And I said unto my master: perhaps (ulai) the woman will not
wish to follow me. Genesis 24:39
As spelled without the letter vav,
the word ulai is “incomplete,” and therefore can be read as the word
elai (to me). Rashi, based upon a Midrash, comments that Eliezer
wished to marry off his own daughter to Isaac.
Kli Yakar raises the question of why the word ulai is
spelled fully, with the vav, in the “transcript” of Eliezer’s
conversation with Avraham (24:5).
My father explained that this stresses the greatness of Eliezer. When
speaking to his master, Eliezer asked an honest and unbiased question: “What
shall I do if the woman chooses not to come with me to Canaan?” He sincerely sought
Abraham’s instructions without trying to further his own interest. However,
when Eliezer related his conversation with Abraham to Rebecca’s family, he
hinted of his own desire to marry his daughter to Isaac, specifically to
encourage Rebecca’s family to accept the proposed match. In essence, Eliezer
said “Don’t think that Isaac is an unworthy bridegroom, I myself would be
pleased to have him as a son-in-law”.
The greatness of Eliezer is in faithfully following Abraham’s
instructions, against what he perceives to be his own interest.
We are all God’s servants. How many of us are on the level of Eliezer,
being able to subjugate our interests and desires to the will of our Master?
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