And Avraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that was his, described as “the elder of his home, who ruled over all that was his,” Eliezer is primarily recognized as the unnamed servant, as described in this Pasuk. He was sent by Avraham to seek a wife for his son. When Eliezer presented himself to Lavan and Besuel, he introduced himself by saying:
“I am a servant of Avraham” (24:34). The only time the Torah refers to him as Eliezer, is in the Posuk: “the steward of my household is Eliezer of Damascus” (15:2).
Chapter 24 is the longest chapter in Bereishis, containing 67 verses. It describes Eliezer’s contemplation, his strategy for the test at the well, and how he carried it out extensively. Avraham's name appears 37 times; Yitzchak's, 13; Rivka's, 12; Sarah's, 9; Efron’s, 9; Besuel's, 4; Lavan's, 3; however, Eliezer’s name appears not once. Eliezer was tasked by Avraham to journey to the city of Nachor, where Avraham’s relatives lived, in order to find a spouse for Yitzchak. He sought a sign to identify the right woman, and Rivka appeared immediately. To comprehend why Eliezer is not named in this Parsha, despite being the key figure in Yitzchak's matchmaking, we need to reflect on the text.
Upon reaching Charan, Eliezer stated: “I came today to the well” (42), and Rashi explains it indicates he had set out on his journey that very day. Eliezer miraculously traveled from Be’er Sheva to Haran—a considerable distance—in less than a day. This extraordinary occurrence known as kefitzat haderekh, or “jumping the path.”
The absence of Eliezer’s name illustrates that the focus was not on him personally but rather on the mission itself. His unwavering dedication to Avraham meant that his own interests never interfered with carrying out this task. He was simply a servant and an extension of Avraham.
The Midrash Rabbah (Bereishis 60:8) conveys: “The discussions of the servants of the patriarchs carry more weight than the laws guiding their descendants,” highlighting the significant length of Eliezer's narrative, which spans two or three columns as it elaborates and reiterates. Thus, the everyday conversations of the servants of our faith’s founders are deemed more relevant to us than the formal laws.
Eliezer set aside all his personal interests to serve his master, Avraham. He accompanied Avraham as an extra assistant and was part of him. As a result, he was privileged to experience kefitzas Haderech. At the well, Eliezer prayed to Hashem, understanding that a good spouse is a divine blessing dependent on one’s actions. When he reached the well and asked Rivka to fetch water for him, he understood that she might hesitate and question why a grown man couldn't draw water for himself and his camels! Nevertheless, she displayed good manners and agreed to assist him. A miracle took place, and the water rose to her, as Rashi explains. The test was meant to assess Rivka's thoughtfulness and willingness to exert herself. Still, the Torah indicates that he remained uncertain if this girl was genuinely righteous. The Torah mentions in 24:21,
"And the man was astonished at her, standing silent, waiting to know whether the Lord had caused his way to prosper or not." Why was he not sure? He thought she might ask for something in return after exerting herself to help him. Yet, Rivka requested nothing in exchange. Thus, the next verse states: "Now it came about, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring, weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her hands, weighing ten gold shekels." The commentaries question why he presented her with the jewelry before inquiring about her identity. Only after adorning her with the jewelry does the verse say, "And he said, 'Whose daughter are you? Please tell me. Is there a place for us to lodge in your father’s house?'"
Eliezer had complete confidence that, in Avraham's merit, everything was aligned for the right outcome. That is why he stated, "And food was set before him to eat, but he said, 'I will not eat until I have spoken my words.'" And he was told, "Speak." Eliezer responded, "I am Avraham's servant." He remained guided by Avraham's merit and refused to eat until he secured the match. This is why he identifies himself as the servant of Avraham and his hand. The Torah does not mention his name in this portion because, in this narrative, he embodied Avraham's essence. Lavan and Besuel recognized Eliezer's determination and replied,
"The matter has emanated from the Lord. We cannot speak to you either bad or good. Behold, Rivka is before you, take her and go, and let her be a wife for your master's son, as the Lord has spoken." This teaches that since every Jew is a servant of Hashem, he must be committed to Him and adhere to His commandments.
(Yehuda Z. Klitnick)
