The Servant's Oath: Pure Blessing for Israel

21aOr we may say that the verse speaks of the tzaddik, who even in his youth always sees himself as if he were old. He thinks that perhaps today he will return to his home [on high], and his rest will be in glory, and so he is always in teshuvah. That is why the tzaddik is called zekan beiso, “the elder of his house”: he is old in his own eyes, and thinks of returning to his home. “Who ruled over all that he had”: he rules over his yetzer, and he even rules over the Holy One, blessed be He, as Chazal said: “Who rules over Me? The tzaddik.”¹ And Avraham, who speaks to this tzaddik, is the attribute of chessed, kindness. It says to him, “Place your hand, please, under my thigh.”

21bIn the upper worlds the kelipah, the husk that hides holiness, has no hold at all; it holds only in the lower world. The tzaddik must separate the kelipos from the lower world, so that they gain no hold. This is the blessing we say every day, “Who opens the eyes of the blind”:² the intent is to open eyes above, to watch over Israel. This is “The eyes of Hashem are toward the tzaddikim”:³ it is in the hands of the tzaddikim to make eyes for Hashem, blessed be He, to watch over Israel. And the blessing “Who clothes the naked” intends to clothe and cover the lower world against the kelipos, so that they gain no hold. This is “The heavens are My throne,”⁴ for kis'i (כסאי), “My throne,” is related to mechuseh (מכוסה), “covered.” The heavens, the upper worlds, are covered against the kelipos, which have no hold there. Only “the earth is My footstool”: in the lower world, down at the feet, is the place of the kelipos, and a person must see to it that they gain no hold. That is “The heavens are heavens for Hashem, and the earth He gave to the children of man”:⁵ the lower world He gave to people, so that they would separate the earthly from the kelipos.

22aThat is “Place your hand, please”: place your strength. “Under my thigh”: these are the legs, which hint at the lower world; there you must take care to separate the kelipos. “And I will make you swear by Hashem, the God of heaven … that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite”:⁶ this too the attribute of chessed says to the tzaddik. “A wife” is the physical flows of blessing you will bring down to Israel, for they are called by the name “woman,” and “my son” is Israel, as in “My son, My firstborn, Israel.”⁷ Bind yourself firmly by an oath: the flow you take to bring down to my son must not be taken “from the daughters of the Canaanite.” Let no desires or deceit be mixed into it, in the spirit of “Canaan, in his hand are scales of deceit.”⁸ And the attribute of chessed goes on, “among whom I dwell”: since I dwell in their midst, “I cannot bear iniquity along with the solemn assembly.”⁹

22b“And the servant said to him”: the tzaddik answers the attribute of chessed. “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me”:¹⁰ what if the flows of blessing, Heaven forbid, are not willing to come? “Shall I bring your son back?” Hahashev ashiv, “shall I bring back,” speaks of teshuvah, return: may I lay the blame on your son Israel, saying that they need to do teshuvah for their sins, and that their sins are holding back the flow? “And Avraham said to him,” that is, the attribute of chessed, “Beware lest you bring my son back there”:¹¹ far be it from you to lay the lack on them; just do your own part. “And the servant placed his hand … and swore to him”:¹² this one explains itself, for the tzaddik does and fulfills all that we have said.

23a“The servant took ten camels.”¹³ We begin by explaining a verse in Parshas Lech Lecha: “And Malki-Tzedek, king of Shalem, brought out bread and wine.”¹⁴ It seems to me that this hints at the attribute of Malchus, kingship, through which every good flow of blessing comes down to Israel and to the whole world. “And he was a priest to God Most High”: from there flow all the kindnesses of the upper worlds. “And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Avram …’”:¹⁵ when the attribute of Malchus receives flows and good things to bring down to Israel, it is filled with joy and gladness and gives praise, thanks and blessing to the upper worlds. That is “And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Avram to God Most High’”: the union of the attribute of chessed, Avram's attribute, with the upper world.

23b“And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your foes into your hand”:¹⁶ at this time, when the attribute of Malchus is blessed to bring down blessing, no foe or enemy is permitted to rule over Israel, Heaven forbid. On the contrary, they are handed over to Israel, and Israel's hand is strong over them. That is “The day of geshamim, rain, is as great as the day of the ingathering of the exiles”:¹⁷ the day of gashmiyus, physical flows of blessing to the world, is like the day of the ingathering of the exiles, when the nations will bow beneath Israel. “And he gave him a tithe of everything”: all of this is brought about by the righteousness of the tzaddik who conducts himself in great holiness in all his ways. In eating, drinking and the like he brings everything into holiness, and that is the hint in ma'aser, “a tithe,” a tenth: it hints at holiness, which is called “ten.”

24This is the meaning of “And the servant took for himself ten camels”:¹⁸ the servant is the tzaddik, the faithful servant who brings blessing down to Israel, as we said. He takes for himself “ten gemalim, camels”: all his deeds and labors, and gemilus chassadim, acts of kindness, for all deeds are called gemilus chassadim. He brings them all into holiness, which is hinted at in “ten.” That is “ten camels of his master's camels”: he cleaves to the attribute of the Holy One, blessed be He, the Master of all, as Chazal said: “Cleave to His attributes: as He is compassionate …”¹⁹ “With all his master's goodness in his hand”: then Hashem places in the tzaddik's hand and keeping all the good things and flows of blessing he is to bring down to Israel.

25“He rose and went to Aram …”:²⁰ through his holiness he leads even physical things and brings them to the great lights. That is the hint in Aram (ארם), from rama'us (רמאות), deceit; and the verse's next word, Naharayim (נהרים), “rivers,” is also a word of light, for nahar means to shine. “He made the camels kneel”:²¹ all this comes about because he breaks himself over all his “camels,” his middos, his character traits. For vayavrech, “made kneel,” is the same word as havrachas ilan, bending a tree down, and so he bends and breaks himself. “Outside the city”: the body is called a city, in the spirit of “a small city with few people in it.”²² That is, his body, his physical self, gets no enjoyment from what it covets and desires, the physical pleasures of the body; that is “outside the city.” “By the well of water”: this whole level comes to him through “the well of water,” the holy Torah. He occupies himself with Torah for its own sake, and becomes like a spring that flows ever stronger.²³ “At evening time,” la'es erev: through the holy Torah studied for its own sake he sanctifies and purifies himself, until it becomes arev, sweet, to him, sweeter than honey and every taste: the same letters (ערב) read erev and arev. “At the time when the women who draw water come out”: he goes on until he brings down great flows of blessing and much good to Israel without pause. May Hashem make us worthy to serve Him in truth, with fear and with great love. Amen.