The Daughter He Set Aside
Eliezer had hoped Yitzchak might marry his own daughter, yet he carried out Avraham's mission faithfully and would not even eat until he had told why he had come.
Chazal reveal something the Torah only hints at. Eliezer had a daughter of his own, and he hoped that she might become Yitzchak's wife. When Avraham gave him the mission, Eliezer asked, Perhaps the woman will not want to follow me. Rashi notes that the word for perhaps is written so that it can also be read as to me: Eliezer was quietly looking for a reason for the match to come back to his own family. Avraham answered him plainly. My son is blessed, and you are under a curse, and one who is cursed cannot be joined to one who is blessed.
Eliezer did not argue, and he did not weaken. He set out and brought the mission to completion with his whole heart. When he arrived at Rivka's home and food was set before him, he refused to eat. I will not eat until I have said what I came to say, he told them. He began with the plainest words: I am Avraham's servant. The Midrash learns from this that if a person has something about himself that others may look down on, it is best to say it first.
The next morning, when Rivka's family wanted to keep her for a year, or at least ten months, Eliezer would not wait. Do not delay me, he said, now that Hashem has made my journey succeed. He took Rivka back to his master's son, and with her the hope he had held for his own daughter was set aside for good.
Source: Bereishis 24:5, 24:33–34, 24:54–56; Rashi on Bereishis 24:39; Midrash Bereishis Rabbah 59:9 and 60:9; English: The Sefaria Midrash Rabbah (2022).
Sometimes the task in front of us competes with a hope of our own. Eliezer let go of his and carried out his mission completely. Think of one thing you were asked to do for someone else that you have been dragging out, or doing half-heartedly because part of you wanted something different. Today, finish it properly, and do it before you take care of something for yourself. If there is something about you that makes you feel self-conscious, try saying it first and simply, as Eliezer did, and then get on with the work.