Ra'anana Community Kollel - Parshat Chayei Sarah

Big or Small?

Rabbi Binyomin Lipson

“And it was, as he finished speaking, that Rivka arrived . . . went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and ascended. (Having seen this, Eliezer) ran towards her and said, “Give me please a bit of water from your jug .”
(Bereishit 24:15-17)

When Avraham’s loyal servant Eliezer went looking for a suitable wife for Yitzchak, he prayed to Hashem and requested that he be aided by a heavenly sign in making the correct choice. It was immediately as he finished making this request that he witnessed Rivka coming down to the well to draw water. The Torah goes on to tell us that as soon as Eliezer saw Rivka he ran to greet her, evidently because he knew that she was the one that he was looking for. What did Eliezer see in Rivka that made him so sure that she was destined to be the future wife of Yitzhak? Why did he run to greet her with such surety?

Rashi quotes the Midrash which explains that when Rivka descended to draw water from the well, the water rose up to the top enabling her to fill her jug with little effort. As Eliezer was accustomed to seeing similar miracles take place in the house of his master Avraham, he ran to greet her, certain that she was destined to be Yitzchak’s wife. How did Rashi know that this was the reason that Eliezer acted with such confidence? The Ramban explains that Rashi seemingly deduced this from the fact that the Torah makes no mention of the fact that Rivka actually drew water in order to fill he pitcher. Rather, the verse simply states that “she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and ascended.” Later however, when Rivka wanted to assist Eliezer, the verse tells us that “she drew water for all his camels.” Thus, concludes the Ramban, the fact that the Torah does not mention the fact that Rivka actually drew the water from the well, alludes to the teaching of the Midrash that the water rose to meet her.

If this is indeed so, there is one very important and obvious question which we should all be asking: If Rivka was truly worthy of the miracle of the water rising to greet her, why did this only occur initially when Eliezer first observed her, and not afterwards when she wished to water his camels? Why was it necessary for Rivka to draw the water in order to quench the thirst of Eliezer’s camels when just before she had merited to fill her jug with so much less effort? Why was this same miracle not performed for her when she needed it the most?

R’ Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev answered that originally Rivka’s intention had been to draw water for her own personal needs, and thus, as attaining the water was merely a matter of physical necessity, she was assisted by the miracle of the waters rising to assist her. However, when she wished to refresh Eliezer and his camels who were guests from a foreign land, Rivka had undertaken to perform a mitzvah; an act of kindness. It was for this reason that in this instance the miracle did not occur for her in order that through the tremendous efforts that this task entailed in her merits would be increased accordingly.

The Mishna in Pirkei Avot (5:26) tells us that “According to the effort is the greatness of the reward.” Many people mistakenly assume that the value of a person’s deeds is measured strictly in terms of what he has actually accomplished. This assumption leads them to believe that as long as they fulfill the mitzvot as they always have and distance themselves from severe transgressions they have fully completed their obligation. However, it is important to realize that when it comes to determining one’s status in the World to Come, the merits of the mitzvot which were relatively easy for a person to perform will not comprise the most important criteria. Rather, it is specifically those mitzvot that, for one reason or another, we find most difficult to adhere to that will be worth the most and will play the most central role in showing the Heavenly Court exactly who we are.

Perhaps this is another meaning of the Mishna (Pirkei Avot 2:1) which advises us to consider the “light mitzvot” the same as the “severe” ones. “Because you cannot conceive the reward of the mitzvot.” Even if we were privy to understand the relative value of the mitzvot, we would still be unable to calculate their actual worth because the “reward of the mitzvot” also includes the effort that we were required to exert in order to perform them. As the reward for the specific level of effort that we have invested in a given mitzvah is clearly beyond our ability to comprehend, how can we possibly compare one mitzvah to another? In fact, it could very well be that the great efforts that we invest into fulfilling a so-called “small mitzvah” could actually boost its worth far above that of a “big mitzvah” which presented us with little challenge.

The Chafetz Chaim was fond of emphasizing this point with regard to Torah study. Sometimes a person expends great amounts of effort trying to understand something that one is studying, but yet the answer still eludes the individual. It is in times like these that we must remember that our wages are being paid not based upon what we actually produced, but rather, on the effort and exertion that we have invested.

Adapted in part from “A Shabbos Vort”
by R’ Yisrael Bronstien