A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN, BY ABRAHAM

The Torah portion of Chayei Sarah describes how Abraham instructed his trusted servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac (Gen. 24).

Abraham tells his servant to take a trip out of the country, to look for a girl in the land where his extended family live, so that Isaac would never marry a Canaanite girl.

But what was so bad about marrying a Canaanite girl? What was so much better about a girl born into Abraham’s family? After all, Abraham had been told by God to abandon his family and come to Canaan. And why didn’t Abraham ask Isaac to go and find a wife for himself? Surely Isaac should have been the one to go, not Abraham’s servant!

There is so much that is puzzling about this story. With the help of various commentaries, Rabbi Dunner examines this extraordinary mission to gain some understanding as to what lay behind Abraham’s plan.

PARSHAT CHAYEI SARAH 2016 – SOURCE SHEET