let the maiden to whom I say, ‘Please, lower your jar that I may drink,’ and who replies, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels’—let her be the one whom You have decreed for Your servant Yitzchak. Thereby shall I know that You have dealt graciously with my master.
English: Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: Eliezer the servant of Avraham, even though he asked improperly, they answered him properly.
On the daf / in context: The request could have been fulfilled by a lame or blind girl; Heaven nevertheless guided Rivkah, who was fitting. The derasha teaches that one should pray for clear, proper outcomes and not rely on miracles that could produce an unsuitable match.
Type of Learning
Custom (Bavli — proper formulation of prayer / request)
What Is Learned
Even when a request is framed imperfectly, Heaven may answer properly. One should nevertheless formulate prayers carefully so that the desired outcome is clear and suitable.