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Shiurim & Adult Education
THOUGHTS ON CHAYEI SARAH BY RABBI WILKINSON
The book of Bereishit is full of wonderful stories but is challenging. The Patriarchs and matriarchs are towering characters, but they are on such a lofty spiritual level that they are impossible to emulate. How can we aspire to the level of spiritual giants? How can we comprehend their lives and their responses to challenges?
There are, however, more ‘minor’ characters to whose conduct we can relate and who can give us practical lessons that we can implement.
Reading through this week’s parashah, for example, we can see how much Eliezer prays and speaks with Hashem. Avraham sends him to Aram Naharayim on a mission to find a wife for Yitzchak. The very first thing he does when he enters the town is to offer a heartfelt prayer to Hashem: “Hashem, G-d of my master Avraham, please… do kindness with my master Avraham. “Shortly thereafter, Rivkah approaches. In response to Eliezer’s request for a drink of water, not only does she give him something to drink, she draws water for his entire caravan of camels. When Eliezer asks her for her name and she introduces herself as a relative of Avraham, he immediately prostrates himself before Hashem. Later, when he hears that Rivkah’s father agreed to the match, he again bows down to Hashem in gratitude.
This behaviour of Eliezer’s was a result of living in his master’s house. One of Avraham’s primary innovations was the concept of davening. The Torah tells us: ‘He built a mizbei’ach (altar) and called out in the Name of Hashem’, and the Targum translates this to mean, ‘And he davened in the Name of Hashem’.
From the actions of both Avraham and Eliezer, we can gain insight into the essence of tefillah. Tefillah means calling out to Hashem, and the most fundamental aspect of tefillah is the awareness that one is speaking to Hashem. If in whatever difficulty a person finds themselves, they call out to Hashem, they demonstrate their belief that it is only Hashem who has the ability to provide true assistance.
Rav Chaim Soleveitchik writes that there are two types of kavanah (intention), that one must have while davening. One must concentrate on the meaning of the words one is reciting, and one must be mindful that you are standing before your Creator. He points out that while not knowing the meaning of the words only invalidates the prayer during the first berachah of Shemoneh Esrei, not knowing that one is standing before the Creator invalidates the entire Shemoneh Esrei. Rav Wolbe stresses that someone who exerts much effort concentrating on the meaning of the words but fails to acknowledge that he is standing before Hashem might be “learning the siddur,” but he is not davening.
Following the dictate of the Rabbis to spend a few moments contemplating what you are about to do before starting to daven can change your entire experience of prayer. Instead of simply spending time every morning davening, each tefillah can be used as an opportunity to create a stronger relationship with Hashem. It’s an investment of a few moments that can yield immeasurable reward and satisfaction.
There is a further lesson that a previous Gerer Rebbe draws from another incident in the parasha involving Eliezer. We are told that when Eliezer is taken to Rivka’s home: “ Food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have spoken my piece.” And he [Besuel] said, “Speak.” Then he [Eliezer] said, “A servant of Avraham am I”.
The Rebbe would frequently relate a homiletic rendering of this exchange that he heard from his father:
“As the Torah tells us, Eliezer arrived in Charan in the late afternoon. As such, when Besuel had food served to his guest, the latter refused to partake of it until he had completed his afternoon prayers — “until I have spoken my piece,” referring to the speech of prayer. To which Besuel simply replied, “Speak,” i.e., “Make it quick, so that we can get down to business.” Yet Eliezer protested, “A servant of Avraham am I,” and as such I am profoundly aware of the importance of prayer. To simply run through it and not devote the time that it deserves is impossible.”
May these ideas help us to focus on our own prayers as we head into the month of Kislev.
Shabbat shalom and chodesh tov.
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