אליעזר עבד אברהם

Eliezer, Abraham's servant, is the faithful servant whose devotion to his master became a model. 'The elder of his house who ruled over all he had' (Genesis 24:2), the man Abraham trusted to go out on the most important mission of all: to find a wife for Isaac, from whom the entire future of the nation would continue.

Tradition teaches that Eliezer was a disciple of Abraham, 'drawing and giving to others from his master's Torah,' and absorbed the way of kindness of his master's house. And when he went out to seek a bride, he set himself one sign: the maiden who would give drink not only to him but also to his camels, she is the woman of kindness who is fitting. He sought the trait Abraham lived by.

A whole chapter in the Torah, 'the portion of Eliezer,' is devoted to his mission, and the Sages remark 'the conversation of the servants of the Patriarchs is finer than the Torah of the sons' (Bereishit Rabbah): the chapter telling the servant's journey is longer than many laws, for the faithfulness of a righteous servant is precious in the eyes of the Torah.

What do we learn from him? That the faithfulness and devotion of an emissary can be as holy as Torah, and that one who absorbs his master's trait carries it onward even in a small task. Eliezer teaches that kindness is the sign one looks for in a person, and that even a 'servant' who fulfills a mission faithfully merits that a whole chapter in the Torah tell of his way.