Chayei Sarah: Eliezer's Gamble

Chayei Sarah: Eliezer's Gamble

Unperplexed: Parsha Lessons from Maimonides's Guide of the P... by Yitzchak Sprung

Episode notes

This week, I will share a wonderful surprise with you. That is, according to the Rambam, Eliezer, the servant of Avraham, made a mistake. He was right that God runs the world. But he misunderstood how we, as God’s independent creations, need to act in that world. In fact, Eliezer was like a gambler, who flips a coin and wins big. The outcome doesn’t prove his method was wise, only that he was lucky.

And that contains a central lesson for us, for how we think of Jewish faith in God, and for how we make our decisions.

Keywords
parshajudaismdvar torahguide of the perplexedjewish philosophyrambammaimonides