In this week's parsha we read about Eliezer the servant of Avraham who was sent to find a suitable wife for Yitzchak. The Torah relates that as Eliezer approached the place where Avraham sent him, he turned to Hashem and prayed that he should have success and a clear sign of the appropriate girl for Yitzchak. Eliezer's prayers were answered and he was given a clear sign that Rivkah was the appropriate match for Yitzchak.

Everyone knows that G-d is running the world and controls everything, but in many cases this is something which remains in our intellect and not in our hearts. We know this to be true but do we act accordingly? If we acted properly, in everything that we do we would realize that G-d is in control and we would turn to Him in prayer. Eliezer understood this so he acted accordingly and as he went to look for a wife for Yitzchak he prayed that he should be successful.

R'Chaim Freidlander z"tl, said that one of the ways we can strengthen our faith is to pray for success as we go and do "simple" tasks. If you were going to an important job interview or preparing for a complicated surgery everyone would turn to heaven and beseech G-d for success. It is clear to us in those cases that success depends on G-d only. How come then when we leave our house to drive to work we don't (just for a moment) ask G-d that we should have a safe drive, or that the bus or subway should come on time etc.? When we go to the store do we turn heavenward and ask that the product we want is in stock? We take all of these things for granted and we act as if the success of these endeavours is in our hands.

We can learn from Eliezer though, that in every endeavour we undertake we should turn heavenward and ask for success. It is difficult to constantly keep this in mind, but if once a day before undertaking a simple task we ask G-d to help us succeed, we will be able to strengthen our faith that He is in fact running the world.

Shabbat Shalom,

Heath