11 Nov CHAYEI SARAH: AVRAHAM’S PRIORITIES

Rav Chaim
Soloveitchik on
Avraham’s
Priorities:
When Avraham told
his servant to swear
that he would
faithfully fulfill the mission to find a wife
for Yitzchak, the Torah describes Eliezer
as “the elder statesmen of his home and
the one who ruled over all that he had”
[Bereishis 24:2]. Avraham was one of the
richest men in the world. Eliezer was
entrusted with running the entire

household. He was in charge of a million-
dollar empire.

Rav Chaim Soloveitchik (1853-1918)
asks why it is specifically now that the
Torah introduces Eliezer with this
description. We already knew Eliezer
from earlier narratives.
Rav Chaim gave the following parable: A
person comes into town hungry and wants
to eat. In the Jewish section, he sees a
restaurant with a sign on the door that

reads “Kosher”.
Rav Chaim explained that there are
different types of people. One person
would see the sign, take it at face value,
and assume that the restaurant is, in fact,
100 percent kosher. A second person, one
who is a bit more careful about the laws
of Kashrus, would go in and ask to speak
to the proprietor or an employee. He
would look at the owner and see if he
appears to be a religious Jew and an
honest person, and if so, he will trust him.
A person who is still more meticulous
will not trust the sign or simply look at the
owner. This third person will ask others
whether this restaurant is commonly
understood to be fully Kosher. Finally, a
person who is completely meticulous will
not rely on appearances or even on
reputation (hearsay). He will call the local
Va’ad HaKashrus, speak to the Mashgiach,
etc.
Rav Chaim then gave a second scenario.
A person enters a strange town in order to
start a business enterprise, and looks for a
local business to run his enterprise as his

local, on-site partner. In such a situation,
will anyone simply go by what he reads
on a sign at the business? Will he judge
potential partners simply on the way they
look or dress? Obviously, when it comes
to trusting someone with a $100,000
investment, any sensible person would do
extensive research and leave no stone
unturned, in order to find the most reliable
person possible.
So the same person who trusts a sign on
the wall for kosher laws, would do days
of investigation before trusting the same
person with his money. For the average
person, “kashrus is just kashrus; but
Business is Business – one cannot trust
just anybody!”
Rav Chaim points out that Avraham
operated differently. Regarding
Avraham’s entire financial empire, Eliezer
ruled over all that he had. Avraham trusted
him without making him take oaths.
However, regarding finding a match for
his son Yitzchak – no sir! Avraham was
not willing to trust anyone. “Please place
your hand under my thigh” (a form of

swearing). This is the most important
venture of all.
Eliezer could be in charge of the entire
portfolio and run the entire empire, no
questions asked. But when it came to a
marriage for Avraham’s son, all of
Eliezer’s credentials, and even his
exemplary track record, did not suffice.
Avraham insisted that he swear in G-d’s
name, holding on to a sacred object.
Avraham Avinu had his priorities right.
The future of one’s son and his son’s sons
cannot be trusted to anyone – at least not
without an oath. This is of far greater

priority than merely operating a million-
dollar empire.