Avraham sends his servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for his son, Yitzhak. Eliezer seems like a righteous man-he prays rather fervently to succeed, he constantly mentions G-d in the company of people who do not seem so concerned with the Divine, he thanks G-d all the time, he tells of G-d's wonders-, and it is a miracle that he succeeds. The Gemara in Ta'anit tells us that three people asked inappropriately and were answered appropriately. Meaning, they asked in the wrong way, but Hashem brought about the desired result anyway. Eliezer says to Hashem "When a girl comes out and I'll ask her if she'd tilt her jar so that I may sip. And if she says 'Sure. And take some for your camels as well,' Then I'll know she's the one." And it seems like a good test, seeing as Yitzhak is the personification of Gevurah-restraint, and opposites attract, so of course Yitzhak needs someone who exemplifies the aspect of chesed (kindness), someone who goes beyond borders like Avraham, to balance him out. That's all well and good. But when it comes down to acting out the scenario, Eliezer cannot even get HIS OWN lines right. (If you look at the Hebrew, you'll see he uses very different words when he actually approaches Rivkah.)
What comes out is a really nice teaching. As it says in Proverbs, "Many thoughts in the heart of man, but the wisdom of G-d will stand." It's essential to plan and to try and to do everything we can. And it is essential to recognize that this is not the only factor in the decision-making process of the universe. And sometimes that seems to work out badly, when we really want something useful to happen in the world and it is quashed. And sometimes it works out so well, when we do everything wrong and it manages to turn out right.
Rav Gavriel Goldfeder
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Rav Gavriel Goldfeder is one of the first semicha recipients of the yeshiva. A graduate of Drew University in Religious Studies, he came to Bat Ayin after stints in other yeshivot and found a spiritual and intellectual home. Here he met his wife, Ketriellah, who was a student in our short-lived Women's Yeshiva. Upon graduation, Gavriel took the position of rabbi of the Aish Kodesh Congregation in Boulder, Colorado and together with Ketriellah and their growing family, they are busy creating (in Gavriel's words), "a community infused with Torah values, passion for learning and prayer, consideration of one another, and action, as well as deep celebration of the joys of life." |