Eliezer

“ Married people who look on religion as a secondary consideration are on the high road to indifference about their faith, and even to the loss of it altogether.
Eliezer the model of a faithful servant. Eliezer fulfilled his master’s commission not only with prudence, but also with zeal, for he would not even eat until he had delivered his message, and wished to return to his master as soon as possible after having done so He, like Abraham, was remarkable for his piety and confidence in God. ”

“ He at length reached the city of Nahor, where Abraham used to live. It seems that Eliezer used to pray about everything! If he could not kneel down to pray, he prayed in his heart; and to those who tell God everything, God sends very quick answers.
In those hot countries, the caravans stop outside the city at the well, so that the thirsty men as well as the camels may drink.
Then Eliezer prayed, and asked God to send out the maiden to draw water, who was to be the wife of Isaac, and to point her out to him by her offering to draw water for the camels ”

“ The Rabbi took his hands off the balustrade, and looked around the congregation with amazed eyes.
"What is that? What does this mean?"
Then Eliezer turned his face to him and the people. The hood of his tallith had slipped from his head on to his shoulders. His face, usually white, was flushed, and his blue eyes glowed with anger and courage. He raised his band, and said, in a loud voice:
"Rabbi, it means that our ears and our hearts will not listen to any such curses any more!" ”

“ Wherefore your fences are as offences, and ye are guilty of the blood of half the nation of Israel in the sight of the Lord."
Then Eliezer arose in wrath, and as he went to the door, he turned and looked on Nathaniel and said, "Like master, like scholar:" and so he went out. But when he was departed, Jonathan said to us, "Eliezer spake unadvisedly and harshly; yet is there truth in his words. For when we shun the 'unlearned' and the 'vulgar,' or the people of the land, we mean such as have not learned their duties toward God and man, which also are wholly given up to the things of earth. ”

“ Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Jacob, said, “he who performs but one precept gains for himself an advocate; and he who commits a single sin, gains for himself an accuser; repentance [pg 210] and good deeds are a shield before the divine punishment.” Rabbi Johannan Hasandelar said, “every congregation formed for God will be permanent, but that which is not for God will not be permanent.”
12. Rabbi Eliezer, son of Shamua, said, “let the honor of thy disciple be as dear to thee as thine own, and the honor of thy companion as the fear of thy master, and the fear of thy master as the fear of God.” ”

“ Many other like sins did Eliezer reprove in Nathanael’s kinswoman.
But when she sought how to be forgiven, he said, “Thou hast not sinned against man, but against God. If a man sin against men, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him? But give of thy substance to the treasury of the synagogue, and I will entreat for thee if perchance the Lord will deal mercifully with thee. Howbeit thou must needs wait till the Day of Atonement: for until that day thou mayest not be forgiven. ”

“ Nor does Eliezer fail to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving for divine guidance. In this he set a worthy example to all who seek direction from God. He said, “I, being in the way, the Lord led me.” A free translation would be, “I used my own judgment as far as it would go, which was a long distance from a safe conclusion, and the Lord led me the rest of the way.”
Bethuel, when he saw the gifts and heard the words of Rebekah, hastened to the well and said to Eliezer, “Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. ”

“ Abba Saul (29) said in his name, "If all the sages of Israel were in one scale of the balance, and Eliezer, the son of Hyrcanus, also with them, and Eleazar, the son of Arach, in the other scale, he would outweigh them all." 13. He said to them, "Go forth and see which is the good way to which a man should cleave." R. Eliezer said, "A good eye" (30) ; R. Joshua said, "A good friend"; R. Jose said, "A good neighbor" (31) ; R. Simeon said, "One who foresees the fruit of an action" (32) ; R. Eleazar said, "A good heart." ”

“ Was not this a quick answer? And Eliezer not only asked, but he thanked God for the answer. "And the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord."
Then he gave Rebecca some beautiful presents; as well as many precious things for her mother and her brother.
And so Rebecca consented to go back with Eliezer and became Isaac's wife; and Isaac was very glad his father had sent for her all that long way, for he loved her very much.
By and by God sent Isaac and Rebecca two little twin sons, who grew up to be men.
Esau was the elder, and Jacob was the younger. ”

“ But Eliezer answered, with an austere countenance, that repentance availed nothing without works; and he quoted the saying, "No boor is a sin-fearer; nor is the vulgar pious;" and another saying which warneth men "Not to frequent the company of the unlearned." "Moreover," he added, "the All-seeing (blessed is He) alone knoweth the hearts of men, and discerneth the true repentance from the false. Wherefore none can forgive sins but God alone." ”

“ With the kneeling camels around the well, the aged Eliezer uncovers his head in the evening twilight, and with closed eyes and face raised towards heaven, he talks to God in this simple and yet eloquent way, “O, Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold! I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink ”

“ Then God revealed to Abraham, by Gabriel, that He was about to destroy the cities of the plain; and by Raphael, that He would deliver Lot and his family in the overthrow.
These cities were very guilty before God. Eliezer, having been sent by Sarah to her brother Lot with a message, some years before, arrived in Sodom. An acquaintance invited him to a meal. But hospitality was a virtue abhorred in Sodom, and the news of the invitation having got wind, Eliezer's friend was driven out of the city. Now it was a custom in Sodom to make every stranger arriving within the walls rest in a certain bed ”

“ Then Eliezer the son of Arak interrupted him and said, "Why eatest thou, contrary to the Traditions, with tax-gatherers and sinners?" But Jesus answered and said, "How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety-and-nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? ”

