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Why did Eliezer touch Avraham's thigh when he made an oath?

by Mrs. Dinka Kumer

  

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Question:


Why did Abraham have his house servant take an oath by putting his hand under his thigh? What did the thigh symbolize? Thanks, Todd G.


Answer:


When a person makes an oath, he does so by holding a holy object such as Tefillin (phylacteries). 

At Mt. Sinai G-d gave the 613 commandments to the Jewish people. Until then, nothing in the corporeal realm could actually become holy in a permanent way since G-d had yet to establish these laws - and thereby the ability to make something holy. The only law that G-d had already commanded in the time of Abraham that concerned making a physical object holy was the commandment of circumcision. For this reason, Abraham's servant placed his hand near the circumcision in order make his oath while touching something holy.


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Tefillin
Black leather boxes containing small scrolls with passages of the Bible written on them. Every day, aside for Sabbath and Jewish holidays, the adult Jewish male is required to wrap the Tefillin--by means of black leather straps--around the weaker arm and atop the forehead.
Abraham
First Jew, and first of our three Patriarchs. Born into a pagan society in Mesepotamia in 1812 BCE, he discovered monethieism on his own. He was told by G-d to journey to the Land of Canaan where he and his wife Sarah would give birth to the Jewish People.
G-d
It is forbidden to erase or deface the name of G-d. It is therefore customary to insert a dash in middle of G-d's name, allowing us to erase or discard the paper it is written on if necessary.