When Abraham gave his servant Eliezer the mission to go to Charan and find a wife for Isaac, he concluded with the words, “G-d in the heavens… will send His angel before you.” Later, when Eliezer sat with Rebecca’s father Bethuel, he quotes Abraham but with a small difference: “G-d… will send His angel with you and make your journey successful.”

 “He will send His angel with you” can be interpreted to mean that the angel will go with Eliezer and assist him. However, “He will send His angel before you” indicates that the angel will go ahead of him and arrange everything in advance.

Actually, Abraham’s words were fulfilled—“G-d will send His angel before you.” When Eliezer reached Charan he prayed to G-d for a sign, and immediately Rebecca appeared and met Eliezer’s conditions. Eliezer went to her home and asked for her hand in marriage to Isaac, and she immediately agreed.

However, when Eliezer spoke to her father, he changed the wording and said only that the angel had helped him, to give Bethuel the opportunity to make his own decision.

Like Eliezer, all of us were entrusted by G-d with our own mission to fulfill in this world. And G-d gives us all the necessary tools to complete our mission successfully. However, like Eliezer, we must make use of our own intelligence and resources to make sure that the mission is done. On the other hand, we can’t just rely on our own craftiness. We must put our faith in G-d, as Eliezer did when he prayed to G-d for success.

The combination of these two approaches will ensure the success of our mission—to bring Redemption to this world and usher in the era of Moshiach.

(Likutei Sichot vol. 25, p. 99)