“ Whereupon the college shook to its foundation; and a Voice from heaven answered, saying: "What have ye to do with Rabbi Eliezer? [Pg 181] for in all things the Halacha is even according to his decision!"
But Rabbi Joshuah stood upon his feet fearlessly in the midst, and said: "It is not lawful that even a Voice from heaven should be regarded by us. For Thou, O God, didst long ago write down in the law which Thou gavest upon Sinai, saying, 'Thou shalt follow the multitude.'" And they would not hearken unto Rabbi Eliezer ”

“ When they heard this, they rejoiced greatly; and Eliezer the son of Arak rose up and straightway gave his judgment that they should now change their policy. "For," said he, "the Lord having revealed this new thing unto us, meet it is that we change our path accordingly, neither harden our faces against the will of God. ”

“ When Eliezer saw us, he complained sorely of the light-mindedness (so he called it) which our Master manifested in receiving sinners. But Jonathan replied saying that the cause lay in the exceeding gentleness of our Master, because he knew not the evil nature of man.
[pg 146] “For,” said he, “from his birth upward, Jesus of Nazareth hath moved in Paradise; and being himself good, pure, and gentle, he believeth that others also are in their thoughts like unto himself, and that they need but a little help to make them in their deeds like unto himself. ”

“ Such men are lovers of self, wallowing in carnal lusts: and are they not to be blamed?"
To this Nathaniel replied, "True, O my father; and if all the teachers of Israel were as thou art, verily Israel would be blessed. But do not the Scribes cast out many from the synagogues for small matters, even though they perform the weightier duties? Yea, I myself have heard Eliezer say many times, 'Hasten to a light precept;' and I have seen him to be more angered for a light transgression than a heavy one. ”

“ God who sets the heavens in motion, He will set this matter right, too, [283] and He that took me from my father's house, and that spake unto me, and that swore unto me in Haran, and at the covenant of the pieces, that He would give this land unto my seed, He shall send His excellent angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife for my son from thence." Eliezer then swore to his master concerning the matter, and Abraham made him take the oath by the sign of the covenant. ”

“ Eliezer looked with a keen eye and a calculating air first at the Christian Merchant, then at the Madonna and Child; then presently bowed his head in assent and said he would accept the pledge offered. He returned with Fabio to his own house, and there handed him the five hundred ducats, well and truly weighed:
"The money is yours for a year. ”

“ Concerning the law when one devoted his possessions, and among them were cattle, male and female, fit for the altar. The discussions of this matter between R. Eliezer and R. Jehoshua. R. Aqiba is inclined to the opinion of R. Eliezer, which seems to him to be more proper, but adds that he had heard that both opinions were right according to circumstances. ”

“ How much more so, it was not revealed to them that he himself would sin, until, against His will, they took counsel against him and caused him to sin, to humble him from his exalted status, and distance him from his Creator. For they knew that sin brings death and separates man from his heavenly Father. And in Chapter 13 of Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer, jealousy, desire, and honor remove man from the world. The ministering angels said before the Holy One, blessed be He, 'Master of all worlds, what is man that You should remember him?' Man is similar to breath. There is no entity on the earth like him. ”

“ The Vulgate, the Septuagint, as it stands in the Complutensian Polyglot, and in several MSS., the Syriac, the Coptic, and the Arabic, add the following words to this verse: And the name of the second he called Eliezer, for the God of my father has been my help, and delivered me from the hand of Pharaoh. These words are found in [87] , but they are certainly necessary here, for it is very likely that these two sons were born within a short space of each other; for in [88] , it is said, Moses took his wife and his Sons, by which it is plain that he had both Gershom and Eliezer at that time. ”

“ Then said Elishah the son of Solomon, "Is it not written, The young thou mayest take to thyself, but the mother thou shalt surely let go, that it may be well with thee and that thou mayest live many days? Verily the promises of God are naught, for the man that obeyed hath not lived many days, but the man that disobeyed is unhurt." Then said I, "And what answer was made to Elishah the son of Solomon?" And my teacher replied, "Whosoever obeyeth the Law, his days will be long in the world to come." ”

“ Moses appeared and committed unto them the keys of the gathering of Israel. After this came Elias, who gave to them the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham. When this vision had closed, Elijah, the prophet who was taken to heaven without tasting death, appeared unto them, testifying that the time had fully come which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi concerning the coming of Elijah—before the great and dreadful day of the Lord—to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers, lest the earth should be smitten with a curse. ”

“ Your god may be musing, or perhaps he sleeps! At evening Elijah sacrificed an ox and prayed: O Lord, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant! Then there came fire from heaven and consumed his sacrifice. The people took the priests of Baal and slew them, and the heavens grew black, and there was a great rain. Jezebel sought the life of Elijah, but he fled to the wilderness and wished that he might die, because Israel had broken their covenant with the Lord. ”

“ And whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. 18 And I have a remnant of seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to the Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.
19 And he went from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. And Elijah passed by him, and throw his mantle onto him. 20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Please, let me kiss my father and my mother, and I will follow you. ”

“ This incident has been frequently adduced since then as a disproof of the ascension of Elijah. but there is not a word in the Chronicles about any letter (ספרים, ספר, or אגרת, which would be the Hebrew for a letter) ; all that is said is that a writing (מכתב) from the prophet Elijah was brought to Joram, in which he was threatened with severe punishments on account of his apostasy. Now such a writing as this might very well have been written by Elijah before his ascension, and handed to Elisha to be sent by him to king Joram at the proper time. ”