Chayei Sarah 24:2 · unit 2

Parashas Chayei Sarah · Passuk 24:2

The Complete Passuk

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַבְרָהָ֗ם אֶל־עַבְדּוֹ֙ זְקַ֣ן בֵּית֔וֹ הַמֹּשֵׁ֖ל בְּכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֑וֹ שִֽׂים־נָ֥א יָדְךָ֖ תַּ֥חַת יְרֵכִֽי׃

And Avraham said to the senior servant of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Put your hand under my thigh

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to responsa / language of appointment (parallel to Bava Metzia / Choshen Mishpat discussions).

TT lemma: המושל בכל אשר לו.

Sefaria — Yoma 28b (related)

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
הַכּוֹתֵב לְאֶחָד שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מוֹשֵׁל וְשׁוֹלֵט בְּכָל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ אֵינוֹ לְשׁוֹן מַתָּנָה אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן אַפּוֹטְרוֹפְסוּת, שֶׁכֵּן מָצִינוּ בֶּאֱלִיעֶזֶר עֶבֶד אַבְרָהָם דִּכְתִיב בֵּיהּ הַמֹּשֵׁל בְּכָל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ.

English: One who writes for another that he shall be “ruler and controller over all that he has” is not using the language of a gift but the language of guardianship (apotropos), for so we find concerning Eliezer the servant of Avraham, of whom it is written “who ruled over all that he had.”

On the daf / in context: The verse is used to distinguish the language of appointment as steward from the language of absolute gift. Because Avraham later gave everything to Yitzchak, Eliezer’s “rule” could only have been fiduciary.

Type of Learning

Custom (halakhic inference — language of apotropos)

What Is Learned

Designating someone as “ruler over all that one has” creates a guardianship, not an outright gift; Eliezer’s status under Avraham is the Torah’s paradigm for that language.