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Saturday, November 23, 2019

chayei sarah

We are familiar with the medrash that says Eliezer was more than a shadchan for Yitzchok, & rather a shliach kiddushin. The bes halevi explains that although eliezer was an eved c'na'ani and unfit to be  ashliach, he was given a shtar shichrur al t'nai that when he completes his mission he wouls be free from the time he was sent retroactively.

I'd like to share another approach from the medrash Rabbah 60.7. The medrash relates that upon completing his mission for his master Avraham he left his status of being an "arrur" & became a "baruch". The very act of reliably fulfilling his duties transformed him to a "baruch". this suggests that a shtar shichrur was not necessary. An eved c'na'ani cannot be a baruch. he is "am hadomeh l'chamor". His transition to become a "baruch" means that he became human! He became a person whose flesh & blood cannot be OWNED by another! Just like an eved ivri's body is not owned because a person is not an item to physically own, rather his TIME is subjugated to his master so  too when Eliezer became a "baruch" there was an automatic "hafka'ah" from Avraham's ownership and thereby he became  a yid.

However I want to continue the medrash. The medrash then goes on to make a kal v'chomer. If an eved - who is an arrur, & who is required to do his master's request, becomes a baruch by fulfilling it loyally & reliably, the klall yisroel, who are already b'ruchim & act with unrequired chessed to each other, both for  big people & small people ( some explain talmidei chachamim & their students) then certainly they will be blessed many times over!

so if you're looking for some brach in your life, here's the winning ticket for blessing! Do chessed! (& most specifically with talmidei chachamim & their students!)