In doing some research into the life of Avraham Avinu, I looked in the Otzar Ishei ha-Tanach to discover more about his servant Eliezer. I discovered that Chazal bring down some interesting possibilities as to his identity.
It's commonly known that he was a Canaanite, since this was the grounds for Avraham's refusing the shidduch between Yitzchak and Eliezer's daughter. But what more? I found three main shitos:
- Og, king of the Bashan (Pirke de-Rabi Eliezer; Mas. Sofrim) - his kingship came as a reward for the chesed he did with Yitzchak
- Canaan himself (Bereshis Rabah)
- A son of Nimrod (Targum Yonasan, Yalkut Shimoni)
Each of these would have its own fascinating implications for Eliezer and his relationship to Avraham. More generally, though, it highlights the issue of differences between pieces of Aggadah. How do we understand the existence of such divergent views on such a simple question?
You just posted on rationalistj about a jewish thought chaburah you joined . Are you able to share any details?
ReplyDeleteIt's the second series given by a rabbi in Passaic. The first was on Lonely Man of Faith, the new one is on Kuzari. I find it excellent; his remarks are mostly "outside" the text itself, with reference to many other sources, including academic Jewish studies and history. There is quite a bit of interaction: he throws out questions to the group, and folks chime in with their own thoughts and questions. I will spare him the publicity; if you want the specifics, contact me via email, yitznewton@hotmail.com
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