, she questioned Eliezer concerning his identity. When Eliezer responded that it was his master, Yitzchak, whom she would soon marry, she immediately covered her face with a veil out of tznius, modesty. Rashi states that the word xf,,u, “and she covered,” should actually be translated “and she was covered” because it is the hispael, reflexive form, of the verb.  He compares this to two other words, rce,u, “and she was buried,” and rca,u, “and it was broken.” Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz z.t.l. suggests that Rashi’s choice of examples, i.e. breaking and burial, are deliberate….

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