Parashat Chayei Sarah - Second Aliyah
Read the biblical text and try to understand it on your own, before reading the commentary.
After the long negotiation, the field and the cave become Abraham’s property before the Hittites. He buries Sarah in the cave of Machpelah in Hebron, and the Torah turns to another concern: finding a wife for Isaac. Abraham addresses the servant who manages all his possessions and makes him swear not to take a wife for his son from the women of Canaan, but to go to Abraham’s own land and birthplace and find her there. Genesis 23:17-20; 24:1-4
But the servant asks a practical question: what happens if the woman will not agree to come with him? May he take Isaac to her? Abraham firmly refuses. He says that God will send His angel ahead of the servant, yet also sets out what will happen if the woman does not wish to come: the servant will be released from this oath, but Isaac must not be taken back there. The servant places his hand under Abraham’s thigh and swears. Genesis 24:5-9
A mission Abraham may not live to see completed
Before Abraham addresses the servant, the Torah notes:
ve’Avraham zaken ba bayamim
Translation: Abraham was old, advanced in years.
Why does his age matter here? Genesis 24:1
Ramban explains that Abraham fears the messenger may set out for his birthplace, and by the time he returns, Abraham himself may no longer be alive. He therefore binds the servant who controls his property by an oath, so that the mission will be carried out even if he can no longer oversee it himself. Ramban adds that Abraham knows Isaac will honor his wishes and the oath he has imposed on the servant. Ramban on Genesis 24:1, 24:3
After Sarah’s burial, the question of who will carry on the household thus takes on greater urgency. Abraham acts for his family’s future, without knowing how much of it he will live to see.
Taking someone back to a place he has never been
The servant asks:
hehashev ashiv et bincha
Translation: Should I take your son back?
There is something surprising about that word: how can Isaac be taken back to a land where he has not lived? Rashbam explains that the return refers to Abraham. This is the land of Isaac’s forebears, the place his father left; a son’s first journey there can therefore also be called a return. Rashbam on Genesis 24:5
Abraham answers:
hishamer lecha pen tashiv et beni shamah
Translation: Take care not to take my son back there.
Rashbam connects the refusal to the promise of the land: God brought Abraham here and promised the land to his descendants, so Abraham understands that God does not wish his descendants to move away from it. Genesis 24:6, Rashbam on Genesis 24:7
The direction of the mission now becomes clear: the servant goes to the place Abraham left in order to bring a wife from there, while Isaac is to build his household in the land his father reached. Abraham turns to the family he came from without undoing the journey he made when he left them.
What if she does not wish to come?
Alongside Abraham’s words about the angel who will go before the servant, the verses leave room for refusal. Sforno reads the words about sending the angel as a prayer: Abraham asks God to guide events so that his son will not have to go there. Sforno on Genesis 24:7
And Abraham explicitly says:
ve’im lo toveh ha’ishah lalechet acharecha
Translation: And if the woman does not wish to follow you.
He also prepares the servant for a situation in which the woman will not agree to leave her land and come to Canaan. In that case, the servant will not remain bound by this oath, nor may he resolve the difficulty by taking Isaac out of the land. Genesis 24:8
We can hear an echo of Abraham’s own story here. He left his father’s household and his birthplace, and now he seeks a woman willing to make a similar journey to join his family. The aliyah opens with a permanent place for Sarah and ends on the threshold of a journey to find a wife for Isaac. Abraham knows where he wants his son to build his home. He does not yet know who will choose to build it with him.
More Questions on the Parsha
Why Is a Vav Missing from Ishmael’s Generations?
One letter separates the spellings for Ishmael’s and Isaac’s generations. Masoretic tradition and a midrash open a question about loss and continuity.
Why Is Isaac Named Before Ishmael at Abraham’s Burial?
Isaac and Ishmael bury their father together. Rashi finds repentance in the order of their names, inviting reflection on honor, family and continuity.
Why Does Abraham Eulogize Sarah Before Weeping for Her?
Why does Sarah’s eulogy come before the tears? Sforno, Malbim and Kli Yakar offer a starting point for reflecting on honor, grief and action.