The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
Tonight's first vort was predicated on a Rabbenu B'Chaye in Parshas Yisro. It begins with a quote from Mishlei 15:4 - מַרְפֵּ֣א לָ֖שׁוֹן עֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים וְסֶ֥לֶף בָּ֜֗הּ שֶׁ֣בֶר בְּרֽוּחַ which can be loosely translated as a healing tongue is a tree of life, but cutting language shatters the spirit.
Rabbenu B'Chaye explains that Shlomo was teaching that speaking kindly when dealing with a person with depression or a spiritual ailment, can be the tree of life. Indeed, when dealing with a person who has physical ailment, there is the possibility that the person may be healed by the medication, and even if he is healed, it is simply the disease that leaves. On the other hand, speaking kindly to someone with depression or other psychological or spiritual ailment can be uplifting and a permanent cure for what ails them.
This can be seen with Avraham Avinu, who converted thousands of people. He would speak kindly and warmly with people and help uplift their spirits.
R' Frand tied this to a Gemara in Bava Basra 16 which talks about a diamond that was hung around Avraham's neck, which had the power to heal people who viewed it. The Gemara teaches that when Avraham died, Hashem hung the diamond on the sun.
Rabbeinu B'Chaye explains that the necklace was not physical - it was the language that Avraham used when he spoke with people - it was the power of his throat. People with sickly souls would hear his words about Hashem and be uplifted. After Avraham died, there was no one who would speak with people that way, so Hashem took the stone and hung it on the sun. This allegorical reference meant that Hashem had people look to the heavens in order to recognize Hashem and be uplifted.
R' Frand said a second vort based on the sefer Arzei HaParshah. He observes that Eliezer is not referred to by his own name in the parsha. Instead he is referred to as Ish or Eved. Even though Eliezer was carrying out the wishes of Avraham, Eliezer did not merit being referenced in his own name.
R' Frand mentioned R' Elchanan Wasserman HYD who was a talmid of the Chofetz Chaim. When the Chofetz Chaim died, R' Elchanan was in London and was asked to give a Hesped. R' Elchanan said that when Moshe died, he was eulogized by Hashem as "Eved Hashem" because his entire existence was to serve Hashem. This is what can be said about the Chofetz Chaim, author of the Mishna Berurah and Shmiras HaLashon - he was an Eved Hashem.
R' Frand said that he visited the kever of the Bet Yosef and he was moved by the tombstone which simply reads R' Yosef Karo - the author of the Shulchan Aruch. Nothing more needed to be said.
He then connected this with a Medrash Tanchima which tells the story of a man who traveled from Israel with his slave, leaving behind a son who was learning Torah in Israel. When the man was dying, he wrote a will that left everything to the slave and instructed that the son could take "one thing." After the man's death, the slave took everything, and the son was incredulous. The son went to his rebbi who said - you've won! If the property had been left to you, the slave would have stolen it. But now he comes to you and says - take something. But since what a slave acquires belongs to his master, if you acquire the slave as your "one thing" you will have inherited everything.
A slave has no identity, he is just a possession of the master. Moshe Rabbenu was like this as he was entirely devoted to service of Hashem. And Eliezer is not identified by name in the parsha as he was simply an extension of Avraham.
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