A group of tourists came to Jerusalem to celebrate Pesach. They heard about the wonderful Pesach Seder at the home of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (1848-1932) and asked to be his guests. They insisted on paying for their meals. To his wife’s great surprise Rabbi Sonnenfeld agreed and in his presence they gave the money to his wife. Rabbi Sonnenfeld who lived in Eretz Yisroel had only one Seder because those who live in Eretz Yisroel observe only the first day of Pesach as Yom Tov. Chol HaMoed (the Intermediary Days of a holiday) begins for them the next day. The tourists observed the first two days of Pesach as Yom Tov as those who live outside of Israel do which they did at their hotel. On the second day of Pesach, Rabbi Sonnenfeld (for whom it was not Yom Tov) came to their hotel room with the money they had given him to pay for their meals and placed it under a tablecloth. The tourists, who for them that day was Yom Tov, couldn’t handle the money and could do nothing more than plead with him to keep the money he had already accepted.
“Yes, I did accept the money,” said Rabbi Sonnenfeld. “But I only did so that you should feel comfortable to eat freely without concern that I couldn’t afford guests.”
Rabbi Sonnenfeld was emulating our matriarch Rivka (Rebecca).
Avrohom dispatches his trusted servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son Yitzchok in Avrohom’s birthplace. When he arrives he prays to Hashem to help him find the right one for his master’s son.
הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל־עֵין הַמָּיִם וּבְנוֹת אַנְשֵׁי הָעִיר יֹצְאֹת לִשְׁאֹב מָיִם׃ וְהָיָה הַנַּעֲרָ אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיהָ הַטִּי־נָא כַדֵּךְ וְאֶשְׁתֶּה וְאָמְרָה שְׁתֵה וְגַם־גְּמַלֶּיךָ אַשְׁקֶה אֹתָהּ הֹכַחְתָּ לְעַבְדּ לְיִצְחָק וּבָהּ אֵדַע כִּי־עָשִׂיתָ חֶסֶד עִם־אֲדֹנִי׃
Here I stand by the spring as the daughters of the townsmen come out to draw water; let the maiden to whom I say, ‘Please, lower your jar that I may drink,’ and who replies, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels’—let her be the one whom You have decreed for Your servant Isaac. Thereby shall I know that You have dealt graciously with my master.” (24:13-14)
Rivka shows up at the well and Eliezer approaches her with his request. She replies:
שְׁתֵה אֲדֹנִי וַתְּמַהֵר וַתֹּרֶד כַּדָּהּ עַל־יָדָהּ וַתַּשְׁקֵהוּ׃
“Drink, my lord,” she said, and she quickly lowered her jar onto her hand and gave him to drink.” (24:18)
The next verse reads:
וַתְּכַל לְהַשְׁקֹתוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר גַּם לִגְמַלֶּיךָ אֶשְׁאָב עַד אִם־כִּלּוּ לִשְׁתֹּת׃
When she finished giving him to drink, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking.” (24:19)
Why did she wait until after he finished drinking to tell him that she would also draw for his camels? The commentary of Ohr HaChaim answers that Rivka was concerned that if she would tell Eliezer her plans to give his animals to drink he might feel that he has to drink quickly since she still needs to give his animals to drink too. Therefore she made no mention of the animals so that he would feel no pressure and could drink comfortably.
Rivka put thought into her chessed to make sure it would be the most comfortable for the one recieving it. Rabbi Sonnenfeld, her descendant, followed in her footsteps.
Ohr HaChaim, on verse 19 that states, וַתְּכַל לְהַשְׁקֹתוֹ ,”When she finished giving him to drink,” asks why does it say that she finished giving him to drink when it should have said that he finished drinking? He answers that she was concerned that if she would let him drink until he decided to finish he might overdrink since he was thirsty from travelling .But since he just came from travelling it was harmful for him to overdrink! Therefore she ended his drinking.
But now she had a new concern on her hands. Perhaps Eliezer thinks that she’s stopping him from drinking because she’s had enough of this burden of giving him to drink . Therefore she said,“I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking.” Her message to Eliezer was that although she interrupted his drinking she would let his camels drink until they were finished. In this way she showed Eliezer that her behavior towards him was not because it was a burden but because it was for his own good.
Rivka performed kindness with care and sensitivity. We, her descendants, should strive to follow in her footsteps.
Shabbat Shalom!
Yitzchak