19 Nov PARASHAT CHAYEH SARA: SHIDDUCHIM AND G-D’S ANGEL

Parashat Hayeh-Sara
tells the famous story
of Eliezer, Abraham
Abinu’s servant, whom
Abraham sent to Aram
Naharayim to find a girl for Yitzhak. Eliezer’s
mission was successful, as he brought Ribka,
a righteous granddaughter of Abraham’s
brother, to Eretz Yisrael to marry Yitzhak.
When Abraham assigned to Eliezer this
mission, he assured him that G-d would “send
his angel before you” to guarantee his success
(24:7).
Who was this angel?
The Shela Ha’kadosh (Rav Yeshaya Horowitz,
d. 1630) explains that this was none other than
the angel “Matat-Ron,” the chief of all the
angels in the heavens. The Torah here refers
to Eliezer as Abraham’s servant “Ha’moshel
Be’chol Asher Lo” – who controlled all of
Abraham’s property (24:2). The Shela writes
that Matat-Ron has the corresponding role in
the heavens, governing all the other angels,
and this angel was dispatched to accompany
Eliezer and ensure the success of his mission.
For this reason, the Shela explains, the Torah
in this section sometimes refers to Eliezer
as “Ha’ebed” – “the servant,” and at other
times, “Ha’ish” – literally, “the man.” The
Shela notes that in some contexts, the word

“Ish” refers to an angel that was sent to this
world to fulfill a certain mission. In this
narrative, then, the word “Ha’ish” refers not
to Eliezer, but rather to Matat-Ron, the angel
who accompanied him and guaranteed that he
would succeed.
Indeed, the Midrash teaches that when
Ribka’s family saw the wealth that Eliezer
had brought with him, they tried to kill him
by poisoning the food that they served him,
so they could seize his riches. However, an
angel switched the dishes, taking the plate
served to Eliezer and placing it in front of
Betuel, Ribka’s father, killing him. This angel
was Matat-Ron, the angel sent especially to
protect Eliezer and ensure his success.
The Shela adds that this explains the verse
at the conclusion of the story (24:61), which
tells that Ribka and her helpers followed
the “Ish” (“Va’telechna Ahareh Ha’ish”),
and then says that “the servant took Ribka”
(“Va’yikah Ha’ebed Et Ribka”). The “Ish,” as
mentioned, refers to the angel. The angel’s
job was to assure that Eliezer would be able to
bring Ribka out of her family’s home. Once
the mission was accomplished, the angel left,
and thus after Ribka went with the “Ish,” the
angel, it returned to the heavens, and “the
servant” – Eliezer – took Ribka to marry
Yitzhak.
This story reassures us that particularly when

it comes to the area of Shidduchim, we must
place our trust in G-d, and firmly believe that
He has sent His angel to find every person his
or her match. The right Shidduch will come
when it is supposed to come, and nothing can
ever get in the way. Hashem even dispatches
His angels to make sure it happens.
The story is told of a yeshiva student in
Hungary who posed a very difficult question
to his Rosh Yeshiva. The Rosh Yeshiva did
know the answer, and so the student wrote
to several of the leading Torah sages of the
time. One of the Rabbis sent a brilliant answer
to the question, and the student was amazed.
He asked his Rosh Yeshiva for permission to
travel to meet this certain Rabbi, and the Rosh
Yeshiva agreed.
Along the trip, the student lodged in an inn,
and he met there another yeshiva student.
They began talking, and the other student
informed him that he was a disciple of the
Hatam Sofer (Rav Moshe Sofer of Pressburg,
1762-1839), who had sent him to deliver a
letter to a certain Rabbi. It turned out that the
Rabbi he was sent to was the same Rabbi that
the first yeshiva student was going to visit.
The other student asked him if he could bring
the letter for him to save him a trip, and he
agreed.
He continued his journey, reached the Rabbi,
and spent a number of days learning Torah

with him. Before he left, he said, “I almost
forgot – I met somebody on the way here who
needed to deliver a letter to the Rabbi from the
Hatam Sofer!”
He handed the Rabbi the letter, and he read
it. He then closed it, looked at the yeshiva
student, and said, “Mazal tov! I am pleased
that you will be marrying my daughter!”
As it turned out, the Hatam Sofer had written
to this Rabbi that he should have his daughter
marry the boy who brought him that letter…
When G-d decides to make a Shidduch, not
even a righteous Sadik like the Hatam Sofer
can get in the way.
Let us, then, stop worrying, place our faith in
Hashem, and trust that an angel has already
been dispatched to find each and every person
their intended mate.