Parsha Chaye Sarah 5786 - Noticing Hashem

In this week’s parsha, Avraham sends his trusted servant Eliezer to Charan to find a wife for Yitzchak. Bereishis chapter 24 recounts in detail how Eliezer arrived at the well, prayed for success, and immediately encountered Rivka, who fulfilled the exact signs of kindness he had asked from Hashem.

After meeting Rivka and being invited to her home, Eliezer retold the entire sequence of events to her brother Lavan and her father Bethuel. When he finished, they responded:

“The matter stemmed from Hashem. We can say to you neither bad nor good. Here, Rivka is before you; take her and go and let her be a wife to your master’s son as Hashem has spoken.” (Beraishis 24:50-51).

Their reaction is surprising. Lavan and Bethuel were idolaters. Why would they suddenly declare that this shidduch between Yitzchak and Rivkah “stemmed from Hashem”? And even more puzzling: they said, “as Hashem has spoken.” Nowhere in the text does Hashem appear or speak to them. How could they know that Hashem approved this match?

The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 60:10) offers a key insight, though its wording is cryptic:

“From where did the matter stem? — From ‘let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the Lord has spoken.’”

The Yefeh To’ar explains that the Midrash is pointing us back to the entire narrative that Eliezer had just recounted. Lavan and Bethuel recognized that the story was filled with subtle miracles.

Everything unfolded with uncanny precision:

·       Eliezer arrived in Charan at exactly the right moment.

·       The first person he encountered was Rivka.

·       She spontaneously performed the exact acts of kindness he had specified in his prayer.

·       She turned out to be from Avraham’s own family.

This chain of events was far too remarkable to be dismissed as coincidence. Though Hashem never spoke to them directly, Lavan and Bethuel could “hear” Hashem through the unmistakable pattern of Providence. In their words, Hashem had “spoken”—not in sound, but in the events that took place.

This Midrash carries a powerful message for us. We too can see Hashem’s hashgacha (providence) when we pay attention to the events of our lives. Sometimes it is through dramatic salvations, but often it is through small, personal moments:

·       A delay that prevents harm,

·       A chance meeting that leads to opportunity,

·       Unexpected help that arrives just when it is needed.

Many families have the beautiful custom of sharing such moments at the Shabbos table each week—stories of how Hashem guided or protected them in ways they could never have orchestrated themselves. When we look for these moments, we begin to sense that Hashem is not distant; He is speaking to us through the fabric of our daily experiences.

We should merit, like Lavan and Bethuel, to recognize Hashem’s presence in our lives. Noticing Hashem’s hashgacha in our lives and speaking about it enriches our sense of purpose and deepens our connection to Hashem, as it says:“The earth is Hashem’s and all that it contains, the world and its inhabitants.” (Tehillim 24:1)